Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 30 total)
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  • Hung Dinh Friend
    #140161

    After 2 week working on the testing & updating, I would like to announce that JA templates has now been updated running smooth with for the latest version of Joomla 1.5.10

    Most of the work involving testing + updating the core Joomla 1.5 in quickstart as well as providing bug fixes for the official IE8 version.

    If you have downloaded the template before and are using fine with Joomla 1.5.10 + IE8 then updating the template will not be necessary .

    Phill Moderator
    #300917

    <em>@Hung Dinh 123832 wrote:</em><blockquote>

    If you have downloaded the template before and are using fine with Joomla 1.5.10 + IE8 then updating the template will not be necessary .</blockquote>

    I know it is extra work but I really feel a change log should be added to the forums and the downloads.

    We can the make an informed decision as to whether to update.

    sfpkent Friend
    #300920

    Thanks Hung! 🙂

    hanifahmed Friend
    #300929

    phill luckhurst;123840I know it is extra work but I really feel a change log should be added to the forums and the downloads.

    We can the make an informed decision as to whether to update.

    I agree, I want to update my templates that I have used, but it would mean changing things again, and I would much rather know what I am updating so I can determine whether it would be too much hassle to do in the first place!

    I wouldn’t want to update a template, go through all my CSS files and then find out that I didn’t have to go through all of them again in the first place!

    didima Friend
    #301280

    nice cant wait to try new ones now, thanks

    mayke Friend
    #301676

    <em>@phill luckhurst 123840 wrote:</em><blockquote>I know it is extra work but I really feel a change log should be added to the forums and the downloads.

    We can the make an informed decision as to whether to update.</blockquote>

    Agreed.
    So no need to download just to find out the change log. Please JA…

    I download cooper for joomla ver 15.10 but the quickstart file name inside is : qs_j159_ja_cooperbusiness.zip, bit confusing, coz when installed is joomla ver 15.10 inside! 🙂
    Hopefully JA forgot to change the zip file name only.

    JA Cooper Business for Joomla 1.5 : Quickstart included Joomla! 1.5.10 + Template, Extensions installation packages*(11.55 MB)

    JA Cooper for Joomla 1.5 : Quickstart included Joomla! 1.5.9 + Template, Extensions installation packages*(9.91 MB)

    cgc0202 Friend
    #301804

    First. I must commend Hung and Joomlart for providing the QuickStart Kits for the templates. I have not checked but I think they do it for all the templates. Not sure whether they considered the popularity of the templates (one of the suggestions made last year), but in the case of Teline II, it was the QuickStart kit for Joomla 1.5.10-Teline II v1.6 was out a few days after the security upgrade was announced. That’s great and I am sure that many customers, myself included, are grateful for this.

    QuickStart Installation Saves Time and Money. I am not sure why I still read some, even novice users who are not familiar with Joomlart, still insist on performing a sequential installation of Joomla => Joomlart template (and I am not really certain if the sample data has to be installed separately also for this sequential installation.

    Assuming all the other pre-installations have been setup — database, username and password, FTP username and password, as well as the unpacked QuickStart kit uploaded — it literally takes me about 5minutes or less, and at most, 10 minutes to perform the Browser-based QuickStart Installation. Most of that time was spent not for the installation itself, but more because I write down every step I did, even if I have done it a gazillion times — to record key observations. [For example, I used different types of servers (varying type of plans) from my hosting service and they do work differently.]

    In contrast, when I perform the sequential installation, when I was using Gavick PRO template, it took me at least about 40-60 minutes, and that excludes the pre-installation and post-installation routines.

    In effect, if you pay yourself for the time you spent, that is a lot of time saved and money for using the QuickStart installation. Here in the US, webdesigners charge US $50 per hour (and this was a rate quoted a few years ago).

    Does RocketTheme provide QuickStart kits? If not, the provision of QuickStart kits is one area where Joomlart has an edge and doing a great service to their customers.

    Just one question on the Internet Explorer 8

    There is a ie8.css in

    templates => ja_teline_ii => css => ie8.css

    but there is no indication that the said ie8.css was integrated in the


    <head></head>

    of the index.php for the Teline II

    templates => ja_teline_ii => index.php

    Where and how is the ie8.css integrated? And, what exactly is the bug fix correcting?

    Cornelio

    cgc0202 Friend
    #301806

    I did notice the nomenclature error issues raised by mayke. In fact, I had to do a double take thinking I might have made a mistake in the download. A second download confirmed the nomenclature error.

