Joomla Specialist

Some of my customers come to me with web sites that they already have, which are developed in Joomla. I regularly get asked to perform:

• re-designs
• template changes
• component and/or module installations and configuration

Sometimes customers want me to add eCommerce facilities (e.g. install and configure Virtuemart). Other times, I am asked to look after content.

Sometimes, people need a Joomla and web database specialist, like myself, to fix a serious problem with their system, to extract or manipulate data - or to perform version upgrades. Version upgrades are a common need with older Joomla websites that were created in Joomla version 1.0. By upgrading to Joomla 1.5, the site is more secure and has access to a wide range of lovely templates, modules and components that are not compatible with the previous 1.0 version.

Whatever your needs, please do get in touch. I am sure I can help and my rates are very reasonable.

These are just a few examples of what I can do for you, as a Joomla Specialist:

Move web site hosting of a Joomla website

Moving a web site from one hosting environment to another is not straight forward when the site is a Joomla one. Not only do the files need to be transferred, but also the database. And then the configuration files need to be adjusted to enable the Joomla installation to locate and interact with the newly located MySQL database.

Moving a website will normally take 1 to 2 days and will cost between £300 and £500.

Upgrade version of a Joomla website

There are still a lot of Joomla 1.0x version web sites out there. But Joomla versions are marching on and there are advantages to moving to Joomla 1.5 or Joomla 1.6. My customers often wish to upgrade their Joomla version in order to take advantage of the templates, component and modules which are only available for Joomla 1.5 or Joomla 1.6.

Upgrading a website is a job that can take several days or even a couple of weeks, depending on the components involved. Thus, costs range from £500 upwards, depending on the complexity of the job.

Install and Customise new template on a Joomla website

A Joomla website can be given a completely new and refreshed look simply by changing the template on the site. There are a massive number of templates available for all versions of Joomla. It is the choice of template that chiefly determines the look and feel of a Joomla website, although components and modules can also be strong elements in defining the look and feel of the web site.

Installing and customising a template can take 1 to 2 days, depending on the degree of customisation required and the amount of graphical resource that needs to be created or edited/changed. Thus, this normally costs between £300 and £500, depending on whatis required.

Install and Configure Joomla Components and Modules

There is a vast array of components, modules and plug-ins available for Joomla. If you browse the Joomla Extensions Directory (http://extensions.joomla.org/), you will find there are many components, modules and plug-ins which could develop, extend and improve what your web site currently offers. I am able to perform the installation and configuration of any of these components, modules or plug-ins on your website. The cost very much depends on the job, but normally range from £50 to £300, depending on what is needed.

Hacking a Component/Module/Plug-In

Hacking is a word that gets misunderstood. In this context I use it to refer to getting into the php code of a Joomla Extension and changing the code within that piece of software to make it behave differently. This is sometimes needed when a Joomla component, module or plug-in does nearly what a customer wants, but not quite. By hacking it, we can adjust it to improve the match between what the unaltered software does and what the customer would like from his web site. It is perfectly legal, does not normally contravene the licensing of the joomla extension (because it is not for re-sale) and is done with the permission and indeed under contract to the web site owner. Joomla extension providers expect that Joomla developers will sometimes alter the software to more closely match the functional requirement for a particular web site.

The costing of Joomla extension hacking is very much a job-dependent thing. It is normally a service I provide within a larger project.