Thiết kế web với joomla 1.6(5).x part 36 ppsx

341
CHAPTER
Using the Web
Links Component
IN THIS CHAPTER
Introducing the Web Link
Manager
Setting Web Links parameters
Managing links and categories
T
he Web Links component enables you to add a links page showing
URLs to other web sites and online resources. This component also
makes it easy to organize those links and to track the number of
times users have clicked on the links.
The Web Links component provides all the parameters needed to control the
appearance and behavior of the links. The link items gathered by the Web
Links component can then be displayed on the pages of your site. Although
you can use other ways to bring links into your site, the Web Links compo-
nent makes it easy to manage and display a large number of links on your
site by grouping them into categories.
Introducing the Web Link
Manager
To get started adding links to your site, go to the Web Links component. To
access the component, log in to the admin system; then go to the
Components menu and select the option Web Links. The Web Link Manager
loads in your browser window.
Figure 16.1 shows the Web Link Manager as it appears with the Joomla!
sample data installed.
Note
On the Components menu, the option labeled Web Links leads to the same
screen as the Web Links submenu option labeled Links. Despite having differ-

ent names, these two navigation choices lead to the same page — the Web
Link Manager.
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FIGURE 16.1
The Web Link Manager.
The toolbar at the top of the Web Link Manager provides quick access to the following functions:
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Publish: Select one or more Web Links from the list and then click this icon to publish
them.
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Unpublish: Select one or more Web Links from the list and then click this icon to unpub-
lish them.
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Delete: Select one or more Web Links from the list and then click this icon to delete the
Web links.
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Edit: Select a Web link from the list and then click this icon to edit the Web link details.
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New: Click to add a new Web link.
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Parameters: Click this to view the parameters available for this component.
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Help: Click to access the online Help files related to the active screen.
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Two text links are located below the toolbar: the link labeled Web Links shows you the Web Links
Manager. The Categories link takes you to the Web Links Category Manager, which is discussed
later in this chapter.
Located below the two text links and above the list of Web Links are three sorting and searching

tools to help you manage long lists of Web Links. Try the following:
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Filter field on the left works like a search box. Type a word or phrase into the text box
and then click Go. The page reloads and displays the results of the search. To clear the
screen and return to a full listing, click the Reset button.
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Select a Category filter on the right side allows you to display only those Web Links that
belong to a specific category. To reset this filter, change the combo box back to the default
setting.
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Select State filter on the far right allows you to filter and display the Web Links according
to whether they are published or unpublished. The Select State filter provides an easy way
to identify all Web Links that are currently active on the site. To reset this filter, change
the combo box back to the default setting.
Tip
The Select a Category filter and the Select State filter can be combined to further refine the view of the list of
Web Links.
The main content area of the screen contains a list of all the Web Links in your Web Links compo-
nent. The columns provided are:
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# : An indexing number assigned by Joomla! This number cannot be changed.
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Checkbox (no label): Click in a checkbox to select a Web Link; this is needed if you
want to use several of the toolbar options previously referenced.
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Title: This field displays the full name of the Web Link. Click on the name to edit the
Web Link’s details.
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Published: A green checkmark in this column indicates that the Web Link is published.
The field shows a red X if the Web Link is not published. Administrators can toggle

between the two settings by clicking on the icon.
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Order: The numbers in this field affect the ordering of the Web Links on this list. Change
the numbers and click the Save icon at the top of the column to reorder the Web Links.
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Category: Shows the name of the category to which the Web Link has been assigned. You
can click on the category name to open the Category Editing dialogue. Editing categories
is discussed in the next section.
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Hits: How many times the Web Link has been clicked by visitors to your site.
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ID: The system-generated user ID number.
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At the bottom of the screen, below the content area, is the Display # option. Change the value
in the combo box control to alter the number of Web Links that are displayed on the page. The
default value can be altered by changing the List Length option on the Global Configuration
Manager.
Setting Web Links Parameters
Global options for the Web Links Component can be configured by means of the parameters
options. The parameters are viewed and modified by clicking the Parameters icon on the Web Link
Manager toolbar. Clicking the icon causes a lightbox to be superimposed on top of the page. Inside
the lightbox are the parameters available to this component.
The Web Link Manager includes the following parameters:
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Description: Choose whether to show or hide the Web Links Introduction text, set
below. The default setting is Show.
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Web Links Introduction: Type in any text you want to appear above the list of links on
the Web Links page in this box.

