Joomla hosting – Knowledge base – ScalaHosting https://www.scalahosting.com/kb All useful information for hosting, billing and sales in one place - ScalaHosting Blog Thu, 02 Mar 2023 09:36:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.1 How Do I Install Google Analytics in Joomla Without a Plugin? https://www.scalahosting.com/kb/how-do-i-install-google-analytics-in-joomla-without-a-plugin/ https://www.scalahosting.com/kb/how-do-i-install-google-analytics-in-joomla-without-a-plugin/#respond Wed, 03 Aug 2022 11:24:43 +0000 https://www.scalahosting.com/kb/?p=4968 Google Analytics is a must-have SEO tool for anyone who wants to grow their website. It allows you to track and analyze your page’s traffic and should be one of the first plugins to add to your Joomla website. 

But what if you don’t want to use a plugin? Can you do it manually? The answer is yes – it just requires a little more work.
In this article, we’ve put together a few step-by-step guides detailing installing Google Analytics in Joomlawithout a plugin. 

Get a Google Analytics Tracking Code

The first thing that you have to get is a Google Analytics tracking code. To get one, you need to create an account.

To obtain your tracking code, follow these steps.

  1. Head over to Google Analytics and log in with your Gmail account.
  1. After signing in, start the application by clicking the Sign Up button.
  1. Create your Google Analytics account (it’s a separate account from your 

Google account) by filling in your website information. Upon completion, click Get Tracking ID.

  1. Copy the tracking code and move to the next section.

Ways to Add a Tracking Code to Your Joomla Site

Now that you have your tracking code insert it as the first item in the <head> tag (more on that later). You need to do this for every page that you want to track. 

Depending on the template you’re using, there are a few ways to do this. 

Using Joomla Default/Protostar template

  1. Start by logging in to your Joomla website backend.
  1. In the control panel, go to Extensions → Templates → Templates (Site), and select Protostar Details and Files.
  1. Lastly, find index.php, add your Google Analytics tracking code after the <Head> tag, and save it.

Using JoomlaShine Template 

  1. Log in to your Joomla website backend.
  1. In the control panel, go to Extensions → Templates, and select the JoomlaShine template.
  1. Once you’re in the template configuration, go to System, and paste your Google Analytics tracking code after the <Head> tag.

Gantry Framework – Custom Code

  1. Start by copying the Global Site Tag from Google Analytics.
  1. Next, you need to edit your template style by logging into the Joomla backend menu: Extensions → Templates → Styles, then select your template from the list.
  1. After that, go to the Page Settings tab.
  1. Lastly, click the Custom Content check box, paste the Global Site Tag code inside, and save the changes.

Installing a Template Without a Custom Code and Google Analytics Fields

  1. Copy the Global Site Tag from Google Analytics.
  1. Go to your template files through the Joomla backend menu: Extensions → Templates → Templates, and choose your template from the list. 
  1. On the left, there is a list of directories. Click index.php.
  1. Find <head> in the code. 
  1. Create a new line by hitting Enter on your keyboard.
  1. Lastly, paste the Global Site Tag from Google Analytics on the new line, and press Save to save the changes.

Verify Your Setup

After installing the application, you need to ensure it’s working. There are a couple of ways to verify your setup.

First, by clicking on view-source:<your domain>, you can check the source code of your site. 

Alternatively, by using the Developer Tools in your browser, you can see whether or not the GA code is showing in the source.

Another way to check is by observing if Google Analytics is working is first by clicking on the Real-Time tab. Next, open another tab and visit your website. If you see your active users increasing, then it works.

Advanced Tips

Set Your Google Analytics Code Under the Opening <head> Tag

Whenever a user appears on your site, the JavaScript file must also load into their browser. The transcript will load much faster by placing your Google Analytics code just under the opening <head> tag. This enables the application to capture hit and bounce numbers with greater accuracy. So even if the network is slow or the visitor bounces quickly, you can still count the hit.

Exclude Your IP Address From Google Analytics

Since the website is yours, you’ll undoubtedly be visiting it frequently. This dilutes the accuracy of your tracking by inflating the number of visits. Therefore, you’ll need to exclude your IP (as well as any other IPs that aren’t visitors) from your tracking system. 

