JA Fresco

Culinary magazine Joomla template

The section will help you with steps to install the JA Fresco quickstart or manual installation.

  • Quickstart installation: Replicate Template demo to your server.
  • Manual installation: install template, plugin manually on your Joomla site

System requirement

Please make sure your system meets the following requirements:

Software

  • Software: PHP (Magic Quotes GPC off): 7.2+ (8.0 recommended)

Databases

  • MySQL(InnoDB support required): 5.61+
  • MSSQL 10.50.1600.1 +
  • PostgreSQL 11.0

Web Servers

  • Apache 2.4+
  • Microsoft IIS 7
  • Nginx 1.10 (1.18+ recommended)

Browser requirement

  • Firefox 13+
  • IE (Internet Explorer) 8+
  • Google Chrome XY and the latest
  • Opera 11.6+
  • Safari 5.1+

Development Environment

During the development process, Localhost is preferred. You can use the following servers on your PC to develop your site.

Windows

  • wamp server
  • XAMPP for Windows

Linux

  • LAMP Bundle
  • XAMPP for Linux

Mac OS

  • MAMP & MAMP Pro
  • XAMPP for Mac OS

Joomla 5 System requirement

Extensions & Compatibility:

Joomla 5 introduces Fontawesome 6.4, Codemirror 6, and has updated its Webauthn Library. Notably, Joomla now requires PHP 8.1, MySQL 8.0.13+, MariaDB 10.4+, and PostgreSQL 12+ for optimal performance.

Cleaner Code Base: Joomla 5 places a strong emphasis on code cleanliness. The transition from older APIs, removal of es5 support, and other heavily coded cleanups ensure the CMS runs efficiently.


Download packages

JA Fresco download section includes the following files:

  • Quickstart package for Joomla 5
  • Quickstart package for Joomla 4
  • JA Fresco template
  • T4 Framework plugin
  • JA ACM Module
  • JA Social Share plugin
  • Smart Search Module

Quickstart installation

Quickstart installation allows you to replicate the demo site to your server with all T4 extensions installed and demo content

Joomla 4 tutorial

Manual Installation

Installing the JA Fresco, T4 framework, and other extensions on your existing Joomla website.

From your back-end setting panel, go to: "Extensions > Extension Manager", browse the extension installation files then hit the "Upload and Install"

  • T4 Framework plugin
  • JA Fresco template
  • JA ACM module
  • JA Extension manager component

JA Nova template documentation

JA Nova template installation guide

By default, the T4 plugin will be auto-enabled after installation. You can check this by going to "Extensions > Plugin Manager" then find T4 Plugin.

Set JA Fresco as default template style

Joomla 4: Go to: "System > Site Template Styles", set JA Fresco template style as your default template style.

Joomla template style access panel

Joomla default template style


Template folder structure

This section is to help you understand the folder structure of the JA Fresco template, where to find the files you want.

JA Fresco template

JA Fresco template is built on the T4 Framework so its folder structure is almost the same as any other JA Templates that are developed with T4 Framework.

/templates/ja_fresco/
		+-- scss/                 /*  all SCSS files */ 
		+--     scss/tpl                 /*  theme tpl SCSS files */ 
		¦    +--  _acm.scss
		¦    +--  _all.scss
		¦    +--  _offcanvas.scss
		¦    +--  _styles.scss
		¦    +--  _typo.scss
		¦    +--  _utilities.scss
		¦    +--  _variables.scss
		¦    +--  _vars.scss
		¦    +--  _virtuemart.scss
		¦    +--  jpages.scss
		¦    +--  rtl.scss
		¦    +--  template.scss
		¦    +--  theme.scss
		¦    +--  _bootstrap.scss
		¦    +--  _components.scss
		¦    +--  _forms.scss
		¦    +--  _global.scss
		¦    +--  _joomla.scss
		¦    +--  _megamenu.scss
		¦    +--  _modules.scss
		¦    +--  _navigations.scss
		+-- scss/tpls 
		+-- css/                     /*compiled files from SCSS*/
		¦    +-- template.css
		¦    +-- rtl.css
		¦    +-- acm.css
		¦    +-- jpages.css
		¦    +-- off-canvas.css/
		¦    +-- offline.css/
		+-- html/               /*override modules and Joomla com_content*/
		¦    +-- com_content/
		¦    ¦    +-- article/
		¦    ¦    +-- category/
		¦    ¦    +-- featured/
		¦    +-- com_contact/
		¦    ¦    +-- contact/
		¦    +-- mod_articles_categories/
		¦    +-- mod_articles_category
		¦    +-- layouts/
		¦    +-- ...
		+-- fonts/ 
		+-- js/ 
		¦    +--owl-carousel/
		¦    +--html5lightbox/
		¦    +-- bootstrap.bundle.js
		¦    +-- template.js
		¦    +-- imagesloaded.pkgd.js
		¦    +-- isotope.pkgd.js
		+-- images/
		+-- language/
		+-- templateDetails.xml  
		+-- templateInfo.php/
		+-- templateHook.php/
		

CSS and SCSS customization

Any customization is not recommended in the t4 plugin.

