JReviews Manual · 6.4 Directories Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 6.5 Fields Module

JReviews Manual

JReviews Manual

Last update: January 9th, 2014

Copyright © 2010-2014 ClickFWD LLC

Table of contentsChapter 1 JReviews Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

1.1 How does JReviews work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

1.2 Planning and organizing your JReviews setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1.3 JReviews Submit Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Chapter 2 Installation & Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172.1 Downloading the latest JReviews package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

2.2 Pre-install requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

2.3 Installing JReviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

2.4 Upgrading JReviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Chapter 3 Setting up JReviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243.1 Creating Joomla categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

3.2 Creating Custom Field Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

3.3 Creating Custom Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

3.4 Listing Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

3.5 Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

3.6 Assigning Joomla categories to listing types and directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Chapter 4 ConQguring JReviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534.1 Con[guration Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

4.2 Media Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

4.3 Access Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

4.4 Prede[ned Replies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

4.5 Theme Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

4.6 Fields SEO Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

4.7 Category SEO Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Chapter 5 Menu Items & SEF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 985.1 Creating Required Joomla Category Menu Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

5.2 Creating JReviews Menu Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

5.3 SEF URLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Chapter 6 JReviews Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1196.1 Listings Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

6.2 Reviews Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

6.3 Advanced Search Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

6.4 Directories Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

6.5 Fields Module. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

6.6 Range Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

6.7 Media Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

6.8 Favorite Users Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

6.9 Totals Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Chapter 7 3rd Party Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1517.1 Community Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

7.2 Setup Facebook Integration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

7.3 Setup Twitter Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Chapter 8 Theme Customizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1798.1 How does the JReviews Theme Engine work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

8.2 JReviews Code Overrides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

8.3 What happens with modi[ed [les when JReviews is upgraded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

8.4 Theme debugging tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

8.5 How to edit .thtml theme [les. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

8.6 How to edit the JReviews language [les . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

8.7 Tools for customizing JReviews Themes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

8.8 Default theme overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

8.9 Variables you can use in theme [les . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

8.10 Customizing the listing detail page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

8.11 Customizing the list page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

Chapter 9 FAQs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2019.1 Troubleshooting FAQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

9.2 License FAQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

9.3 Client Area FAQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Chapter 1

JReviews Overview1.1 How does JReviews workJReviews integrates with the core Joomla content system and extends its functionality.

Joomla articles have a single [eld, which can be split into Summary and Description, but with

JReviews you will be able to add any number of other content [elds, such as: text <elds, text ar-eas, single selects, multiple selects, website <elds, email <elds, date <elds, checkboxes, etc.

With JReviews, articles become listings that can be reviewed and rated by designated JReviews

editors and users.

Editor and user reviews can also have any number of custom [elds, and you can de[ne custom

ratings with unlimited criteria.

Diêrent types of listings can be created, for example: Products, Books, Movies, Games, Restau-rants, Hotels, Classi<eds, Events, News, etc.

1.1.1 Example of a listing:This is the top part of the listing detail page that contains information about the listing (sum-

mary/decription text, custom [elds with location, contant and other hotel information, rating

stars, action buttons, main listing photo, etc.):

Copyright © 2010-2014 ClickFWD LLC 5

Below the listing info there are photo and video galleries. Photos and videos can be submitted

either by listing owner or by site visitors as well if you allowed them that. Photos and videos

are not the only type of media JReviews provides, there are also attachments and audio [les.

For every media type there are multiple display layouts available, this is one option:

JReviews Manual Chapter 1 JReviews Overview


With GeoMaps add-on for JReviews it is possible to include the map for the listing with

streetview and directions search:

The powerful listing detail page widgets can be included to show related listings:



At the bottom of the listing detail page you will [nd the reviews sections where editors and

users can review the listing:



A live example of this listing can be found on the JReviews demo site

(http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/city-guide/hotels/hotel-giraê) .

1.2 Planning and organizing your JReviews setup

1.2.1 Listing TypesListing types are diêrent types of content that you can setup. Basically, with listing types you

de[ne how the listing and review forms will look like (which [elds they will include).

Examples of listing types you might create:

• Businesses - a type of listing that will include [eld groups ([elds) like Location (City,

Address, Postcode), Contact Info (Phone number, Email address, Website url), etc.

• Hotels - this listing type would include Location and Contact Info [eld groups the same as

the business listing type, but it can also include additional Hotel Info [eld group with [elds

like Hotel Amenities, Pricing, etc.

• Restaurants - similarly to hotels and businesses, this listing type would include Locationand Contact Info [eld groups as well, but you can also create additional [eld group(s) for

entering information about restaurant's Cuisine and Menus.

• Products - this type of listing would have a Product Info [eld group with [elds like Brand,

Model, Release Date, Product Website, etc.

• Movies - a type of listing that would include a [eld group with information about the

movie (Year, Directors, Actors, Genre) and a [eld group with a]liate links where visitors

can buy/rent movies (Amazon, iTunes, Net\ix)

• Events - it would contain event information [elds like Event Date and Event Venue.

Listing Types will be assigned to Joomla Categories.