Here’s how to exclude your IP address from Google Analytics:

  1. Check your IP address by visiting ScalaHosting WhatsMyIP. Do this from all the locations you access your site and want to exclude until you have a list of IPs.
  1. Login to Google Analytics and select the profile of your site.
  1. Select Admin Menu, and click on All Filters.
  1. Enter the filter name (you can name it whatever you like).
  1. Set the filter type to Predefined → Exclude → Traffic from the IP addresses → That Contain.
  1. Finally, enter your IP address in the box, and save. 

Create Google Analytics Dashboard in Your Joomla Admin

Staying organized goes a long way. By creating a Google Analytics Dashboard in your Joomla Admin panel, you can enjoy convenient access to the metrics of your website. 

To install the extension, follow these steps:

  1. First, download and install the Joomla Google Analytic Dashboard module extension.
  1. Then go to Extension → Module → switch to Administrator module, and find the Google Analytics Dashboard module.
  1. You must fill in the Domain Name field, assign it to the Cpanel position, and hit the Save button.
  1. From there, click Authorize Application (it’ll appear as a box in your Joomla control panel).
  1. Click the Get Access Code button. You’ll likely need to log into your email account to grant access to your Google Analytics dashboard.
  1. Finally, paste the access code into the dashboard.

Why do you need this tool? 

As a business, you need to make your website accessible and user-friendly. While theoretical knowledge and best practices are an excellent place to start, observing how users interact with your website provides invaluable information. 

With more data, you have a clear picture of what needs fixing, and you can make the necessary adjustments that directly impact the issues and ultimately make better decisions for your business.

Google Analytics Impact on SEO

Google Analytics is an essential tool for SEO that enables you to track your website’s performance and collect visitor insights. 

By generating customizable reports, you can track and visualize data, including: 

  • Traffic
  • Bounce rates
  • Average session durations 
  • Sessions by channel 
  • Page views 
  • Goal completions 

These metrics are essential for your SEO endeavors. By monitoring the activity on your website, you have all the information that tells you what needs improving and what’s working well. 

Google Analytics is a powerful tool that can seriously beef up your website’s performance – which is why adding it to your Joomla site is so important. 

For further optimization, consider upgrading your web security, page optimization, and speed with the help of our team at Scala Hosting. 

FAQs

Q: How does Google Analytics help to grow your website?

A: The application monitors and processes the activity taking place on your website. Measuring the amount of traffic, average session durations, and bounce rates provide you with the information you need to fix certain sections or pages.

Q: How to add Google Analytics to Joomla?

A: You can add Google Analytics to Joomla using a plugin that a Joomla developer has designed. You can also use a Google Analytics support built-in to a template or framework. Lastly, you can tweak the template code manually if you know how to.

Q: Is Google Analytics free?

A: Google Analytics offers a free but limited version. It’s comprehensive and includes enough features to experiment. If you find that the free version doesn’t quite meet your needs, there is a premium monthly rate. The upgrade includes Google’s entire suite of features. 

]]> https://www.scalahosting.com/kb/how-do-i-install-google-analytics-in-joomla-without-a-plugin/feed/ 0 How Do You Edit Joomla Template Code? https://www.scalahosting.com/kb/how-do-you-edit-joomla-template-code/ https://www.scalahosting.com/kb/how-do-you-edit-joomla-template-code/#respond Tue, 02 Aug 2022 14:45:50 +0000 https://www.scalahosting.com/kb/?p=4961 In the past, editing the Joomla template code required complex maneuvers with File Transfer Protocol. Nowadays, you can perform backend changes to the code right from your Joomla dashboard. You can customize your content, menus, and modules simply by editing some code in the template.

This guide takes you through accessing your Joomla template editor and how to customize your templates safely. 

How to Access Your Joomla Template Manager

  1. Login to your Joomla admin dashboard.
  2. From either the navigation menu at the top or from the left sidebar menu, click → Extensions → Templates.
  1. Find the template you want to edit, and then click on the template name.

From here, you can see the files in the left-side menu for CSS, HTML, PHP, etc.

Be careful when making changes to the code because doing something wrong could break the template. 