    But more important, I do agree with and support the sentiment raised here by Phil and hanifahmed — about the need to be more transparent with the Changelogs. And, that changes must be presented promptly as well as discussed in the respective forums, as Phil suggested.

    Last year, I requested several times by posts that the date in the download be changed whenever a new version or any script changed has been done. This will avoid the need to download a “new copy” of the QuickStart kits just to find out of you have the latest version. [Most of my downloads actually were of the same template, but because the date in the Teline II never changed, I make it a point to download a new one, whenever I install a new site, and several days has elapsed. This is a waste of time on my part, as well as waste of bandwidth to Joomlart.]

    Also last year, I even proposed a more radical upgrade procedure for the template component — essentially using the “write-over upgrade approach” used by Joomla. This is in contrast to the radical “uninstall the old and install the latest” upgrade installation of extensions and templates.

    The latter would cause you to have to redo all modifications you have ever done, and that can be a lot of work if you already have a highly customized site.

    The much easier, and less error-prone “write-over upgrade approach” requires more accurate information of the changes, if there is any with the Joomlart template component.

    In fact, since many of the updates of Joomla have been security updates (since version 1.5.6), there really should be no need to perform a corresponding upgrade for the Joomlart component, unless the Changelog indicate a significant change that would warrant such an upgrade, or if you even need or want such an upgrade.

    I do not know about other templates, but in the case of the Joomla 1.5.x-Teline II v1.y QuickStart kits, there was no indication that there were changes in the Teline II template component, in the latest Joomla-Teline II QuickStart kits.

    12-Sep-2008

    ^ Update joomla 1.5.7

    # Default Article Layout does not display Edit Icon for Authors;

    15-Nov-2008

    ^ update to Joomla 1.5.8

    12-Jan-2009

    ^ update to joomla 1.5.9

    If you take the above note in the Teline II changelog, at first glance it would indicate that there were no changes.

    In fact, there were radical changes in the template component since Joomla 1.5.9-Teline II v1.6 (in comparison with respect to the prior Joomla 1.5.8-Teline II (v1.6) during the last Joomla security upgrade in late September 2008.

    More specifically, there were radical changes in the files and the directory nomenclature of the Hot Topic module (mod_jacatslwi).

    Joomla 1.5.9-Teline II v1.6 and Joomla 1.5.10-Teline II v1.6 (12 January 2009 and 29 March 2009)


    mod_ja_catslwi
    => mod_jacatslwi
    => helper.php
    =>mod_jacatslwi.php
    =>mod_jacatslwi.xml

    =>ja_catslwi <= subdirectory in mod_ja_catslwi
    => => ja.catslwi.css
    => => ja.catslwi.js
    => => index.html

    compare and contrast the above with the same module in Joomla 1.5.8-Teline II v1.6

    mod_ja_catslwi
    => mod_ja_catslwi.xml
    => helper.php
    => index.html
    => mod_ja_catslwi.php

    mod_ja_catslwi <= subdirectory in mod_ja_catslwi
    => => mod_ja_catslwi.js
    => => ja_catslwi.css
    => => mootools.v1.1.js
    => => mootools.v1.1.pak.js
    => => index.html

    To compound the problem, the latest version of the ja.catslwi.css

    .ja-catslwi
    {
    position: relative;
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
    }

    will cause a layout problem that has stumped a number of new users. This should be corrected by Joomlart.

    The correct one of course, is in the older version of Teline IIv1.6

    .ja-catslwi {
    position: relative;
    margin: 0 0 14px 0;
    padding: 0;
    }

    One poster in fact, had to add a height limit

    .ja-catslwi {
    position: relative;
    margin: 0 0 14px 0;
    padding: 0;
    height: 200px;
    }


    to avoid layout errors with Internet Explorer 8. The above issue though is a minor layout issue that can be corrected easily. What is more significant is the radical change in the files and directory structure of the modules. An attempt to write over specific the files in the previous mod_ja_catslwi module (in Joomla 1.5.8-Teline II v1.6) will delete the some of menu edit choices of the Hot Topic module.

    Cornelio

    Phill Moderator
    #301807

    While in some ways I agree with you I do feel there is a better way if a little more complex.

    You have the standard joomla install which the user must download from Joomla.

    Then you have the template, an sql file, the components and some images. That is all that is really needed.

    So, the user installs Joomla, then the components/modules, then the template. Joomla art write a simple module of their own that imports the sql data and the images. Simple.