1.2.2 Directories & CategoriesSince JReviews uses Joomla’s content system, you will need to create Joomla categories for JRe-

views listings. Categories will be assigned to a listing type and a directory.

Joomla allows you to create unlimited levels of categories and JReviews provides additional Di-

rectory level that can be used to group similar categories. Here is an example of a directory

page:



http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/city-guide/hotels/hotel-giraffe

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/city-guide/hotels/hotel-giraffe

Creating at least one directory is required, but you don't need to show the directory page on

your site if you don't want to. The advantage of the directory page is that it can display the com-

plete category tree (all levels of categories), unlike category pages which can only show direct

subcategories.

Examples of directories can be found on the JReviews demo site (every top level menu item in

the Top Menu is a directory page):

• Business Directory (http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/business-directory)

• City Guide (http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/city-guide)

• Products Catalog (http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/products-catalog)

• Movies (http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/movies)

• Games (http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/games)

• Music (http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/music)



http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/business-directory

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/city-guide

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/products-catalog

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/movies

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/games

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/music

• Downloads (http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/downloads)

• Classi[eds (http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/classi[eds)

• Events (http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/events)

Even though the demo site has many directories (to show diêrent types of sites you can create

with JReviews), most sites need just one directory.

The only reason why you might need to create more than one directory is if your site will have

categories that are completely unrelated to each other (i.e. business categories and product

categories).

Directories that you create will need to be assigned to categories in the JReviews Categories

Manager.

1.2.3 Using JReviews Custom Fields for additional cate-goriesEven though Joomla allows you to create unlimited number of categories and unlimited levels

of categories, it is not recommended to create a large number of categories as that can make

the overall site setup too complex and time consuming (i.e. creating required menu items for

every category).

We recommend to create a small number of Joomla categories and extend those categories

with JReviews virtual categories.

The virtual categories are actually values of JReviews custom [elds. For certain single select or

multiple select custom [elds you can enable the Click2Search setting and then each [eld val-

ue of that [eld becomes a virtual category.

Some of the advantages of virtual categories are that new virtual categories can be added "on

the \y" during the listing submission and one listing can have multiple virtual categories (both

is not possible with Joomla categories).

A good example of using virtual categories is for restaurant's cuisines. You can create a mul-

tiple select custom [eld "Cuisines" and enable Click2Search so that that [eld values become

virtual categories. When visitors click on a certain cuisine, they will get a list page with all list-

ings that have the same cuisine. Examples of virtual categories can be found on the JReviews

demo site:

• Italian Cuisine (http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/city-guide/restaurants/tag/cuisine/

italian/)

• American (New) Cuisine (http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/city-guide/restaurants/tag/

cuisine/american-new/)



http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/downloads

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/classifieds

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/events

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/city-guide/restaurants/tag/cuisine/italian/

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/city-guide/restaurants/tag/cuisine/italian/

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/city-guide/restaurants/tag/cuisine/american-new/

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/city-guide/restaurants/tag/cuisine/american-new/

• Japanese Cuisine (http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/city-guide/restaurants/tag/cuisine/

japanese/)

For more info read How to use custom [elds as virtual categories

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=How_to_use_custom_[elds_as_virtual_categories) .

1.3 JReviews Submit FormsInformation is entered into JReviews via the Listing, Review and Media forms:

• The Listing form - for submitting listings (articles).

• The Review form - for submitting editor or user reviews and ratings (or comments only).

• The Media form - for submitting media items (photos, videos, attachements, audio [les)

to listings or reviews.

Listings and reviews can be submitted only via the frontend of your site. There are two ways to

access the submit form:

• Create a "Submit New Listing" JReviews Menu Item.

• Enable the "Add new listing" button in the con[guration so it appears at the top of every

Category list page.

The Review form is available to listing detail pages, so that visitors viewing the listing can sub-

mit their reviews.

You can also enable the review form to be displayed together with the listing form, if you want

to enable users to submit listings and reviews at the same time.

The Media form will appear as a second step after listing or review submissions. You can also

enable "Add Media" button for listing detail pages so that users can easily add photos at any

time.

1.3.1 Listing submit formThe Listing form contains the following elements:

• Title

• Title alias - available only to administrators (aliases are used for urls).

• Listing custom Qelds - [elds that you create for a speci[c listing type.

• Summary - standard joomla [eld, it can be made optional or disabled in the

con[guration. Has support for wysiwyg editor.



http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/city-guide/restaurants/tag/cuisine/japanese/

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/city-guide/restaurants/tag/cuisine/japanese/

http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=How_to_use_custom_fields_as_virtual_categories

http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=How_to_use_custom_fields_as_virtual_categories

• Description - standard joomla [eld, it can be made optional or disabled in the

con[guration. Has support for wysiwyg editor.

• Meta Keywords

• Meta Description

You can con[gure which user groups are able to submit certain [elds in the JReviews Access

Settings.

Example of a listing submit form:



1.3.2 Review submit formThe Review form has the following [elds:

• Review Title - standard [eld, can be made optional or disabled in the con[guration.

