Getting Started with redITEM
redITEM is a powerful Content Construction Kit (CCK) that allows Joomla site administrators to create content items that have custom fields and layouts specific to the need. redITEM can be used to create blogs, catalogs, movie databases and more using simple template tags and redITEM's control panel.
Each redITEM site requires a few standard pieces of information to form the content, and are added most efficiently in the following order. Sites require at least one:
- Type
- Field
- Template
- Category
- Item
Type
To create content with redITEM, first decide what type of content you will be creating. A type is a collection of fields for a specific content structure. For this example (and throughout the documentation), we'll be making a travel guide.
An example of content types might be:
- blog posts
- locations
- reviews
- authors
Field
Each item type then needs fields to make up its content. redITEM differs from standard Joomla content by having customizable input fields that are then displayed in the site owner's desired template layout. Instead of being limited to a title and a large content field, redITEM content can have specific fields that then translate into a consistent layout.
Travel Guide Example
Fields for our travel guide might be as follows.
Locations
- City (title)
- Country
- Main Photo
- Media
- Map
- Climate
- Language Spoken
- Description
Reviews
- Name
- Number of visits to location
- Review content
Authors
- Name
- Photo
- Hometown
- Favorite travel spots
- Number of articles published
- Profile/bio
All available field types
The following are available as field types in redITEM:
- Address Suggestion
- Checkbox
- Color
- Date
- Date Range
- Editor
- File
- Gallery
- Google Map
- Image
- Item from type
- Item from types
- Multi textarea
- Number
- Radio list
- Range number
- Select list
- Task list
- Text
- Text area
- URL
- User
- Youtube
Template
Once the content is decided, it can be laid out in a template form. Items cannot be created with the desired fields until a template is created to assign and lay out those fields. redITEM templates use standard HTML combined with redITEM tags. redITEM has standard tags as well as custom tags generated when fields are created. Once the tags are inserted into a template with the fields for that item type, the fields will show up in the "New Item" screens.
Category
Items are grouped into categories within redITEM. Categories may be nested. At least one category is required to begin creating items. Categories in our example might be:
Items
Items are all of the content items that you will show in the frontend of your redITEM powered site. When all the required pieces are in place as outlined here, items may be created.
