Joomla 2.5 is here and we’re ready with a new course

Joomla 2.5 was released today and the slogan for it is “Extra Features! Easy Updates!” Both are true.

Updates: If you’re using Joomla 1.7, it is a one-click update to 2.5. All your extensions and template will work with the new version. Also, you’ll need see an icon when you first login and this will do what WordPress does and warn you and any updates to Joomla or your installed extensions.

Features: The two headline features are a new search component and multi-database support. There’s a new Smart Search that indexes your content ahead of time and returns much more accurate results. You can now also run Joomla on MS SQL Server or MS SQL Azure. Support for Postgres SQL is expected very soon. To see a full range of 25 improvements that were included in Joomla 2.5, visit our blog post from late last year.

The New Joomla 2.5 Intermediate Course

On the same day that Joomla 2.5 launches, we’re delighted to unveil our new Joomla 2.5 Intermediate course.

The course takes you through building two complete Joomla websites. You’ll also learn:

• How to use Joomla’s powerful access control features.
• How to make multi-lingual Joomla sites.
• How to manage your Joomla site and keep it safe and secure.

Here’s an overview of the course to whet your appetite:

Intermediate course overview

Putting It All Together: Building a Business Site

• The Business Site – Introduction & installation
• Setting up the Categories
• Adding the Content
• Showing the Content
• Adding Contacts
• Adding the Portfolio
• Adding the Most Read Content
• Adding Google Translate
• Setting up User Profiles
• Adding Video to our site
• Setting up the Business Site Template
• Placing the Modules
• Modifying the Template and the final product

Joomla! Users

• Understanding Joomla! Users – Introduction
• Joomla! Access Control Lists – what users can see.
• What Users Can Do – User Groups
• Setting Your Own ACL Part 1
• Setting Your Own ACL Part 2
• Adding an Editor to our site

Joomla! Languages

• Introduction
• Installing a Translation
• Translating our Content
• Translating our Menus
• Translating our Extensions
• Translating our Templates

Joomla! Site Management

• Introduction
• Updating your Joomla! site
• Updating your Joomla! extensions
• Disabling / Deleting Extensions
• Site Security
• Backing up your site
• Global Configuration
• Global Configuration Tips
• The Joomla! Community

Some Extras

• Joomla! Tips and Techniques
• Conclusion/ Wrap up