    As long as good instructions are provided with each template or on this site then it should be simple for any user to do.

    Why should JA do this? Well, it saves them re-packaging every template when a security release is out and it saves a huge amount of bandwidth as people do not have to download Joomla with every template.

    The advantage to us, the user is actually quite large. Firstly and most importantly more time could be spent on creating templates when security updates are released. Then we move on to those poor souls who are forced by their hosts to use auto installers. For them this would be a godsend as they simply have a few components and the template then run the sql/images import component.

    mayke Friend
    #301825

    <em>@phill luckhurst 124964 wrote:</em><blockquote>While in some ways I agree with you I do feel there is a better way if a little more complex.

    You have the standard joomla install which the user must download from Joomla.

    Then you have the template, an sql file, the components and some images. That is all that is really needed.

    So, the user installs Joomla, then the components/modules, then the template. Joomla art write a simple module of their own that imports the sql data and the images. Simple.

    As long as good instructions are provided with each template or on this site then it should be simple for any user to do.

    Why should JA do this? Well, it saves them re-packaging every template when a security release is out and it saves a huge amount of bandwidth as people do not have to download Joomla with every template.

    The advantage to us, the user is actually quite large. Firstly and most importantly more time could be spent on creating templates when security updates are released. Then we move on to those poor souls who are forced by their hosts to use auto installers. For them this would be a godsend as they simply have a few components and the template then run the sql/images import component.</blockquote>

    That’s what yootheme does, their package comes with the template, extensions and their demo content.sql with images samples, so it’s very light to download, and the changelog forum for the answer of why they’ve released the update version. And that helped much, sometimes tweaking the template comes with the unsolved solution. And this is not only saving JA bandwidth but it will saving the time to download the files, sometimes my internet connection give me 30mnts more just to have JA template which is they bundled in one package! I wish JA will separate the quickstart, so we don’t have to download if its only joomla core update to the new version… unless JA do the ‘hack in the joomla core to make the template works….and I hope JA will have special pages for the changelog topics or JA use ‘Released Templates’ forum for that….

    cgc0202 Friend
    #301832

    If I am not mistaken, most Joomla template companies may just be providing the template and the sample database, They just tell their customers to download the latest Joomla from the joomla.org site..

    In fact, Joomlart does not have to offer the QuickStart kit, if it did not want to. That would seem to be the easiest thing for Joomlart to do also. Not just the bandwidth but more the extra work involved (for Joomlart). But, as I will argue below, in the end, Joomlart saves more time and money, as well as avoiding irate customers by providing the QuickStart kit. It is alos a good publicity — if they are the only ones providing such service. And one of the reason I am thankful.

    If you examine tje contents of what is called the QuickStart kit, it essentially contains what is needed by the more experienced web creators — the template, the zip files of specific modules as well as the page source — on that of the the zip file of the actual Joomla-Joomlart QuickStart.

    Hypothetically, the more experienced web creator does not need the sample database. The sample database is not needed either during upgrade.

    We are missing the point why the QuickStart kit has been prepared. The QuickStart kit is intended mainly for novice web creators. Tale this forum thread, which is quite frequent. It is the reason why the QuickStart kit is crucial:

    Didn’t use QuickStart, just installed template
    http://www.joomlart.com/forums/topic/didnt-use-quickstart-just-installed-template/

    there are now 21 responses, it was first posted on 9 April, and it is nowhere near from being resolved. Why?

    It is apparent that the poster needs more “learning” to do before he can have a feel of basic installation.

    The Browser based installation is almost “foolproof” — assuming the kit itself has no fatal error, the server passes the minimum requirements and most important, the individual has taken the time to read each step. Basically, there is even no need for the manual because each step is well annotated to give you the exact procedure. And,most important, if you can replicate the Demo page, then you know that you are on the right course.

    The Browser-based installation is essentially one single major procedure. In contrast, the sequential step installation, can be broken down to three major stages:

    1. Installation of the Joomla
    2. Installation of the template
    3. Installation of the sample database to a MySQL database

    Each step requires a degree of familiarity of some basic website protocols — many of these background and skills, the novice might not have fully grasp as yet.

    The first stage is identical to the QuickStart kit installation, it should also be the most simple because it is well annotated.

    The second step requires an understanding of the innerworkings of the backend (the Admin site),which a beginner may not be too familiar with — thereby requiring a good set of tutorial materials on its own. If not, it will become another source of many errors..

    If a novice cannot even install the QuickStart kit, then (s)he has twrice the chance of making more mistakes for the first two stages of the sequential installation.

