Nate Covington

I wish someone had written an article like this when I first started with Joomla.  It would have saved me a *LOT* of time.  The first thing that Joomla does, whenever it loads, is to check and see if an ItemID exists for a given page.  Normally, a Joomla link will include an "&ItemID=" statement, but not always.  If it doesn't, then Joomla will look for a match in the database.

An ItemID in Joomla effects all of the following:

- Component
- Modules
- Template
- Access Control (ACL)
- sef URL

...we will explain each in detail below.

1.  Enhanced visibility for your members and yourself.

Build your own online community and news portal.  Let your members advertise on the site.  Manage all of your members’ directory listings, contact information, and site content through a web-based control panel.  Visitors will be able to search your directory by zip code or keyword. Some of the latest third-party extensions for Joomla, like the K2 Framework, make managing content a breeze!  [Video]

2.  Online payment processing for membership dues, donations, and events.

Automatically send email reminders to past-due members for payment.  Offer online payments through PayPal, Authorize.net, 2Checkout, or other supported platforms.  Do your members pay with cash or check?  No problem, offline payments are supported as well.  Your members’ information is stored in a database, so we can connect Joomla with third-party platforms.

1.  Design Options:

• Provide the Photoshop / Illustrator file and we can build a custom template from scratch.
• Choose a professionally crafted stock template and we’ll customize it to suit your needs.

2.  White Label Support

If you want, set up an email address for us to use with your clients (e.g. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

3.  No monthly recurring fees

We only charge for actual time spent updating and customizing your site.

Welcome to the C2 Support information page.  We are making a few changes to the handling of email and support requests:

How does it work?

• You can now submit a support ticket by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Our support ticket system now offers the ability to "cc" people on each support ticket; to use this, either cc: these people in your email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or use the "cc" field on the Submit Ticket page.
• If you are the owner (original sender) of a support ticket, you are able to log in and add/remove people from your ticket's "cc" at any time.
• If you are a "cc" on a ticket, you can log in and view the ticket at any time.
• The system will check for new "cc'd" users each time a ticket is replied to via email.

This is a follow-up to a previous post which demonstrates how to connect RSForm Pro to PayPal using a custom amount field.  This takes it one step further, and connects the custom amount field to a recurring payment plan (e.g. monthly subscription).

Problem: PHP warning messages when visiting the 404 error page in sh404sef

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /components/com_content/helpers/route.php on line 106
Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /components/com_content/helpers/route.php on line 106
Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /components/com_content/helpers/route.php on line 106

Bad karma : we can't find that page !

You asked for http://www.yoursite.com/page_name/, but despite our computers looking very hard, we could not find it. What happened ?

Background: While researching some Joomla extensions for a client project, I decided to create a comparison table to help the client decide which Joomla extensions to use for a particular application.  In this case, we needed to build some sort of a download manager.  After narrowing the choices down to 2, K2: a CCK (Content Construction Kit) and DocMan: an actual Download Manager.

While Docman is built primarily for downloads and file management, a CCK presented a viable option as it offers better control over the style and presentation of the content.

One of the great uses that K2 (Joomla Component) claims that their system can do is act as a download manager.  However, it does not have the ability to restrict downloads to only logged-in users.  I needed a system where we could display the K2 item, with a preview and description, but not actually let them download the attachments.  This was not achievable using just the included K2 parameters / settings, so I made this hack:

In passing, I frequently discuss business ventures and startups with clients and prospects. I'm a fan of entrepreneurship in general, and I've been thinking of writing this post for a while now.  My intention is to share my methods and provide suggestions to those who are looking to start their own business.

I've made a list of 7 things that every business should have: Logo Design, Business Cards, Fictitious Name / Registration, Incorporation, Business Checking, Accounting Software, and Business Liability Insurance.

Read on...

Need to update your HOSTS file to point a domain to a different IP address?  Below are instructions for both PC (Windows 7) and Mac (OS X Snow Leopard) platforms.