• Ratings - rating stars on diêrent criteria you create in Listing Types Manager.

• Review custom Qelds - review [elds that you create for a speci[c listing type.

• Comments - standard [eld, can be made optional or disabled in the con[guration.

Example of a review submit form:



1.3.3 Media submit formThe Media form allows uploading photos, videos, attachments, audio [les and linking to exter-

nal videos (Youtube, Vimeo or Dailymotion).

Example of a media submit form:





Chapter 2

Installation & Upgrade2.1 Downloading the latest JReviews packageTo access your license downloads, log in (http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com/login) on our web-

site and then go to the Client Area (http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com/orders/client_area.php)

.

If you can't access the client area after log-in and instead you see a message saying you

are already logged in you can try using a diêrent browser or use this alternate link

(http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com/orders/client_reminder.php) to log in.

In the Client Area click the View Your Licenses link on the left menu and then click the View &Download button:

On the next page you will see your license details and available downloads:


http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com/login

http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com/orders/client_area.php

http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com/orders/client_reminder.php


You will be able to download the latest version as long as you have a valid upgrades package.

You get 12 months of free upgrades. After expiration you need to renew the upgrades if you

want to download the most recent version.

2.1.1 Downloading JReviews Add-onsThere is no download link for JReviews Add-ons, they can be installed directly from JReviews

administration!

2.2 Pre-install requirements

2.2.1 CMS RequirementJReviews is compatible with:

• Joomla! 2.5

• Joomla! 3.2

JReviews Manual Chapter 2 Installation & Upgrade


2.2.2 PHP RequirementRequired PHP version is 5.2.x or higher.

Required PHP Extensions: json, mbstring, curl, bcmatch (most servers have them installed by

default).

PHP Con[guration:

• upload_max_Qlesize in php.ini must bi higher than 2M (for installation [les to upload

successfully).

2.2.3 IonCubeIonCube loader needs to be installed and enabled on your server. On some hosting packages

it is enabled by default.

If ionCube is not enabled on your server, you can ask your host to install it for you, or you can

do that yourself:

1. Download loaders package from ionCube website (http://www.ioncube.com/loaders.php)

.

2. Upload ioncube_loader_lin_5.3.so [le (if your server uses PHP 5.3) or ion-

cube_loader_lin_5.4.so [le (if your server uses PHP 5.4) anywhere in your joomla folder.

3. Create the /administrator/php.ini [le and add this line (use the correct path to the ioncube

[le where you uploaded it):

zend_extension=/path/to/ioncube/folder/ioncube_loader_lin_5.3.so

Note: If you are having troubles installing ioncube, download loader-wizard.zip

(http://www.ioncube.com/loader-wizard/loader-wizard.zip) [le, extract the zip and place the

loader-wizard.php [le into the root of your site. Run that [le and it will guide you through the

installation process.

Watch a "How to check JReviews pre-install requirements" video tutorial on YouTube

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNxA67qdQCQ&hd=1)

2.3 Installing JReviewsFirst extract the JReviews package that you downloaded from the Client Area (pack-

age_jreviews_2.4.x_unzip_[rst.zip).

This is the folder structure of the package:



http://www.ioncube.com/loaders.php

http://www.ioncube.com/loader-wizard/loader-wizard.zip

http://www.ioncube.com/loader-wizard/loader-wizard.zip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNxA67qdQCQ&hd=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNxA67qdQCQ&hd=1

• /apps_easysocial - installation Qles for JReviews apps for EasySocial integration

• /modules - installation Qles for all JReviews modules

• /plugins_community_builder - installation Qles for CB plugins

• /plugins_everywhere_addon - installation Qles for Everywhere add-on plugins

• /plugins_jomsocial - installation Qles for JomSocial plugins

• com_jreviews_2.4.zip - JReviews component installation Qle

• com_s2framework_1.5.zip - S2 Framework installation Qle

2.3.1 Installation Steps1. Make sure that the Joomla debug mode is disabled in Joomla global con[guration, system

tab.

2. In the Joomla Administration click on Extensions -> Extension Manager menu.

3. In the Install tab click Browse and locate the S2Framework component package -

com_s2framework_1.5.zip.

4. Click the Upload & Install button.

5. After the S2 Framework is installed, click Browse again and locate the JReviews

component package - com_jreviews_2.4.zip.

6. Click Upload & Install.

7. Next you'll see a link Click here to continue with the installation.

8. After the installation is [nished, you'll get a Click here to go to the component pagelink.

9. On the next screen enter your License Number.

10. Click Submit and JReviews is ready to use.

JReviews modules and plugins will be installed automatically.

2.4 Upgrading JReviews

2.4.1 What happens to my existing listings, reviews andcustomizations when I upgradeUpgrading JReviews does not remove your con[guration settings, or any of your existing data

such as listings and reviews. These are stored in the database and the upgrades aêct mostly

the [le system. If an upgrade requires database changes, then this is automatically taken care

of by JReviews. If you've made any theme or code changes, you should make a backup of your

modi[ed [les before proceeding with the upgrade.



