Hi,
I am new to using Joomla and working with templates in general.
It appears that I installed the Vision template with no problem and my new site has changed its appearence like I expected. However I have no clue as to how to use any of the features that I see in your vision demo.

I know how to put menu items on the main menu (which I don't even want to appear on the site) but I don't see any way to create a menu like the one you have on your vision demo that is across the top of the page.

The same goes with the slide show feature and every other feature that the demo of the template showcases.

Can you point me to a tutorial or something that will bring me upto speed.

Thanks,
Gregg

Ok,
I have found how to make the Main Menu to go horizontal but I still can't get it to be where you have the menu in your demo.

I tried positioning it everywhere so I could see where the menu would end up at. There was only one place where the menu failed to display and that was when I chose the "banner" position. I am assuming that it was displaying behind the default banner that is on the template.

None of the positions available for selection, placed the menu in the location that it is in your demo. There is an obvious place reserved for it in the template, but I have no idea how to get the menu to display there.

Am I approaching this totally wrong? I get the feeling that there is something big that I am not aware of.

Help Please!!

Gregg

Hi Gregg,

You'll find most of the setup instructions on the demo site itself.

Here is a link to the module positions:
showcase.joomlabamboo.com/vision/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=27

and for the menu setup:
showcase.joomlabamboo.com/vision/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=30

This page shows you a little bit about the slideshow and ticker:
showcase.joomlabamboo.com/vision/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=31

Let me know if you need any more help.

Thanks Anthony

Thanks Anthony,

So the features that are on display in the Visions demo are modules that I need to download and install. Thanks for correcting my understanding of what the template was supposed to contain.

I have another question. I was looking at the extensions downloads (both club and free) and the slideshow and ticker have 1.0 in the name of the zip file. Does this mean that they are only compatible with Joomla 1.0? I am asking because I am working with version 1.5.4.

Also I could not find the Sliding Superfish menu or the extended menu module that the instructions speak of.

Can you help me with locating them?

Thanks,
Gregg

Hi Greegg,

There is a legacy version for the newsticker which means you need to enable the lgeacy plugin when using it. There is also a J1.5 version of the Slideshow in the download area. They are in the JB Vision Modules Zip - as well as the extended menu module for J1.5.

Cheers Anthony

Ok I figured out why I was not getting the Extended Menu.
I did not realize that I had to unzip your "extended-menu-module-1.0.5_use_for_j1.5.zip" file first and then pick and choose from the zip files that were inside it to install.

Well I tried creating the Extended Menu for some reason I could not get it to change its position. In the module I change the position, save it and then check the results. But the menu refused to move to another position.

Thinking that I had messed something up, I thought I should just start over. So I deleted all of my site modules and tried to recreate just the menu.

But now something really strange has happened and I am dead in the water now!

In the Manage Module section, I click on "New," then select "Menu," then click on "Next."

Instead of getting the screen with the properties of the module for me to fill-in, I get nothing. I get the same result when I try to create any module.

So effectively as of now I have no ability to create new modules.
Do you have any idea what just happened?

I attached the screen shot to show you what I get after I click "Next".

Thanks,
Gregg

Apparently a full screen shot is big to upload to the forum (because it was stripped from my previous post) so I am uploading a trimmed version.

So this attachment is the resulting screen when I try to create a new module.

Gregg

What the heck!!
Now you have a pixel limitation also (499)?

I give up! I guess your not going to get a screen shot.

Anyway... I hope you have a clue as to what is going on or at least you can point me to some documentation somewhere that can find my answers.

Thanks,
Gregg

Hi Gregg,

I think the image sizes are automatically set by fireboard - ill expand them to make them more generous.

You dont actually have to unzip this file and there arent any zip inside the exmenu file. you do need to unzip the module.zip.

Im not 100% certain what you have done but you may want to try and re-upload the module directory via ftp. Otherwise if you send me some login details for ftp and joomla superadmin to our support ticket system then I will take a look for you.

Thanks Anthony

Thanks Anthony,

Yes you are right it was the Module.zip that I needed unzip. I pasted in the wrong file name sorry about that.

It turns out that because I deleted the MainMenu module, this apparently causes Joomla to stop working. So I uninstalled it and reinstalled again. With the help of the handy dandy Instllitron it only took a couple of minutes.