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Hits: Show or hide the number of hits each Web Link has received from site visitors. The
default setting is Show.
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Link Descriptions: Choose whether to show or hide the description data for the Web
Link. Description data is input when you create a Web Link. This control determines
whether it is shown to visitors. The default setting is Show.
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Other Categories: This control has no application to the Web Links component.
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Table Headings: Hide or show the column headings for the Web Links list when viewed
as a table. The default setting is Show.
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Target: Select from the combo box to set the target for the Web Links URLs. This gives
you control over how the browser responds when a visitor clicks a link. The three options
are: Parent Window with Browser Navigation, New Window with Browser Navigation,
and Window without Browser Navigation.
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Icon: This field is optional; it allows you to set an icon to appear next to the link name
when the links are shown in a list.
Tip
Parent window means the same window as your site. If you set the target option to Parent window, the user
will be taken away from your site when they click on the link. Opening the link in a new window simply puts a
new window on top of your site. Although the visitor can see the target of the link, your site remains in the
browser window behind. The browser navigation options refer to whether the window is shown with or with-
out navigation controls. If you choose to open the link in a new window without browser navigation, the user
is essentially restricted to viewing the content on the link and using the navigation that is on that web page.
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After you have set the parameters you desire, click the Save button at the top right to save your

changes or click Cancel to close the parameters window without saving the changes.
Managing Links and Categories
Categories are created by the administrator for the purpose of grouping Web Links. In Joomla!,
every Web Link must be assigned to a category. The Web Link categories are managed by way of
the Web Links Category Manager, shown in Figure 16.2.
Note
Before you can add your first Web Link you must have at least one category in the system.
To view the categories available in your system, click on the Categories link at the top of the Web
Links Manager.
The toolbar at the top of the Web Links Category Manager provides quick access to the following
functions:
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Publish: Select one or more categories from the list and then click this icon to publish them.
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Unpublish: Select one or more categories from the list and then click this icon to unpub-
lish them.
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Delete: Select one or more categories from the list and then click this icon to delete the
category(s).
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Edit: Select a category from the list then click this icon to edit the category’s details.
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New: Click to create a new category.
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Help: Click to access the online Help files related to the active screen.
Two text links are below the toolbar. The Links link shows you the Web Links Manager, discussed
earlier in the chapter. The Categories link displays the Web Link Category Manager.
Below the two text links and above the list of categories are two sorting and searching tools to help
you manage long lists of categories:
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The Filter field on the left works like a search box. Type a word or phrase into the field
and then click Go. The page reloads and displays the results of the search. To clear the
screen and return to a full listing, click the Reset button.
l
The Select State filter on the far right allows you to filter and display the categories
according to whether they are published or unpublished. This provides an easy way to
identify all categories that are currently active on the site. To reset this filter, change the
combo box back to the default setting.
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FIGURE 16.2
The Web Links Category Manager.
The main content area of the screen contains a list of all the Web Link Categories. The columns
provided are:
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#: This field is an indexing number set automatically by Joomla! You cannot alter this field.
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Checkbox (no label): Click in a checkbox to select a category; this is needed if you want
to use several of the toolbar options, referenced earlier.
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Title: This field displays the full name of the category. Click on the name to edit the cate-
gory’s details.
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Published: A green checkmark in this column indicates that the category is published.
The field shows a red X if the category is not published. Administrators can toggle
between the two settings by clicking on the icon shown.
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Order: The numbers in this field affect the ordering of the categories on this list. Change
the numbers and click the Save icon at the top of the column to reorder the categories.
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Access Level: Indicates the Access Levels assigned to the category. You can toggle
between the options Public, Registered, and Special by clicking on the words.