2.4.2 Remote UpgradeYou can do a one-click remote upgrade by using the Install & Update menu in the JReviews

administration under the Maintenance header on the left column:

Always upgrade the S2Framework [rst and JReviews second.

Remember to backup any [les you've customized inside /components/com_jreviews/ because

they will be replaced during the upgrade. You can use the JReviews Code Overrides

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=JReviews_Code_Overrides) to move the [les outside

the core folders to prevent them from being overwritten.

We recommend that you use a development server to test the upgrade [rst and that you re-

name the jreviews_overrides folder to something else and clear the [le registry before you up-

grade.



http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=JReviews_Code_Overrides


2.4.2.1 The upgrade doesn't work, what now?

Enable FTP Layer in Joomla Global Con[guration and try again. If that doesn't help, use your

FTP client to temporarily modify the permissions of the Joomla /tmp folder to 777 and do the

same with the components' administrator and frontend folders. For example /administrator/

components/com_jreviews and /components/com_jreviews.

You can also use the regular upgrade method described below.

2.4.3 Manual Upgrade1. If you are upgrading your production server it's always a good idea to perform a full

backup of your site, including database and [les, in case you need to revert the upgrade.

A useful Joomla extension for this is Akeeba Backup.

2. Backup your JReviews theme and other [les if you made changes to them. It is not

necessary to do this if you are using JReviews Code Overrides

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=JReviews_Code_Overrides) feature to put

modi[ed [les outside the /components/com_jreviews folder.

3. Go to the Joomla Extensions Manager and uninstall both S2Framework and JReviews

components.

4. Install new versions of S2Framework and JReviews Component.

5. Re-upload your modi[ed JReviews theme [les (only if you are upgrading from a minor

release, otherwise your old theme [les might not be up to date).

6. Clear the browser cache! Otherwise you may end up with non-working links.

2.4.3.1 Upgrading to JReviews 2.4 from earlier versions

Since this is a major version upgrade it won't be possible to upgrade remotely from earlier JRe-

views versions. Once you install JReviews 2.4 you'll be able to continue using the remote up-

dater.

1. Create a development site [rst to test the upgrade. You can use website cloning tools like

Akeeba Backup for this purpose.

2. Uninstall GeoMaps and PaidListings add-ons via Install & Update page in JReviews

administration.

3. Remove any overrides. You can do this quickly by renaming the whole 'jreviews_overrides'

folder to something else. Never rename this folder back to 'jreviews_overrides' because

you will break JReviews. You can't use any old JReviews 2.2 or JReviews 2.3 [les with the

new JReviews 2.4 version.

4. Uninstall the S2Framework and JReviews components.





5. Download the package from the client area, your upgrades need to be valid or you need

to order a new upgrades package.

6. Install the new S2Framework and JReviews and CLEAR the browser cache.

7. If you have a GeoMaps, PaidListings or WidgetFactory license, install them from the

remote installer in JReviews and CLEAR the browser cache.

8. Go to the JReviews remote installer and install the Image Migrator add-on and then

follow the instructions. You need to setup the storage settings for photos in JReviews

Media Settings before you run the migrator.

2.4.3.2 Troubleshooting a broken upgrade

The most important thing to do when an upgrade presents broken functionality is to test the

same function without any theme or code changes. If you use the code overrides functional-

ity, you should rename the jreviews_overrides folder and clear the [le registry. If the issue is

solved, it means you need to update your modi[ed [les to bring them up to date with their

most recent versions.

If you have made any theme or code changes read What happens with modi[ed [les when

JReviews is upgraded

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=What_happens_with_modi[ed_[les_when_JReviews_is_upgraded)



http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=What_happens_with_modified_files_when_JReviews_is_upgraded



Chapter 3

Setting up JReviews3.1 Creating Joomla categoriesJReviews uses Joomla's content system, so the [rst step in setting up JReviews is to create Joom-

la categories that will contain JReviews listings. Examples of diêrent category structures can

be seen on the directory pages of the JReviews demo site:










Joomla makes it possible to create unlimited levels of categories and JReviews supports this

(listings would be created in last level categories).

It is recommended to create categories similar to the examples on the demo site. Avoid creat-

ing too many categories as that can make the overall site setup too complex and time consum-

ing (i.e. creating required menu items for every category).

Keep in mind that listings within speci[c categories can be additionally [ltered using JReviews

custom [elds (more info about that later).

If you plan to create a City Guide type of site, it is not recommended to create cities as Joomla

categories. Instead, create a single select type of custom [eld in JReviews that would have cities

as options to select when submitting or searching listings.

3.1.1 Creating Categories• To create categories, go to the Joomla administration area click on Content -> Category

Manager menu.

• Click New in the toolbar:











• Enter the Title of the Category, other [elds are not required. If you are creating a

subcategory, then select a parent category. If you write something into the Description

text area, it will be displayed as page description on the JReviews Category pages.

• Click Save & New and repeat the process until you create all categories that you want.

Click Save & Close after you create the last category.

Categories will later be assigned to JReviews listing types and directories.

