Understanding Template Standpoint

Understanding the Joomla! CMS from a Template Standpoint 

Joomla is a highly extendable open source content management system.
Through its extensibility Joomla can be made into almost any type of website.
Joomla at its core is an article system that can be extended through its components and modules to serve other functions.
For example adding a shopping cart or forum system that integrates into the Joomla core with its extensions.

Joomla is so extendable that sometimes new users and experience users do not grasp the core concepts of the Joomla CMS.
In this section I'm going to cover the Joomla CMS concepts from a template designers viewpoint.

A good way to start to understand Joomla is to think of it like this.
Most content management systems have what's called a ACL (Access Control List ) this is what controls who can login and what they can do.
The second part of a content management systems called a Front End which is the part that is open to the public on the Web.
The other equally important part is the Back End which controls your website.

Keywords:

• Access Level: Who can see what.
• Front-end: Public Web site.
• Back-end: Website manager or Back Office.

The Joomla content management system uses this structure.

Both Front End and Back End sections of Joomla have templates which in some ways mirror each other.
Even though there are two sets of templates I will be discussing the Front End template only.

The Joomla CMS comes with a set of default templates both for the Front End and Back End.

  The default Front End "rhuk_milkyway" template



The default Back End "Khepri" template