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ID: The system-generated user ID number.
Finally, at the bottom of the screen, below the content area, is the Display # option. Change the value
in the combo box control to alter the number of categories that are displayed on the page. The default
value can be altered by changing the List Length option on the Global Configuration Manager.
Creating a new category
Before you can add Web Links to your system, you must create at least one category. Categories
are created from within the Web Link Category Manager, by clicking on the New icon on the tool-
bar. Category data is entered into the New Web Link Category dialogue, shown in Figure 16.3
FIGURE 16.3
The New Web Link Category dialogue.
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The toolbar at the top of the New Web Link Category dialogue provides quick access to the follow-
ing functions:
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Save: Click this icon to save your work, create a new category, and exit the New Web
Link Category dialogue.
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Apply: Click to save your work and create a new category without exiting from the New
Web Link Category dialogue. This option lets you save without exiting the screen and it
useful in case you are interrupted or you otherwise want to save yet keep working on this
screen.
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Cancel: Cancels the task and exits the New Web Link Category dialogue.
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Help: Displays the Help files related to the active screen.
The workspace in this dialogue is broken down into two sections, Details and Description. The
Details section contains the following fields:
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Title: Type into this field a title for the Web Link category. This field is the only required
field.
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Alias: The alias is an internal label for the category. The alias is also used in the creation of
a search engine friendly path for the category. This field only accepts lowercase letters,
with no spaces. Note that if you leave this blank, the system will automatically use the
value you entered into the Title field.
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Published: Click Yes to publish the item. No icons on this screen, only yes/no radio buttons.
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Section: This field is not applicable to the Web Link category, and as a result the system
displays only n/a.
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Category Order: This field cannot be controlled when a new category is created. New cat-
egories always default to last on the list. The order can be changed from the Web Link
Category Manager or by editing the category.
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Access Level: Sets the access level restrictions for the category and its contents. The
options Registered, Public, or Special appear in this column. You can click on the name to
toggle the level. If no value is chosen, the system defaults to Public.
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Image: Provides the option to display a small image next to the category name on pages
listing the categories. This is optional. The Image Position control is related to this option.
Note that the image you want to select must be located in the folder
images/stories.
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Image Position: Controls placement of the image relative to the category name. The
choices are limited to left or right. Left is selected by default. Note that this control is only
applicable if an image is selected from the Image control.
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The Description field at the bottom of the screen provides you a place to add a description of the
category. The description will appear on pages where the Web Links from a specific category are
listed. The text box allows you to use images and formatting for the description. The Image button
at the bottom of the Description field gives you easy access to controls for inserting an image into
the description.
To create a new category, follow these steps:
1. Log in to the admin system on your site.
2. Access the Web Links Category Manager. Go to the Components menu and select
the Categories option from the submenu under the heading Web Links. The Web
Links Category Manager loads in your browser.
3. Click the New icon on the toolbar at the top of the Web Links Category Manager.
The New Web Links Category Dialogue opens. Refer to Figure 16.3.
4. In the Title field, type a name for this category. This field is the only required field.
5. Add additional information or optional settings as you see fit.
6. Click the Save icon on the toolbar at the top right to save your new Web Link cate-
gory. The dialogue closes and returns you to the Web Link Category Manager.
Editing and deleting categories
Existing Web Link categories can be edited from the Web Link Category Manager. To edit a cate-
gory, do either of the following:
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Click on the category name in the Web Link Category Manager.
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Select the category on the list and then click the Edit icon on the Web Link Category
Manager toolbar.
Regardless of which method you use, the system opens the Edit Category dialogue.

The Edit Category dialogue is identical to the New Category dialogue, with the same fields and
requirements as discussed in the preceding section.
To make changes to a category, simply alter the desired fields in the Edit Category dialogue
and then click the Save or Apply icon on the toolbar. Any changes you have made are applied
immediately.