JReviews Manual Chapter 3 Setting up JReviews


3.2 Creating Custom Field Groups

3.2.1 About Field GroupsOne of the main advantages of JReviews listings over Joomla articles is the ability to have addi-

tional [elds besides standard Title, Summary and Description [elds.

Field Groups allow you to "categorize" those additional custom [elds by grouping them togeth-

er. For example, a Contact [eld group will contain [elds such as address, phone number and

email.

There are two types of [eld groups:

1. Listing Field Groups - for listing submit forms

2. Review Field Groups - for review submit forms

Field groups can be re-used across diêrent listing types. For example, you can use your Con-tact [eld group in a Hotel listing type and also in a Restaurant listing type. And you can also as-

sign more than one [eld group to each listing type.

Creating [eld groups and custom [elds is optional and you can create them later at any time.

3.2.1.1 Listing Field Groups

A Listing [eld group will group listing custom [elds, which are used to structure the entry and

display of information of your listings.

Here is an example of a listing submit form:



On the screenshot you can see the default Joomla [elds + additional JReviews listing [eld

groups that contain custom [elds:

• Location - contains custom [elds about listing location. This [eld group would be reused

for many listing types (i.e. Hotels, Restaurants, Local Businesses, ...)

• Hotel Info - this [eld group contains [elds for more info about the hotel and it would be

used only for hotel listings.

• Contact Info - contains contact information. This [eld group would also be reused for

many listing types.

Other Examples of listing [eld groups:

• Product Info - for product listings, it would contain [elds like product brand, model and

other product features.



• Event Info - it would contain [elds like event date and event venue.

3.2.1.2 Review Field Groups

A Review [eld group will group review [elds, which are used to structure the entry and display

of information in user and editor reviews. Review [elds are mostly used to ask reviewers for

their experience with the listing they are reviewing. You can also ask users for information

about themselves, so that others reading their reviews know whether the reviewer is similar to

them.

Here is an example of a review submit form:



On the review submit form you can see several standard review [elds like Title and Comments,

rating criteria (more about this later) and a single review custom [eld group named Travel De-tails which we use to ask hotel reviewers more info about their stay at the hotel.

Other Examples of review [eld groups:

• Product Experience - ask product listing reviewers for pros and cons of the product they

are reviewing.

• About Me - ask reviewers about their age or age range, interests, level of expertise, etc.

• Companies Services - ask reviewers if they are satis[ed with the company's services or

products.

3.2.2 Steps to create Field Groups• Click on the Field Groups Manager menu link in JReviews administration.

• Choose whether you are creating a Listing <eld group or Review <eld group by selecting List-ing or Review in the Location select list.

• Enter the title of the [eld group into the Title input and click the Add button:

When you are done creating [eld groups, you can go to the Fields Manager to create custom

[elds for them.

3.2.3 Controlled Field GroupsIt is possible to have [eld groups that are controlled by values of a speci[c custom [eld. The

controlled [eld group will be hidden on the submit form and it will appear only when the user

selects its parent custom [eld value.

For example, if you have product listings on your site and you want to have a separate set of

custom [elds for a speci[c product type, you would [rst create a Product Type custom [eld



(with options like Laptops, Tablets, etc.) in the Product Info [eld group and then create a sepa-

rate [eld group Laptop Info that would appear on the submit form only when Laptops value is

selected in the Product Type custom [eld.

To create a controlled [eld group, go to the Field Groups Manager. enter the title of the [eld

group and enter the [eld name and [eld value in the Control Field and Control Value inputs:

3.3 Creating Custom FieldsAfter you created [eld groups, go to the Fields Manager to create custom [elds for those [elds

groups.

To create a Listing custom [eld, select Listing for the Location on the top left corner and click

New on the top right corner. To create a Review custom [eld select 'Review' for the Location

and click New.

After you click New, you will be taken to the Field creation screen. Most of the [eld settings are

optional. To quickly create a [eld, enter the Title, Type and Field Group (Name will be gener-

ated automatically) and click the Save button:



3.3.1 Field settingsThese are the common [eld settings that are available for most types of custom [elds:



Title - this is a label that will be displayed next to the [eld input on submit forms and next to

the [eld value on listing pages.

Name - name is used for database reference only. JReviews will append "jr_" as name pre[x

when the [eld is saved. You will use the [eld's name in the theme [les, if you want to modify

the default layout and placement [elds.

Type - each of the [eld types is explained separately below.

Maximum Characters - limits the number of characters allowed for this [eld. It is important

to set this number, otherwise the number of the custom [elds that you will be able to create

won't be large. For example, if you are creating a City custom [eld, enter the maximum number

of characters that a single city could have (i.e. 30). For multiple select and checkbox [elds keep

in mind that the selected options are all stored in the same input so the length should acco-

modate all the selected options and would be longer than your typical single and radio button

[elds.

Field Group - each custom [eld can be assigned to a single Field Group.

Required - if set to Yes, users will not be able to submit a listing unless they enter a value for

this [eld.

Enabled - must be set to Yes, otherwise it's as if the [eld doesn't exist.



