Joomla!

's Category Blog Layout

Joomla!'s Category Blog Layout is very popular to use because it is very flexible.
There are many parameters that you can set to create the layout desired. It is
important to understand that there are three places that parameters can be set - and
there is a systematic way that Joomla! uses these parameters.

Article Manager Parameters

Go to Content -> Article manager.
In this page there is an icon called parameters in the top, right of the page.

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Note:
In joomla1.5RC3 version that icon is named as ‘preferences’, not as ‘parameters’

This is where you can set the default values used by menu items and articles.

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Users can set values to those parameters according to their preference.

Menu Item Parameters

When you create a new menu item that includes an Article menu type like an Article-
Category Blog, you are also presented with Parameter choices.

Parameters:

If you wish to use the default values set at the Article Manager level, then no changes
are required for the menu item parameters.

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Article Parameters
Each article also has it's own set of parameters. When you edit an article, the
parameters are available on the right side.

If you wish to use the default values set at the Article Manager level, or the values
set at the Menu Item level, no changes are required in the Article parameters.
Understand Article parameters override the menu item settings.

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Create a "Joomla! Category Blog Layout" document.
When user enters to the system user can see several icons to manage the content of
the site as follows.

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Now just click on Menu -> Main Menu. Then user will enter to the Menu Item Manager
(Main Manu) page.

In that page it will display all the menu items in the main menu.

To add a new item click on the New button.

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Then user will be directed to the Menu Item (new) page. Here user has to select Menu
Item Type.

Then go to the Internal Link -> Articles -> Category -> Category Blog Layout.

Then User has to add the Menu item details and also select the necessary
parameters.

For example: When user adds the detail as follows:

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And select parameters as below:

Parameters Basic:

Parameters Advance:

Parameter Components:

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Parameters System:

After entering details and parameters now click on Save button.

Then user will be directed to the Menu Item Manager page and there it will display
the newly added menu item.

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Then the menu item is added to the site and user can see it under the main menu in
the site.

That is the basic scenario to add a menu item in the main menu.

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Now will see how the content depends on the parameters.

Basic parameters
There are seven types of parameters that can be changed by the user. First we will
consider about first three parameters.

1. We entered the Category as News/Latest (User can select any category name he
wish).
Select show option button for Description and Description Image.

Selected Parameters:

Output:
In the site the content will appear with the category description and also the image

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2. Now will see what happen if the user select Hide option button for the
Description and Description Image.

Parameters:

Output:
The output will not contain any description and a description image as follows.

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So user can select any of those options according to his needs. Now we will see about
the other basic parameters like Leading, intro, columns and links.

1. Leading means number of articles to display as a full width articles. For example
will select the number 2 as a leading parameter as follows.

Parameters:

Output:
Then the two full width articles will be displayed.

Two articles with

Full Width

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2. Intro parameter use to select number of articles to display as intro text.
Select the intro parameter as 2.

Parameters:

Output:
The two paragraphs will display as intro text shown.

Two articles as
Intro text shown

3. Columns parameter can change the number of columns for a row when
displaying the intro text.
Select the columns parameter as 2.

Parameters:

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Output:

Two columns

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4. Links is the last basic parameter. This is number of items that have to be
displayed as links. Let’s select it as 3.

Parameters:

Output:
Then three links will be displayed.

Three links

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Advanced Parameters
The advance parameters is another parameter set that can be selected by the user.

1. With Category Order, user can select the necessary order of the categories and
primary order will select the order that the items will be displayed in.

Select the Title-Alphabetical as Order by Primary order only and select the primary
order according to the preference.

Select the Primary order as Oldest first.

Parameters:

Output:

Display items as the Oldest

First order

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Select the Primary order as Title- Alphabetical.

Parameters:

Output:

Items will display in

Alphabetical order

As above scenario user can select the Order of the items by changing those
parameters.

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2. There is another parameter set to select the pagination in a joomla! site. They are
Pagination, Pagination results and show a feed link.

Pagination is use to enable the pagination support. Pagination results is an option for
display the results.

Select the pagination enable as auto and click on the show option button for
Pagination results.

Parameters:

Output:

Pagination on and
Results will be
displayed

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Select the Pagination as auto and Pagination results as hide.

Parameters:

Output :

Pagination on
and result will not
Be displayed.

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Component parameters

1. There are five parameter sets.

Show unauthorized links

To see the links user has to login to the system. If the user is not login then it will
display the link to register content.

Parameters:

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Show Articles Title
If user want to show the titles of Articles then select Yes and if not select No.

Parameters:

Output:

The titles
Will be displayed

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Title Linkable
If you want to linkable titles then select Yes and otherwise select No.

Parameters:

Output:

Titles display
As links

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Show Intro Text
This is for show or hides to intro text.

Parameters:

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Section Name
Show or hides the sections of articles.

Section Title Linkable

This is for linkable the section names. If he does not want to linkable section names
then he has to select ‘No’.

Parameters:

Output :

Sections
(Linkable)

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Category Title
Show or hides to category names that articles belongs to.

Category title Linkable

This is for linkable the category title. If user doesn’t want it to linkable then select
‘No’.

Parameters:

Output:

Categories
(Linkable)

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Author Name
Display or hide the author name for each title.

Created date and time

Display or hide the created date and time.

Modified date and time

Display or hide the modified date and time

Show Navigation
Show a navigation function between articles.

Parameters:

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Output:

Display author
Name and created
date.

Display the last

Modifies date

Read more… Link

Display or hide the Read more link.

Article Rating/Voting
This is for enable the voting system for articles.

Parameters:

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Output:

Read more
links

Icons
Show or hide icons.

PDF Icon
Show or hides the PDF button

Print icon
Show or hides the Print button

Email icon
Show or hides the Email button

Hits
This is for set hits for particular articles.

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Parameters :

Output:
Display PDF button Print button and Email button.

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System parameters
1. There is another parameter set called system parameters.

Page Title
This is the text to display as a title.

Parameters:

Output:

Show page title

This is show or hides the page title.

Parameters:

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Output:

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Page class suffix
The suffix to be applied to the CSS classes of the page.

Parameters:

Output:
The style will change as follows.

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The CSS style class will display in the html content as follows

Menu image
This is to select an image for the menu.

Parameters:

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Output:

SSL Enabled
This parameter user if the user wants to use SSL and secure socket URL.

Parameters:

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