We have now created a well organized Service Provider list with images and a similar Job Provider list without images. However, the View Details pages look terrible. In this article, we will review how to change all Fabrik View Details pages into professional looking Joomla articles that can be customized by each provider.
Here is our Service Provider List as seen by a logged in Member:
Here is our Job Provider List as seen by a logged in Member:
However, click on View and the default View Details (also known as the Provider Profile Page looks pretty bad:
Our goal is to turn all of our View pages into a Joomla Article page. We are going to have the Provider Profile Page box take over the entire View Page. Before we add more content with this editor, we will first hide the existing elements on our View page.
Hide the Job Provider Form Title and Labels
Click Forms Job Provider Info to edit it. Then click Layout. Change Label positions (details) to None. Then change Show title to No. Then click Save and Close. We have hidden the Job Provider Info form title and labels but the Job Provider Info Group title is still shown.
Hide the Job Provider Info Group
Click Groups, Job Provider Info. Click on the Layout tab. Change Show in Form/Details to Yes but Hidden Details Only. Then click Save and Close. Also click on the Job Provider Profile Page group, click the Layout tab and change Label Position (details) to None. Then click Save and Close. We have now hidden everything from the Details View. View the result on the front end View page:
Here is a View Page with some added images and formatted text:
Repeat the above process to convert the Service Provider View Page into a Joomla article.
Change Service Providers to No Filtering
Joomla by default blocks any code editing for most groups. We want to allow Service Providers to add videos to their Profile Page. However, this requiring copy pasting an iframe into the Code tab of the editor. To allow this, go in the Joomla Menu to Global Configurations and click on the Text Filters tab. Then scroll down to Service Providers and change it to No Filtering.
How to Create a Real Joomla Article and Link it to your Provider Profile Page
One problem with Provider Profile Pages is that if we set the access of a List to Registered, then a Service Provider can not share the page URL with the public as the public does not have access.
There are two solutions to this problem. The first is to set at least the Service Provider List to have public access and be on the Home page of the website. This way new visitors can see what a great system we are offering them. In addition, they can take the link for their Public Profile page and add it to any other web page or Facebook page or Twitter page as a way to promote their service on Social Media.
The second way is to create an separate Service Provider or Job Provider article that may be on a hidden menu but still has publc access. Here we will explain how a Service Provider can create a separate article in addition to their Profile Page and then link to that article on their Profile Page. This method can allow someone to turn their Profile Page into an entire website with different pages for different products and or services.
Create Three New Categories
Go to Content Categories and click New. Call the first Category Member Articles. For the description, type: This is our category for articles created by our members.
Then click Save and New. Call the second category Job Provider Articles. For the description, type: This is the category for articles created by our Service Providers.
For parent, select Member Articles. Then click Save and New.
Call the third category Job Provider Articles. For the description, type: This is the category for articles created by our Job Providers.
For parent, select Member Articles. Then click Save and Close.
Create Three New Menu Items in our Hidden Menu
Go to Menus, Hidden Menu and click New. Click Select. Then click Articles, Category List. Then select the Member Articles Category. For Title, type Member Article. Then click Save and New.
Click Select. Then click Articles, Category List. Then select the Service Provider Articles category. For Title, type Service Provider Category. Then for Parent, select the Member Articles category. Then click Save and New.
Click Select. Then click Articles, Category List. Then select the Job Provider Articles category. For Title, type Job Provider Category. Then for Paret, select the Member Articles category. Then click Save and Close.
Hide some of the buttons at the bottom of the Create an Article screen
The Joomla Create Article Front End Editor has several buttons at the bottom of the editor that might create a security risk of they are not disabled. Go to Extensions, Plugins and click Search Tools. Then for Type, select Editors xtd
Select all except Page Break and Readmore and click Disable. Then go to Content, Articles, Options and click on Editing Layout tab. Then change Enable Versions from Yes to No. Then click Save and Close.
How to Write a Separate Service Provider Article
We will write an article about this and put it on the Service Provider Menu. The process begins by adding a new menu item to the Service Provider Menu called Create a Service Provider Article. Go to Menus, Service Provider Menu and click New. Then click Select, Articles, Create Article. For Title, type: Create a Service Provider Article. Change Access to Service Provider. Then click Save and Close.
Then in the front end, log in as a Service Provider. In the Service Provider Menu, click Create a Service Provider Article.
For Title, type Benefits of using Service Provider01. Then in the workspace, add some sentences:
Leave a blank line with some place holder text link IMAGE 1 HERE. Then delete the first place holder text and leave your cursor at the beginning of this blank row. Click on the image icon near the end of the second row of icons in the Editor. This will open the Image Manager:
Click on Upload in the lower left corner:
Then click Browse. Find the image you want to add with your file manager. Confirm that the image is under 100KB in file size. Then click Save. Then click Upload. The image name will appear in the Name column. Click on the image name. This will create a URL for the Image:
You can change the Dimensions if you want to make the image bigger or smaller. This image is set for a width of 404. Click Insert.
Then delete the second image placeholder text and click on the image icon again to upload the second image. Click on the second image name to set the URL:
The second image is 1800 wide. We want all images to be between 400 to 800. So make the second image 800 wide. Then click Insert.
Then click the Publishing tab in the top menu. Select the category called Service Provider Articles which is in the category called Member articles. Then click SAVE. The Message will state that the Article was Submitted.
Then fill out the Contact Us form and let us know you submitted an article. We will review the article and publish it for you and email you back the link to the article.
How to Publish a Member Submitted Article
For an Administrator to publish your article, they log in and click Content, Articles. Then click on your article to review it. Then change its status to Published. Then copy the Alias. In this case, it was:
benefits-of-using-service-provider01
Then click Save and Close.
Then create a menu item for the article. Go to the Hidden Menu and click New. Then click Select. Then click Article, Single Article. Then select the article Benefits of Using Service Provider01. Then give the menu item a Title that is the same as the title of the article. Then assign its parent to be Service Provider articles.
The full URL for this article is the URL to the Home page of the website followed by a forward slash and then the the name of the parent category and then a forward slash and then the name of the child category and then a forward slash and then the name of the article.
Here is the URL for our Demo Service Provider01 article:
https://libertycommercenetwork.com/member-articles/service-provider-articles/benefits-of-using-service-provider01
Enter this URL into a new browser tab to make sure it works.
Then send the member a reply email letting them know that their article has been published and that the URL is
https://libertycommercenetwork.com/member-articles/service-provider-articles/benefits-of-using-service-provider01
Add a link to your Article to your Service Provider Profile Page
Log in as Service Provider01. Then click on Service Provider Sign up and Edit. Then scroll down to your Service Provider Profile Page workspace. Add the words, CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR BENEFITS.
Make the text bold. Then select the text and click on the Link button which is just to the left of the image button.
In the URL box, copy paste the URL for the Benefits article. Then click Insert.
Then click Save. Then log out as Service Provider01. Then click on the Service Provider List and click VIEW for Service Provider01.
How to Edit your Provider Article
Log into your Service Provider account. Then in a new browser tab, paste the article full URL of your Provider Article:
Click on the Edit button. Note: This means you should have a document in your file manager where you keep track of the URLs of all of your custom articles so you can edit them when needed.
Clicking the EDIT button will bring up the Article screen where you can change the text, add links and add or replace images:
When you are done making changes, click Save at the bottom of the page.
Congratulations! You now know how to add, link to and edit articles in the front end of our website!
What’s Next?
In our next article, we will provide more details on how to use the JCE Editor to create a Provider Profile page.