Show title - shows the [eld title on listing detail page or list pages. This setting is not used for

submit forms.

Show in Detail View - if disabled, the [eld will not be outputted on listing detail pages. If you

want to place the [eld manually in the theme instead of using the default output, set to No.

Show in List View - shows the [eld on category, search and other list pages.

Show in Compare View - shows the [eld on listing comparison pages.

Enable for ordering - shows the [eld in the ordering dropdown list on list pages.

Click2Search - makes the [eld value clickable to allow users to [nd other items with the same

value ([eld values become "virtual categories"), except for the website [eld.

Control Field - the [eld will be hidden on the submit form until the control [eld that you enter

here is selected [rst.

Control Value - if you selected the control <eld, it is required to select a control value after

which the [eld will show up.



Description - enter the [eld description for submit forms to provide more info to users regard-

ing what they need to enter as [eld value. The description can be shown as:

• tooltip next to the [eld title

• text above the [eld input

• text below the [eld input

Submit/Edit Access - only selected user groups will see the [eld when submitting a new entry

or editing an existing one.

View/Search Access - only selected user groups will see or search this [eld.



Validation Regex - [eld value that users enter will need to pass the validation based on the

regex you enter here. Some [eld types like website and email have a default regex which pre-

vents them from entering invalid urls or email addresses.

Allow HTML - if enabled, users will be able to enter simple html tags, for example:

<b>Bold Text</b>

<i>Italic Text</i>

Click2Search URL - here you can adjust the url of Click2Search pages. For example, if you want

the pages to return listings from the same category instead of from the same listing type, re-



place criteria:{criteriaid}/ with cat:{catid}/. Available tags are {criteriaid}, {catid}, {optionval-

ue}, {optiontext}, {[eldname} and {itemid}.

Output Format - here you can adjust the output of the [eld. The {[eldtext} tag represents the

saved [eld value. If you want to add some custom text next to the [eld value, add it before or

after this tag. To add a value of some other custom [elds, use {jr_[eldname} tag (use an actual

[eld name).

Click2search Output Format - this setting is useful if you want to modify the click2search links

(i.e. add additional attributes to the link).

Apply Output Format Before Click2Search - if enabled, the modi[ed output format will be

included in click2search links as well.

PHP Based Formatting - here you can apply PHP code to the output of the [eld. Returning

boolean false hides the [eld. Code errors may break the page where the [elds are shown.

Read more about PHP Based Formatting

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=PHP_Based_Formatting) .

3.3.2 Types of custom EeldsText Qeld

This is a regular text input. Use it when none of the other [eld types are better for entering a

specific value (i.e. when every entry will have a unique value).

Example of the text [eld on the submit form:

Text area

This is a regular textarea form [eld. Use it when users are expected to enter a lot of text as

[eld value.

Example of the text area [eld on the submit form:



http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=PHP_Based_Formatting

http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=PHP_Based_Formatting

Code enabled Text area

The same as regular text area, except it allows entering javascript code. This is useful for a]li-

ate code and various javascript widgets. Important: Only administrators should be allowed to

enter values into this [eld (for security reasons), select only Super User group in the Submit/

Edit Access setting.

Email address

The same as regular text [eld, but with email input validation. The output shows a linked email

that opens the user's default email client.

Website url

Text [eld with website url input validation. The output shows a linked website address that

takes the user to that website. This [eld type has a diêrent default Output Format than other

[eld types:

<a href="{fieldtext}" target="_blank">{fieldtext}</a>

If the urls that users will enter will be very long, you might want to link to display "visit website"

instead of the full url. To do that, adjust the Output Format like this:

<a href="{fieldtext}" target="_blank">visit website</a>

Banner Qeld



This [eld type doesn't accept any user input (it doesn't show up on submit forms). Any text or

code that you enter into the Banner Code text area will be displayed together with other [elds.

This is useful for things that will be identical in every listing (i.e. ads).

Date Qeld

Date [eld type makes entering date values much easier using the calendar based date picker:

The date [eld has several additional advanced options:

• Date output format - here you can adjust the date format that will be used to display the

date to site visitors. Examples of diêrent date format parameters can be found on PHP's

strftime function (http://www.php.net/strftime) .

• Year Range - check the jQuery UI datepicker documentation (http://api.jqueryui.com/

datepicker/#option-yearRange) for options Relative to today's year -nn:+nn, relative to the

currently selected year c-nn:c+nn, absolute nnnn:nnnn, or combinations of these formats

nnnn:-nn. Leave empty for +-10 from selected year.



http://www.php.net/strftime

http://www.php.net/strftime

http://api.jqueryui.com/datepicker/#option-yearRange

http://api.jqueryui.com/datepicker/#option-yearRange

• Min Date - check the jQuery UI datepicker documentation (http://api.jqueryui.com/

datepicker/#option-minDate) for options A string in the format de[ned by the

dateFormat option, or a relative date. Relative dates must contain value and period pairs;

valid periods are "y" for years, "m" for months, "w" for weeks, and "d" for days. For

example, "+1m +7d" represents one month and seven days from today.