To customize your site style, you can use either CSS or SCSS customization tool.

Joomla template style customization

More details


1. Layout configuration

JA Fresco supports different layouts by default and you can create more layouts using layout builder.

Assign Layout for a template style

To assign a layout for a JA Fresco template style, open the template style » Layout setting panel » and assign a layout for the template style.

Joomla template layout configuration

Set sub-layout

The sub layout is used for child pages. For example, if the Category page is assigned to the main layout, the article detail page is the child page of the Category page, and it will be using the sub-layout, in case the setting is active.

To configure the sub-layout, in the layout setting panel, scroll down and you will find the Sub Layout setting, assign a layout and save the layout setting.

Joomla template layout configuration

Layout positions:

Note: You can create multiple template styles with different layouts assigned. Then assign each template style to specific pages.

Layout builder detail docs


3. Site settings

Joomla template site setting

Logo settings

The Logo settings are present under Site configuration > Logo Settings.

For the logo, you can select to use an image logo or text logo. You can also select the different logos for mobile view and dark theme logo

Joomla template logo setting

Typography settings

The typography includes the global settings for font family, font weight, and line height.

You can enable the custom font setting for heading and navigation (menu).

Joomla template font setting

Local font supported: due to the GDPR issue, you can disable Google font, and use the local font that is already supported at core.

Other settings:

  • Page: set page backgroud image and background style attributes
  • Author Settings: show, hide the author block and link for the author
  • Favicon setting: add custom favicon

Site setting detailed docs


JA Fresco supports Megamenu for Desktop layout and dropdown or Off-canvas for Mobile layout.

Megamenu setting

Go to Navigation > Megamenu, select a menu and configure the megamenu. You can build a mega menu with multiple rows, each row can include multiple columns. You can assign menu items, modules or a module position to each column.

Joomla template megamenu setting

Megamenu detailed docs

Off-canvas Menu setting

Enable Off-canvas (it is enabled by default), select module position, module style and other options.

Next, create a menu module, assign it to the position: off-canvas.

Joomla template megamenu setting


Menu Breakpoint setting

The Mobile Menu Breakpoint is an additional customization option. Using this feature, you can choose the screen width necessary for the Mobile Menu to be triggered. With a larger Breakpoint Width, you can make the mobile menu appear on the desktop.

Joomla template menu breakpoint setting


5. Theme color settings

The theme color allows you to use the color picker to change color for brand colors, base colors, main menu colors, and footer colors.

Joomla template theme color setting

You can view the changes in the website preview on the right panel.

6. Global settings

Joomla template global setting

JA Fresco template global settings include:

  • T4 edit layout: this is the front-end editor (article, module) layout setting, you can select to use clean layout or full position layout
  • CSS & JS optimization: JS and CSS optimization is the process of making your website smaller and faster to load by minifying the JS and CSS codes.
  • Custom Code: You can insert any CSS, JS, meta tags, links, and verification codes using the custom code option. With multiple options to add custom to specific tags.
  • Add-ons: includes settings to enable or disable font icons like Font Awesome, Iconmoon. When an Addon is disabled, its CSS and JS will not be loaded on your website, this is to help keep your site clean and load faster.
  • Open Graph: Open Graph Meta Tags are used to provide structured data to social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, about a webpage's content. This helps these platforms to display the content in a more visually appealing and informative way, such as images, titles, and descriptions.

Detailed docs

7. CSS & SCSS editor tool

Customizing style for your site is even simpler with the inbuilt custom CSS Editor. In the Tools panel, hit the Edit Custom CSS button and you can add your own custom CSS rules to the editor.

Joomla template custom style

You can override the default variables in the Variables customization editor, as well as the adding custom SCSS.

Joomla template scss customization

Detailed docs


Step 1. Create menu item

Go to Menu » Main menu, add a new menu item, select Articles » Featured news menu type.

