Using Joomla!, 2nd Edition

Chapter 13. Solutions to Common Problems

We’ve compiled a collection of problems users commonly run into and some good solutions for each.

Database Fix Tool

The Database Fix tool checks that your database table structure is up to date with your Joomla website, and lets you attempt to fix any problems that are found. It is great to check this and run the fix after updating Joomla or third-party extensions.

Here’s how to run it:

1. Click on Extensions and again on Extension Manager.
2. Click Database on the left sidebar.
3. You will see a screen similar to Figure 13-1 or one saying that things aren’t OK.
4. Click the Fix button in the top toolbar.

Figure 13-1. Database fix tool

That’s it. Simple and very useful.

SEF URL Settings and SEO Basics

Both Search Engine Friendly (SEF) URLs and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are key to identifying and classifying your content. Here are a few key points.

SEF URLs

SEF URLs are also known as “human-friendly” URLs, which means site visitors can read them and they make sense. When you first install Joomla, your URLs will look something like this: http://www.joomlapetcenter.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&view=article&id=11. What a mess! There’s no way you’d know what information is on that page. But when you activate SEF URLs, the same URL would look like this: http://www.joomlapetcenter.com/dogs/collies.

That makes much more sense. Users will have a ...