Modules are usually used to screen information and occasionally accept some type of fundamental interaction. When much more complex interaction is needed, a module will typically pass the control to an connected component. Examples of modules include:

• Banner module -- Displays banner images that may include a hyperlink for the user to click on on.
• Who's Online -- Displays the number of users currently on the website.
• Research module -- Accepts the search text string which is passed to the Search component that handles the query and outcomes display.
• Poll module -- Displays poll options and includes a submit button that sends the vote selections towards the Poll component for processing.

These modules and others are included using the fundamental Joomla! installation. There are literally hundreds of other modules available for free download about the Joomla Extensions Directory. You can download one or more right now for use with this tutorial. However, I recommend you download the following Hello Planet module to minimize any potential errors and here's why:

The nature of no cost software is such that numerous add-ons that have been uploaded to the Extension Directory within the past NO LONGER Function. When I started working with Joomla, it surprised me that about 1 in 3 of the extensions didn't work at all. I might have had a especially unlucky streak within the beginning, but I still find numerous, many of them either won't install or won't execute correctly. The high failure rate is primarily explained by the passage of time -- the original author wrote a operating program but has not upgraded it since the Joomla! method changed.

Use the Extension Manager for Installation


With Joomla One.Five, installation of all extensions has been unified within the Extension Manager accessible in the Administrator interface. Login to your Joomla Administrator interface. Click on about the Extensions menu and select the Install / Uninstall option as shown under. With Joomla 1.0, you should choose the Installers > Modules choice to set up the module.

In the Upload Package File pane, click the Browse button select the module file that you want to set up. When you click the Upload button, the module will hopefully upload successfully. This may be the point where numerous extensions fail. If everything worked properly, you ought to see an installation confirmation display as shown under. I've highlighted the achievement message and also the extension's description text which often has readme-type info. Usually you would next move towards the Module Manager to correctly configure the module. Nevertheless, because you might have by no means checked your available theme positions prior to, let's take a look at them first.

Examine the Theme Module Positions (only for Joomla 1.5)

The presently selected Joomla theme determines the fonts, the graphics, and the type from the overall website. It also offers the module positions which are accessible for module screen. Under you can see the preview of a template within the Joomla Administrator. I've added arrows to show all from the module positions that are captioned within the preview mode. These module positions are locations where modules can appear. For instance, the quit column in the figure has the caption left [rounded outline] with "left" since the name from the module location and "rounded outline" the style. Any modules set to look in the left position are going to be rendered stacked atop one another in this panel, ordered within the sequence specified within the Module Manager.

Each templates may support various module positions and those positions may look in various locations in the layout. If you have installed an unfamiliar template (or have by no means checked the layout before), open the Theme Manager through the Extensions menu. Select the radio button to the quit of your present template and click on the Edit button. As soon as the selected template is displayed in the Template [Edit] display, click on the Preview button. You will see your template (as shown above) with every module position captioned in the layout. Make a note of the position wherever you would like your module to look.
Using the Module Manager


To configure the newly set up module parameters, in Joomla One.5 you must choose the Extensions > Module Manager choice to screen that manager. In Joomla 1.0, you would like to access the Modules > Site Modules option. If the module you installed is an Administrator module, use Modules > Administrator Modules.

Discover the module titled Jumpstart Hello and click on the title. It may be on the second page from the module listings in which case you'll have to use the navigation arrows at the bottom of the display to page forward. The Module: [ Edit ] display will be displayed showing you all of the module parameters. Set the Enabled parameter to Yes and collection the Location parameter to the place you would like the module to look in the template. You can also set the Order parameter to zero (0) if you want the module to appear on the top of the stack for this template position.

You may have noticed a pane about the proper side of the display titled Module Guidelines. In the situation from the Jumpstart Hello module, you will find no guidelines and it ought to state this info. However, if your module has guidelines to configure (these often contain text strings or screen colors), the settings can be adjusted here.

Click on the Save button to store the enabled and position adjustments and you ought to be all set!