Joomla home menu settings

Step 2. Assign content to the Home page

The home page includes multiple sections, each section is a module.

home layout structure

1. Restaurant & Fresco: JoomlArt Advanced Custom Module

Joomla home hero module

Hero : style-1

Module position: hero
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

2. Fresco, founded in 2022, is dedicated: Articles - Category Module

Joomla home module

Features Intro : style-1

Module position: section-1
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

3. Explore: JoomlArt Advanced Custom Module

Joomla home hero module

Menu : style-1

Module position: section-2
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

4. Your Private Event - Book A Table: JoomlArt Advanced Custom Module

Joomla home module

Features Intro : style-2

Module position: section-3
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

5. The Sea - The Land - The Sky: JoomlArt Advanced Custom Module

Joomla home module

Menu : style-1

Module position: section-4
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

6. Gallery: JoomlArt Advanced Custom Module

Joomla home module

Gallery : style-1

Module position: section-5
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

6. Testimonials: JoomlArt Advanced Custom Module

Joomla home module

Testimonials : style-1

Module position: section-8
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

6. HOW TO FIND US?: JoomlArt Advanced Custom Module

Joomla home module

Features Intro : style-1

Module position: section-9
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

Step 1. Create menu item

Go to Menu » Main menu, add a new menu item, select Articles » Featured news menu type.

Step 2. Assign content to the Home page

The home page includes multiple sections, each section is a module.

home layout structure

This page will have some of the sections/modules as the previous page, you can find some differences on this page here:

1. ENJOY AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPIRIENCE: Articles - Category Module

Joomla home hero module

Features Intro : style-3

Module position: section-1
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

Step 1. Create menu item

Go to Menu » Main menu, add a new menu item, select Articles » Featured news menu type.

Step 2. Assign content to the Home page

The home page includes multiple sections, each section is a module.

home layout structure

This page will have some of the sections/modules as the previous page, you can find some differences on this page here:

1. Text Slide: JoomlArt Advanced Custom Module

Joomla home hero module

Text Sliders : style-1

Module position: section-2
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

2. Small Bites: JoomlArt Advanced Custom Module

Joomla home hero module

Menu : style-2

Module position: section-3
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

3. Gallery: JoomlArt Advanced Custom Module

Joomla home module

Gallery : style-3

Module position: section-4
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

Step 1. Create menu item

Go to Menu » Main menu, add a new menu item, select System link » Menu Item Alias type.

Joomla home menu settings

Step 2. Assign content to the About page

The page includes multiple sections, each section is a module.

1. Efforts to curb soda consumption bring: JoomlArt Advanced Custom Module

Joomla home hero module

Features Intro : style-4

Module position: section-3
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

2. We make the most of all our customers: JoomlArt Advanced Custom Module

Joomla home hero module

Features Intro : style-5

Module position: section-4
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

3. Meet our awesome team: JoomlArt Advanced Custom Module

Joomla home hero module

Teams : style-1

Module position: section-6
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

1. Category blog layouts

JA fresco home layout

Step 1: Create Category

Go to Content » Categories, add a new category.

Step 2. Assign category blog layout

And Go to Menus » Add new menu item with the Category Blog type then configure the style of the categries in the Blog layout tabs.

JA fresco home layout

2. Article detail layouts

JA fresco home layout

Configure the article layout for your site.

#1. Global setting: all articles in your site will be using the layout.

Go to System > Global configuration then select Articles. In the Articles setting, select the layout and save.


JA fresco home layout

This section include 5 module position

1. Footer Welcome to Fresco: Custom Module

Module position: footnav-1
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

2. Visit: Custom module

Module position: footnav-2
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

3. Reservations - Hours: Menu Module

Module position: footnav-3
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

4. About: Menu Module

Module position: footnav-4
Module Suffix: NOT USED
Layout: Default

5. copyright information: Footer Module

Module position: copyright

The JA Fresco template using the footer module and this module shows the Joomla! copyright information. If you want to remove it, you can Go to the Extensions > Module and hide the Copyright item. After hiding the Footer item, you can create a module and replace the Joomla! copyright information with your content you can Create Custom Module and select the footer position.


Take a full backup

Please always make a backup before proceeding to any of the upgrade processes. In case there is any problem, you can always restore the backup files.

The best method to upgrade JoomlArt products is using JA Extension Manager. The FREE extension brings a new way to manage extensions: upgrade, rollback, remote install, internal repository, compare versions, and more.

1. Set up JA Extension Manager Component

Download this free extension from this link. Install the extension to your website.

Go to Components > JA Extension Manager then selects Service Manager, now set JoomlArt as your default service. Next, hit the "Edit" button then add your account.

JA extension manager

2. Upgrade JA Podcast template

Check the new version of the JA Podcast template. Use the filter to find the JA Podcast template then hit the "Check Update" button.

3. Upgrade T4 Framework and other JA extensions

Using the filter to find the extensions you want to upgrade (JoomlArt products only), hit the "Check Update" button to check for a new version then hit Upgrade Now to upgrade the extension to the latest version.

JA Podcast joomla extensions update

Check out more details about JA Extension manager