As a precaution, it’s wise to create a backup of the code you will change — just in case anything goes wrong. 

Create Template Code Backup

  • Click on the file that you want to change. You’ll see the code that controls your template’s output display to the right. 
  • Select all the code, copy it into a text editor, and then save the file somewhere safe.

Now that you can recover the original code simply by pasting the saved file into the code box, let’s make some changes.

Make Changes to Your Site’s Layout

You can make changes to the layout of the Joomla site with the index.php file.  When you open the index.php file and the code displays to the right, you can see the various sections in the code for headings, the body text, and so on. 

Custom Doc Presentation By Changing the CSS File

If you want to change individual parts of the template’s content, you can look for them in the CSS file. Most of the time, Joomla designers put all the most essential code into template.css. 

Choose the template you want to modify and locate the CSS file in the left-side menu. You can add or change any headings, text, and content layout from here. 

You can do the same with other code files too – as long as you know what you’re doing. 

  1. Click on any of the code files to open. 
  2. Edit the file.
  3. Click Save.

Other Joomla Editor Commands

Now that we know how to edit any Joomla template code, we can go over some other controls available in the Template Manager. 

Create a New File

  • Click on New File → Add File. A window will open. 
  1. Enter a File Name of your choice. (Something relevant)
  2. Select the File Type.
  3. Click on Create.

Rename File 

  1. Open the file you want to rename.
  2. Click the Rename button. 
  3. Add a new name.
  4. Click Rename button.

Delete Files 

  1. Open the file you want to delete.
  2. Click Delete → Delete

Add/Delete a Folder 

  • Click on Manager Folders. A window will pop up. 
  1. Enter a Folder Name. 
  2. Click the Create button.

Copy Template 

  1. Click on Copy Template. A window will open.
  1. Enter a New Template Name.
  2. Press Copy Template.

See Template Preview

  • Click on the Template Preview button, which will give you a preview in a modal window.

That’s it! You can now edit code in any Joomla template for a custom design. 

You may run into problems at times, but fortunately, you have backups saved in a safe place. To overcome some of the issues, Joomla has a long-standing community forum where you can find answers to most anything. 

If you’re looking for a more hands-off and highly-optimized Joomla experience, you could check out ScalaHosting. They’re practically Joomla nerds. 

On top of that, they offer lightning-speed virtual private servers, highly knowledgeable and responsive customer service, and 24/7 comprehensive security. 

Contact their team to learn more about affordable web hosting packages that make you question why you haven’t found out about them until now. 

]]> https://www.scalahosting.com/kb/how-do-you-edit-joomla-template-code/feed/ 0 How to Install Joomla Templates https://www.scalahosting.com/kb/how-to-install-joomla-templates/ https://www.scalahosting.com/kb/how-to-install-joomla-templates/#respond Wed, 06 Jul 2022 11:05:50 +0000 https://www.scalahosting.com/kb/?p=4926 Joomla templates are professional and fully responsive solutions for your website. They offer developer-level customization and carry a lot of options when it comes to design and functionalities. 
Still, some issues may arise when installing Joomla templates. This article will help you understand what problems Joomla templates might face in the process of installation and how to fix them.

How to Install a Joomla Template

Step 1: First, download your chosen template from the web or simply visit the Joomla Extension Directory for a wide range of free and paid Joomla templates. 

Step 2: Log into your Joomla Control Panel using your username and password. 

Step 3: At the top of your Joomla control panel, find and click Extensions → Manage → and select Install. 

This opens the Extensions: Install page. You can see four different options to install the template. 

Step 4: Select Upload Package File. (The easiest of the four.)

Step 5: Then, you can either Drag and drop the file here to upload or click on Browse for file. Either choices require you to locate the template package on your computer or local server.

When you see the message “Installation of the template was successful” at the top of the page—your new design is already live. 

How to Delete a Joomla Template?

  1. Select the one you want to delete from the list of templates that appear under the Templates section in Template Manager.
  2. Click on the Delete link next to its name and confirm your decision by clicking on the Yes button. 

