The Joomla! template system provides excellent tools for designers, making it easy to achieve the look you want. Knowing how to use these tools will allow you to easily customize an existing template, or create a new one from scratch. The Joomla! 1.5 Template Cookbook covers the Joomla! template system in detail, so that you will know about all the options. Knowing your options will save you time, and make your designs more adaptable to dynamic content. Here's a sample chapter.
This book covers topics ranging from simply changing a logo, to creating a new template from scratch. You'll learn the conventions used for the template file system, and the purpose of the commonly used files folders. It provides a detailed explanation of the jdoc template tags, module chrome, and mobile templates. Also, there are sections on admin templates, custom error pages, print styles, and tips for javascript integration.
By keeping the template separate from the data, Joomla! allows for quick and easy visual changes, without needing to deal with a lot of complex development. However, if a designer is not familiar with the way the template system works, they may miss out on some of these features. I think the sections on layout overrides and module chrome are especially useful. These techniques make the site easier to maintain as updates for Joomla! are released. Armed with these tools, a designer can quickly achieve any style they want, while avoiding some common pitfalls regarding editing core files.
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