• Max Date - check the jQuery UI datepicker documentation (http://api.jqueryui.com/

datepicker/#option-maxDate) for options A string in the format de[ned by the

dateFormat option, or a relative date. Relative dates must contain value and period pairs;

valid periods are "y" for years, "m" for months, "w" for weeks, and "d" for days. For

example, "+1m +7d" represents one month and seven days from today.

Decimal number

This is a text [eld with decimal numbers input validation. This [eld type has two additional [eld

options:

• Currency Format - if enabled, the [eld value will be displayed as a currency. To add a cur-

rency next to the [eld value, add it to the Output Format text area before or after the

{[eldtext} tag.

• Number of Decimals - choose how many decimals will be shown in the [eld output (for

non-currency decimal [elds)

Integer number

This is a text [eld with integer input validation. Keep in mind that this [eld can store only actual

integer numbers without leading zeroes. It is not good for phone numbers and similar, use the

text [eld type instead.

Single select list

This is a standard "dropdown" [eld that allows users to select a single value.

Example of the [eld on the submit form:



http://api.jqueryui.com/datepicker/#option-minDate

http://api.jqueryui.com/datepicker/#option-minDate

http://api.jqueryui.com/datepicker/#option-maxDate

http://api.jqueryui.com/datepicker/#option-maxDate

This type of [eld requires that you create [eld options that will be oêred to users for selection.

To create [eld options, you can click the Field Options button when editing the [eld:

or click on the + button in the Options column next to the [eld in the Fields Manager:

On the next screen you will get see a form for creating [eld options:



Text is what will be visible to users. Value is a database reference and it must be all lowercase

and without spaces or specia characters. Image (optional) allows you to enter a name of the

image that will be displayed instead of the [eld text in the [eld output. The image needs to

be placed inside the /theme_images directory of the JReviews theme that you selected in JRe-

views con[guration. You'll need to click on Clear Cache & File Registry link under Mainte-nance menu in JReviews administration for JReviews to recognize any images you uploaded to

/theme_images.

After you populate the required Text and Value, click the Add button in the top right corner to

create the [eld option.

The Single select list [eld type has additional settings:

• Use Auto Complete UI - if enabled, the dropdown will be converted to an autocomplete

text input for selecting a value. This is useful if you plan to have a large number of options

for the [eld. Users would need to type-in [rst few letters of the value to select it:

• Click2Add - this setting is useful if you want to allow adding new options to the select list

directly on the submit forms. Otherwise, users would only be able to select [eld options

that you created in the Field Options Manager.

• Show option images - if disabled, text will show on [eld value output even if images are

assigned to [eld options.



• Option ordering - Use A-Z to order the [eld options inside the select list alphabetically, or

User de<ned order for options to be ordered based on the ordering in Field Options Man-

ager.

Multiple select list

This [eld works the same as the single select list, except it allows users to select more than one

[eld options. Example of the [eld on the submit form:

This [eld type also requires [eld options to be created and has all the same settings as the sin-

gle select [eld.

Checkboxes

Checkboxes [eld type is an alternative to multiple select [eld type for selecting multiple [eld

options:

The type of the [eld can be switched from multiple select to checkboxes and vice versa at any

time. One of the diêrences between them is that it is not possible to add more checkboxes on

the submit form, all [eld options must be created in the Field Options Manager.

Radio buttons

Radio buttons [eld type is an alternative to single select [eld type for selecting a single [eld

option:

The type of the [eld can be switched from single select to radiobuttons and vice versa at any

time. It is also not possible to add more radio button options on the submit form, all [eld op-

tions must be created in the Field Options Manager.

Related Listing



This [eld type doesn't have [eld options. Instead it allows users to select an exiting listing as

the value:

The output of this [eld will be a link that will point to that listing.

This [eld is useful for parent -> child [eld relations. For example, if you have listings for events

and venues, you could use this [eld type in event listings to select a parent venue listing.

Note: This [eld type allows selecting a single listing only.

Available options for this [eld type are:

• Listing Type Filter - select the listing types that will be used to [lter the listing suggestions

shown for this [eld.

• Current user only - limits suggestions to listings owned by the current user. Editors and

above will get suggestions for all listings.

3.4 Listing Types

3.4.1 About listing typesAfter you created [eld groups and custom [elds, the next step is to de[ne the listing types that

will include those [eld groups. Examples of listing types you might create:

• Business - a type of listing that will include [eld groups ([elds) like Location (City, Address,

Postcode), Contact Info (Phone number, Email address, Website url), etc.

• Hotel - this listing type would include Location and Contact Info [eld groups the same as

business listing type, but it can also include additiona Hotel Info [eld group with [elds like

Hotel Amenities, Pricing, etc.



• Restaurant - similarly to hotels and businesses, this listing type would include Locationand Contact Info [eld groups as well, but you can also create additional [eld group(s) for

entering information about restaurant's Cuisine and Menus.

• Product - this type of listing would have a Product Info [eld group with [elds like Brand,

Model, Release Date, Product Website, etc.