This will take you back to the Template Manager page, where you can now find your deleted template in the list again.   If you want to remove it permanently, go to your Extension Manager and select Manage. Select the template you want to permanently remove and click Uninstall. 

Common Issues Installing Joomla Templates and How to Resolve Them

The template doesn’t work properly after upgrading Joomla.

This is one of the users’ most common problems when upgrading their site from earlier versions (like 2.4) with Joomla 3 or 4. The issue occurs because the developers haven’t updated their extensions to work with the latest Joomla versions, and it all goes south when you upgrade the app core. 

But that doesn’t mean you cannot use any theme for your website. You can either update the template manually or simply find a replacement. Make sure to create a backup of your site if anything goes wrong. 

The template doesn’t work and your website is full of errors.

What happened?

  1. You’re missing a plugin or extension that the template requires.
  2. The template code has a PHP error. 
  3. Your environment is missing a call to a PHP function or class.

How to Fix?

  1. Check each error message to see which template files could not be found. These missing files usually tell you the extensions you need as well.
  2. Read the template instructions manual. It will usually tell you the needed extensions for its proper operation.
  3. Check to see if the errors are complaints to non-existing functions that seem to be PHP functions. You can contact your hosting provider or try to create equivalent parts yourself.
  4. Check if the errors are about a missing semi-column here or there or something wrong PHP code. If this is the case – you can fix these errors yourself or get help from Joomla experts.

The template doesn’t work and your website opens a blank page.

What happened?

  1. Your Joomla website hides all the errors, and the template is missing an extension or using a PHP function or class that’s not in your environment.
  2. The template contains a fatal error in the code.

How to Fix?

  1. Change your PHP error reporting settings to show the errors. Then, examine where the issue is originating from so you can take the appropriate actions to tackle it. 
  2. Check if there’s a call to a PHP function you don’t have. If you find out that you’re missing one – contact your hosting service, and they should be able to sort it out. 

The template works but doesn’t match the visual layout in the demo.

What happened?

The template works fine on its own, but you need additional extensions to make it look exactly the way it does in the demo.

How to fix?

Read the template’s instruction manual and see what extensions it needs to work as you want it to.

The template works but has a few non-fatal errors.

What happened?

  1. You are missing some extensions that the template requires to work perfectly.
  2. The template code contains some minor errors.

How to Fix?

  1. Read the template manual and see what kind of extensions you need.
  2. Review the template code for any errors and fix them.

Joomla has tremendous resources available on the web and years of troubleshooting records in their community portal. Still, resolving Joomla template issues can be a headache, including highly-nuanced software relationships and hardware limitations. The culprit may even be hiding on the hosting provider’s end. 

To get the most out of Joomla and leverage its vast customization features without hassle, ScalaHosting offers managed VPS plans that come with the expertise of our Joomla-trained technicians. 

Contact the ScalaHosting team for more information about upgrading to a faster, safer, and much more convenient Joomla experience.

FAQs

Q: How do I change my Joomla template?

A: First, log in to your Admin Dashboard to change Joomla templates. Then click on Extensions and Template Manager. In the left menu, click on Templates, and it will load a list of the designs you currently have installed. Click on the template you want to edit, and when you’re done – click Save. 

Q: Where do I find Joomla templates to download?

A: You can find Joomla templates in the Joomla Extension Directory. But this isn’t the only source of templates. Developers also have libraries on sites like JoomDev and ThemeForest, where you can find hundreds of free and premium Joomla templates.

Q: How do I copy a Joomla template?

A: To copy a Joomla Template correctly, go to Extensions → Template Manager. Then, click on Templates in the side menu. Find and click the template you want to copy and click on the Copy Template button. Type your New Template Name without any spaces using only letters, numbers, dashes, and underscores. Finally, click on Copy Template.

]]> https://www.scalahosting.com/kb/how-to-install-joomla-templates/feed/ 0 How to Enable Joomla PHP Error Reporting https://www.scalahosting.com/kb/how-to-enable-joomla-php-error-reporting/ https://www.scalahosting.com/kb/how-to-enable-joomla-php-error-reporting/#respond Mon, 04 Jul 2022 13:20:33 +0000 https://www.scalahosting.com/kb/?p=4890 When Joomla causes problems, it’s often due to a software bug or coding error. Ideally, you will get an error report, deal with the issue, and carry on. But what if your Joomla site stops working and leaves you in complete darkness about what’s happening?

