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Having moved from a seperate Wordpress blog and HTML/CSS portfolio site to a single Joomla website fairly recently, here is a collection of extensions that I have found most useful so far. Some are free, some are commercial and others have both free and commercial versions.
1. Rokbox (Free)
A mootools powered slideshow which can be used to display images, video and more. It comes with two predefined themes, one light and one dark, but can be easily customized. I use Rokbox with the light theme on stevenminns.com for all pop-up images. Plugins for Joomla 1.0, 1.5 and a standalone version are available.
Similar Alternatives
2. SmartSEF (Free)
Rewrites URLs in a search engine and human friendly way. For example, here's the URL for the Joomla Tips section of this site: www.stevenminns.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=38
Now here's the URL with SmartSEF enabled: www.stevenminns.com/tutorials/joomla-tips.html
Much more readable, I'm sure you'll agree.
At the time of writing, SmartSEF is still a beta release and is therefore not recommended for a production environment. Having said that, I found it easier to install and configure than sh404SEF and have had less problems with links that don't work. For some reason, sh404SEF stopped my RSS feed from working. Rather than trawl through the configuration for hours trying to pinpoint the problem, I decided to give SmartSEF a go. So far i've encountered no problems.
Similar Alternatives
- sh404SEF (Free)
- ARTIO JoomSEF (Commercial. The free version places a link to the component's author in your websites footer)
3. Frontpage Slideshow (Commercial)
A javascript/CSS based slideshow component that combines text and images into slides. Frontpage Slideshow comes complete with a range of templates, so finding a look that fits your site is easy. It's a little expensive for what it is, but works well, adds a professional touch to your site and is easy to configure.
Used by National Geographic and Time Magazine amongst many others.
Similar Alternatives
- YOOcarousel (Commercial)
- Photoslide GK1 (Free) - If I hadn't already paid for Frontpage Slideshow I would be using this for my frontpage banner.
4. Jom Comment (Commercial)
An AJAX based comment system, which features spam protection, integration with Community Builder and Fireboard, RSS feeds for comments amongst many other features. I use the $20 version on this site with a customized template. Paying an additional $10 for the professional edition gets you a few more templates and the removal of the "Powered by" link.
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5. JCE (Free)
A more powerful alternative to Joomla's default WYSIWYG editor. I wish I'd installed this sooner, instead of tolerating the default editor.
Includes an administration component which makes installing additional JCE plugins easier. Whilst JCE itself is free, some plugins require the purchase of a 1 year subscription to download ($20 at the time of writing). However, these plugins can be used on as many sites as you like.
Similar Alternatives
6. Missing Metadata Module (Free)
The Missing Metadata Module adds a panel to the Joomla Administrator control panel and lists any published articles with missing metadata. Clicking on an article title in the panel takes you directly to the article editor, allowing you to quickly add the missing information. Simple, but very useful.
Similar Alternatives
- Unknown. If you know of any feel free to post a comment.
7. Google Analytics Tracking Module (Free)
A simple module for inserting Google Analytics tracking code into your site. The module makes it possible to add the tracking code before the closing body tag in template, which Google recommends.
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8. Joomlapack (Free)
JoomlaPack is a backup component for Joomla, which can create a full site backup in a single ZIP archive. There is also the option to make a backup of just the database, exclude specific database tables and exclude specific folders.
I encountered problems with the smart algorithms in version 1.1.1, where files were being missed. Switching to slow in the advanced options fixed the problem and in less than 10 minutes I had my entire site backed up and a copy downloaded to my laptop.
Similar Alternatives
9. Ajax Vote (Free)
Not to be confused with the joomlaworks plugin of the same name. Core Design's Ajax Vote is a replacement for the ugly default Joomla rating system. Free for non-commercial use or $15 for use on a commercial website.
Similar Alternatives
- Ajax Vote (Free) - Currently works only with Joomla 1.0.x. A Joomla 1.5.x version is supposedly "available soon", but the developers seem to be dragging their heels.
- Vote! (Free) - Joomla 1.0.x only
10. PixSearch (Free)
PixSearch attempts to mimic the way the apple.com search box works by displaying results as you type. A list of matches appears directly below the search box. My one complaint (albeit a minor one) is that to reposition the search results you need to provide an offset in pixels. Being able to tick left, right or centre as well as having the option to enter an offset would have been ideal.
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I always find these kind of lists helpful when I come across them on other websites, so I thought it was time to compile my own.