Hi Folks,

Thanks to Dan on this thread http://www.joomlabamboo.com/forum/general-bamboo/15339-please-rethink-quickstart he has triggered a lot of activity regarding the way that we produce the quickstart packages for our templates.

The quickstart packages take a lot of energy to maintain with the release cycle for Joomla plus our own internal release cycle for our extensions. In fact getting the quickstarts updated can account for maybe two weeks of dev time for one of us each time a new Joomla version gets released and that time will increase as the templates in the catalogue grow. So ...

We are in the brainstorming phase of rolling out a new quickstart solution - something we are tentatively calling the JB Snapshot.

The snapshot will be different to the current quickstart packages and will not contain all of the setup information nor will it contain the feature information as is presently the case for the quickstart packages. The idea behind the snapshot is that it contains a select handful of extensions, some commonly used menu items and some useful dummy content. And that changing from one template to another will be as simple as installing a small patch via the Joomla installer.

We have some pretty crazy ideas about how we can mix these elements up and create a dynamic Joomla installer but for starters I wanted to canvas what was useful to our members and to see what the perfect JB Snapshot would look like. What is the base platform for creating a website that you would like to start from?

For the time being the beta version of the core Joomla setup has the following extensions installed:

- JCE wysiwyg editor
- XMap sitemap
- Extended Menu Module
- Google Analytics plugin
- NinjaExplorer file explorer
- Updateman for updating Joomla
- Plus all updated JB extensions

Id like to stick to only adding useful extensions to the core package and let the user decide to add stuff like forums, blogging platforms, forms etc.

The menu items are geared around a service type website with:

- Home
- Services
- Service 1
- Service 2
- Service 3
- Service 4
- Service 5
- Blog
- About Us
- Contact Us

And the dummy content includes some pretty pictures plus some lipsum text.

So there are the basics and now we want to hear from you about your thoughts on what the perfect snapshot would look like and what extensions you think are must haves for every Joomla installation. What is a good set of generic but useful menu items and content section / category hierachy structure?

Thanks Anthony

Hi Anthony,

A couple of items I'd love to see added to the list would be:

1 - Joomlapack - backup software so handy whilst developing and tweaking...
2 - An article on the typography styles and module positions - template specific. It is the one aticle I always refer back to many times whilst developing a site.

thanks,
Babs

+1 for Joomla pack - forgot about that one.

The typography will actually be handled by the new JB Type plugin. Do you think we will still need a page for this. The new doc on the new site is pretty extensive.

Thanks Anthony

Nope - I agree not needed for typography but definately an image of template specific module locations is a must, along with any specific formatting options.

+2 votes for Joomlapack. It should be part of the Joomla core, IMO.

You have actually hit all of my 'must have' list (JCE, XMAP, Bigshot Google Analytics), with only one exception (though I recognise that it may not be to everyone's taste) JSecure.

It is not bullet-proof security, but every little helps right?

This is great to hear Anthony. I think the #1 priority should be making your work easier/better. That will carry over a lot to everyone else.

On the less-is-more theory, do you really need to add a bunch of extensions--other than your own? If you do, I agree, Joomlapack and some security extensions are good choices, but it's just one more thing that goes stale in the quickstarts.

To answer your exact question, the base platform for creating a website that I would like to start from is something like your Zen template, or any highly parameterized template, that I can install quickly with functioning menus and a minimum of dummy content. The module and typography lists are the most important documentation, but it's all good. I prefer documentation content as dummy content rather than "dumb dummy content." All the better if I can just move it into a FAQ section and leave it there for privileged users.

Maybe this is not technically possible or feasible, but I think the best thing from the user standpoint is an installer/uninstaller that works well with an existing installation of Joomla. You will simply get more people trying (and buying) your templates if they can rapidly install a few and switch between them on the same site.

I think there are some core 3rd party extensions that alot of people use and are certainly worth putting in the core package. v1.0 of the snapshot will be a fixed joomla install but since there will only be one package then it will be much easier to maintain.

The plan is to make the components dynamically selected during the install so the end user will get to decide what to add to their J installation but for the time being I think the extensions outlined are a good starting platform for most people.

@babs and @dan In terms of the module position and typography docs I think thats a good idea too. My original plan was to not have any setup docs in the snapshot but I can see how that would be helpful.

OK folks I have the first beta release for JB Snapshot.

You can download them from here:
www.joomlabamboo.com/downloads/snapshots/view-category


Installation instructions:

Step1: Install the Core package as per any joomla install or quickstart and apply the sample data.
The Zen Grid Snapshot is loaded by default

Step 2: Install the WoodFlower template

Step 3: Install the woodflower snapshot
The site should now have the Wood Flower template applied with its specific moduel settings.

Step 4- Install the Zen Grid Snapshot and it should be back to where you started.


Im also thinking of providing a few different sample data options as well eg no sample data, service based content, artist/folio based content etc. They can easily be installed via the J installer after the core package has been installed.

Cheers Anthony

Ok I decided to release two core packages - one with and one without the 3rd party extensions. I think that will be of use and not provide too much extra to maintain.

And have just uploaded a services sample data and a blank sample data snapshot.

Have to say that the JB SnapShots is fantastic, have been messing around with it and i just love it.. so easy and fast... looking forward to see the rest..

You have a date for the new site launch?

Rikard

Hey Rikard,

Hoping for this coming monday - depends on how things go this week.

Cheers Anthony

That is some good stuff.

Thansk Dan - They are next on the list after we relaunch. Hoping to have all 09 templates ported to the framework and their snapshot ready in the next few weeks.

Hi Folks,

Ive just updated the Simpla info and given it a dedicated page.

www.joomlabamboo.com/joomla-bamboo/services/jb-snapshots-joomla-quickstart-installations

Also added a snapshot for Canvas.

Ill be adding more snapshots in the next few weeks.

Anthony