    The third stage seems to be very simple. Actually it may be the most complex to grasp for a beginner. The beginner must be undertand and learn how to navigate a complex database — perhaps a gazillion times more complex than the Browser-based installation or the modular installation of the template.

    If Joomlart staff has difficulty providing a clear and concise beginner’s manual to install the browser-based installation, it will be a great challenge for them to explain the architecture of the database and how to navigate it.

    If it takes 21 and more back-and-forth responses — and still nowhere any solution — to accomplish the very simple Browser-based installation, imagine how long it would take before a beginner will be able to grasp instaling the sample data to a MySQL database. Try explaining such complexity to members who do not even want to learn basic CSS and layouting.

    The amount of time that members, moderators and Joomlart staff to answer all the potential questions and resulting troubleshooting would increase so many fold. The cost would be much much more than the amount of time invested by Joomlart to create the QuickStart kit as well as the bandwidth cost.

    Hung was correct to point out that it is not part of their responsibility to teach every customer the basics of html, php, MySQL databases, etc. Creating the QuickStart kits is one way to circumbvent many of these issues.

    Another very important reason also is that some members can become very unreasonable when they do not get answers immediately. They write nasty posts in public forums, then demanding that they be reimbursed. I usually shoot the poster with a grenade when I find the demands to be unreasonable. In spite of that, to minimize the bad publicity, quite often Hung capitulated when the person became persistent.

    Lastly, while the QuickStart kit was intended for beginners, because I install a lot of the same template, I save a lot of time. In fact, many develooers have requested the Quickstart kit, for the same reason.

    Cornelio

    Phill Moderator
    #301833

    <em>@cgc0202 125003 wrote:</em><blockquote>
    The third stage seems to be very simple. Actually it is the most complext to grasp for a beginner. The beginner must be taught how to navigate a complex database — perhaps a gazillion times more complex than the Browser-based installation.

    </blockquote>

    Which is why I suggested an automated component to do this job for the user. It is very simple, they just click on the component which has a simple browse button, they browse to the template folder and the component does the rest. It couldn’t be more simple.

    As for being able to navigate the back end of joomla that argument simply holds no water. Unless the user wants a website with the demo content then they have to learn how to navigate the back end. If the user can ftp the files up then they should have the basic skills to do this.

    If the user had to go through their web installer my method would be simpler for them. In fact they would have no option with some hosts as they customise their joomla install to work within their security protocols and a standard install will not work.

    cgc0202 Friend
    #301843

    You are more experienced than I am in these matters Phil.

    I have not really look closely at the other components of the whole package of a template, but I thought what you are asking are already there, if the customer wants to perform the sequential installation process.

    It is amazing sometimes what those who have the background take for granted though to be easy.. For example, I think Hung and Joomlart sincerely think that their manuals are adequate; but apart from the language barrier, I think the assumption that “the customer must know this already” impedes the clarify of the Joomlart manuals. They were not written for the average Joomlart member. I have difficulty understanding them, myself.

    Changelog. To go back to the main reason I responded to this post, I wanted to reinforce your proposition about the Changelog — because I proposed the same thing last Summer when we had so many problems with Teline II.

    In the case of Teline II there were actually conflicting script changes depending on what the customer wanted to do. There was a time when Hainn religiously recorded the changes as well as the “forum” threads iwhere they were discussed, so you may refer back to them. Joomlart stopped doing that.

    Thus, my proposal last year about the Changelog. I also proposed a “Patch update” with a Poll to rally support, The Poll was 100% in favor but Hung deleted the Poll because he considered the proposal to be too much work for Joomlart.

    I think he misunderstood (or I did not explain myself enough), based from his response then, he thougt I was proposing that different versions of the QuickStart kits be prepared for each template — which is the exact opposite of my proposal:

    “Provide the changelog and a patch of files indicated in the changelog, with the changes.”

    Cornelio

    zorroh Friend
    #301900

    <em>@cgc0202 125003 wrote:</em><blockquote>It is alos a good publicity — if they are the only ones providing such service.</blockquote>

    many others providing also quickstart service, maybe its named differently, but content is same.. example rockettheme and templateplazza

    mfcphil Friend
    #301901

    Does anyone have a Bug fix for the new IE8 for the older Joomla 1.0,
    I know its best to update to the newer versions but a lot of joomlart customers need a code that will do the trick

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This topic contains 30 replies, has 13 voices, and was last updated by  streezer 14 years, 10 months ago.

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