Error messages may not be popping up because the default settings aren’t sensitive enough to trigger a response. That’s why we need to turn up the error reporting knob, so to speak! After setting it to maximum, it’s much easier to detect errors and respond to them immediately. 
Every step you need to take is right here in this guide–how to access the Joomla configuration file from the admin panel and how to enable Joomla PHP error reporting.

Error Reporting in Joomla: What are your options?

You can switch between Joomla’s five levels of error reporting at any time:

  1. None—This option disables PHP error reporting. If you get tired of guessing what the problem could be, you can always turn it back on.
  2. Simple—This level overrides the server default settings and provides the bare minimum for error reporting.  
  3. System Default—A preset level of the Joomla install. It’s what most people continue to use if they never run into problems. These settings are found in the php.ini file. 
  4. Maximum—This is a diagnostic error reporting level for when you need to troubleshoot and solve all possible issues. 
  5. Development—You can set your error reporting to this level and receive the same complete reporting that Maximum provides. The Development option used to include errors added in future upgrades, but since PHP 5.4 – Maximum includes that as well.

Option 1: The Joomla Admin Panel

Of the two methods for enabling PHP error reporting, using Joomla’s administrator panel is the least technical. To achieve this, log in to the Joomla dashboard and go to System > Global Configuration.

After you click on Global Configuration, the administration page will appear. It looks a little something like this:

  1. Click on the Server tab.
  2. Find the Error Reporting drop-down menu where it says System Default. 
  3. Select the Maximum or Development error reporting option.
  4. Click on Save & Close.

And that’s it! You can always follow the same steps to change the reporting level again.

Option 2: Joomla’s configuration.php file

The previous option takes advantage of Joomla’s tidy graphical user interface but using the PHP config file will take straight to the code. While this may sound like a more challenging route, it’s actually a shortcut.

All we have to do here is find the error reporting line in the config file and change the word ‘default’ to ‘maximum’ or ‘development.’

NOTE: If you’ve already set your error reporting level to Maximum or Development using Option 1, change it back to System Default from your Joomla admin page before you try Option 2. 

1. In the folder that has your Joomla installation files, find and open the configuration.php file. It looks slightly different depending on whether you’re using your local computer or a remote virtual server.

Joomla folder tree in a local computer:

From a remote virtual server:

2. In the PHP config file, locate the line stating:

public $error reporting = ‘default’;

3. Change the ‘default’ value to ‘maximum’ or ‘development’ and save.

That’s all you need to do! Naturally, we should always check to see if it works afterwards.

Return to your Joomla administrator panel via System > Global Configuration > Server  > Error Reporting. If you see the error reporting level now stating Maximum–well done, all changes have been applied correctly.

Suppose, after all this, you still have problems with your Joomla website. If that’s case, it may be time to upgrade your server. For the best Joomla experience, ScalaHosting recommends the ease and power of a managed VPS plan. 

A virtual server combines the full customization control of your local system with the speed, storage capacity, and security of the cloud. In other words, you can easily optimize your entire hosting performance without losing anything.

Contact the team at ScalaHosting for more information about PHP error reporting and upgrading your Joomla site to make it safer, faster, and easier to use.

FAQs

Q: What is Joomla used for?

A: Joomla is a content management system (CMS). Similar to WordPress, you can use the platform to publish content on the web. It’s a free and open-source software program you can install directly to your local system or set up on a remote hosting server.

Q: Is Joomla as good as WordPress and Drupal?

A: Although Joomla, WordPress, and Drupal are all popular content management systems, they have their differences. Drupal is more suitable for developers looking for customization freedom. Both WordPress and Joomla are accessible to anyone with little to no technical experience, but Joomla is compatible with more programming languages.

Q: What is PHP?

A: PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a popular scripting language for managing dynamic content, databases, session tracking, and building websites. PHP is a server-side scripting language, whereas something like JavaScript is a client-side scripting language. It integrates with several popular databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Sybase, Informix, and Microsoft SQL Server.

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