I then reinstalled the your modules. So far so good.
Instead of deleting the MainMenu module, I deactivated it. This seemed to work well.

I am able to change the position of the Extended Menu now - so that part is working now.

Now here is where I am at lost as how to proceed.

Currently the extended menu behaves similar to the main menu.

This is where I need some step by step instructions on how to create a menu that looks like the one in the Vision. I hope that I have all of the peices installed. Now I just need to know what to do with them.

One of the things I noticed, is that try as I might, no position that I selected placed my menu at the location where the menu exists in the demo.

So that is where I am at. I am in better shape then I was but still stuck.

Hope you can point me in the right direction.

Thanks,
Gregg

Hi Gregg,

Try this link for the menu setup:
showcase.joomlabamboo.com/vision/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=30

You need to publish the menu to the top position without the title published.

Cheers Anthony

Ok, I was able to follow most of the instructions (after some translation for different labeling of the fields). However there is NO "TOP" position for the module.

Here is the list of positions that the Vision template provides:

Advert1
Advert2
Advert3
Banner
Bottom
Cpannel
footer
Left
Right
User1
User2
User4

Also --- How do I do the following?

"Ensure that the module name is unpublished or disabled"

Do you mean that I need to disable the "Extended_Menu" module?
If I do that won't that cause the menu to disappear?

Or do you mean to select "No" for the "Show Title:" option? I have already done that.

BTW... Here is the URL to the site. You can see for your self. I currently have the "Extended_Menu" module published to the "User1" Position above the Banner.

www.idcsnetwork.com/joomla/index.php/home

Thanks,
Gregg

Hi Gregg,

Looks like its missing from the xml. Ill update it shortly. In the mean time you can just type top in the moduel position.

As far as the title goes I mean select no to show the title.
Thanks Anthony.

Dude You Rock!!!

Take a look!
www.idcsnetwork.com/joomla/index.php/

That typing in "top" would never had occured to me since it is a pulldown.

Thanks Sooooooo much for sticking with me.

Now there is only one thing left that I am having trouble with.
I created a banner and tried to publish it to position "banner" but it did not replace the default banner. In fact it does not show at all, unless I pick some place other than "banner."

Do I need to some how deactivate this default banner?

Thanks,
Gregg

Hey no problem,

Its a bit of a learning curve using Joomla but its certainly worth it.

Yes just deactivate all modules published to the banner position other than you want to have there.

Cheers Anthony

There in lies the problem.
I have deactivated all of the other modules except for the "Menu" and the "Banner" modules.
Even the ones that are deactivated are not published to the "banner" position.

So I don't know what is providing the current banner.

Remember I did a fresh install, then installed the Vision Template and your modules.

And that is pretty much it. I diabled all of the modules that I installed except for the "Extened Menu" and the "Banner" modules.



I don't know what to do... wow that is becoming a mantra...

Thanks,
Gregg

Hi Gregg,

Looks like it might just be a content item. If you post some login details via a support ticket Ill take a look and get you moving in the right direction.

Cheers Anthony

Bless you kind sir.

I have opened the support ticket per your request.

BTW... I am planning to have a web developers community on this web site. Because of your great support I would like advertise your site if that is ok with you.

Thanks again,
Gregg

Thanks Gregg,

Very happy for you to advertise us. You should become an affiliate and you can scoop 20% of any sales that get referred to us.

Ive just responded to the ticket. I think we were misunderstanding the terminology. The banner you are talking about is the logo. Thats being referenced in the css file and you can find the logo.jpg in the images folder of the template.

Cheers Anthony

Ok Anthony, check it out.

www.idcsnetwork.com/joomla/index.php/home

What do you think? I am only getting a few hours in to work on it in the evenings and in the morning just before I go to my day job.

This will eventually be a commercial site. We are hoping it will make some money for us and help the science community at the same time. Its invitation only and we hope to have a lot of scientists collaborating in the science forums from all over the world.

I still have a lot of work to do, but thanks to your great templates, modules and awsome personal help I am pretty sure I will makeit. It will be the best looking and most feature rich site that I have ever created. Thanks to Joomala and you!

Once I get the Web site community up and running I will give you a jingle about the affiliate opportunity.

Thanks again,
Gregg Davis