• Movie - a type of listing that would include a [eld group with information about the

movie (Year, Directors, Actors, Genre) and a [eld group with a]liate links where visitors

can buy/rent movies (Amazon, iTunes, Net\ix)

• Event - it would contain event information [elds like Event Date and Event Venue.

In the listing types you also need to de[ne rating criteria for User/Editor reviews. You could

add just a single Overall Rating criterion or you would create multiple rating criteria and the

overall rating will be automatically calculated as average of individual criteria. Examples:

• Hotels would be rated for Service, Location, Pricing

• Products would be rated by Features, Performance, Value for money

• Movies would be rated by Story, Actors performance, Cinematograpy, Soundtrack

Listing types will be assigned to categories in the JReviews Categories Manager. They can be

assigned to any number of categories. For example, if you are building a local business direc-

tory, you probably created many categories for diêrent types of businesses like Contractors,

Home Services, Auto Repair, Accounting, etc., and for all those categories you would assign the

same Business listing type. But the Hotels listing type would be assigned just to a single Hotelscategory.

When planning your listing type setup consider this:

• if you need the same listing/review submit forms (with the same [eld groups and rating

criteria) for multiple categories, create a single listing type for those categories

• if some categories need diêrent [eld groups or diêrent rating criteria, create a

separate listing type for them

3.4.2 Creating listing typesTo create a listing type, go to the Listing Types Manager in JReviews administration and click

the New button in top right corner. On the next page you will get the listing type creation

screen:

Main Settings

• Title - enter the listing type title.

• Comments & Ratings - 3 options are available:



• Allow comments and ratings

• Allow comments without ratings

• Disable comments and ratings - useful for News and other listing types that don't

require comments or ratings.

• Select all the Qeld groups you want to associate to this listing type - choose listing

and review [eld groups for this listing type.

• Display in Advanced Search Page - the advanced search page displays a list of listing

types for users to choose from to search by their custom [eld values. Here you can

disable the speci[c listing type from showing up on the advanced search page.

Rating Criteria

• Rating Criterion - enter the title of the rating criterion

• Required - uncheck if you want the criterion to be optional.

• Weight - criteria weights for weighted average rating calculation. The total must add to

100, do not enter the % character. If left blank a simple average will be calculated.

• Tooltip - hints for users on how to rate in the review form.

Example of a listing type:

3.4.2.1 ConEguration overrides

Every listing type has its own settings which override the global settings:



3.4.2.2 SEO Manager

Use the SEO Manager in listing types to de[ne custom title and meta tags for listing detail

pages:



SEO Manager enables you to easily customize page title, meta keyword and meta description

for each listing type so that they change dynamically based on section, category and custom

[elds.

Tags that you can use

• Listing title - {title}

• Directory title - {directory}

• Category title - {category}



• Summary text - {summary}

• Description text - {description}

• Meta description - {metadesc}

• Meta keywords - {metakey}

• Custom [elds - {jr_Qeldname} (i.e. jr_brand)

For example, if the title of a listing is "A]nia Dumont", the default title tag would look like this:

<title>Affinia Dumont</title>

If you set custom tags for title like in the screenshot above, the title tag would look like this:

<title>Affinia Dumont - New York Hotel Reviews</title>

The same way you can customize the Meta description and Meta Keywords tags.

You can use any combination of tags and your custom text.

3.4.2.3 Detail Page Widgets

Detail page widgets allow you to show related listings in the detail page of listings. For example,

on a hotel detail page, you could publish a widget that would show "Nearby hotels", "Hotels in

the same city", etc.



Here is an example of how the widget would look like:



3.5 Directories

3.5.1 About directoriesDirectories are used to group similar categories. Examples of directories can be found on the

JReviews demo site (every top level menu item in the Top Menu is a directory page):










Even though the demo site has many directories (to show diêrent types of sites you can create

with JReviews), most sites need just one directory (and at least one directory is required).

The only reason why you might need to create more than one directory is if your site will have

categories that are completely unrelated to each other (i.e. business categories and product

categories).

Directories that you create will need to be assigned to categories in the JReviews Categories

Manager.

3.5.2 Creating DirectoriesTo create a directory go to the Directories Manager in JReviews administration.

Enter the directory Title (will be displayed on the site) and Name (reference value, all lower-

case without spaces or special characters) and click the Add button:












3.6 Assigning Joomla categories to listing types and direc-toriesThe [nal step of JReviews setup is to go to the Categories Manager to assign a listing type and

a directory to each Joomla category that you want to use with JReviews.

Click the Setup New button and a popup will appear:

First select a listing type and a directory then choose all categories that will belong to that listing

type and directory and click the Save button.

Important: If you created multiple levels of categories, it is imporant to include all of them

(both parent and child categories), but for parent categories choose This category will nothave listings instead of a listing type. Only last level categories should have a listing type as-

signed. Also, all levels of categories must belong to the same directory (a subcategory must

belong to the same directory as its parent category).

If you made a mistake with the category assignment, you can remove the category by clicking

on the X button at the and of the category row:



After you remove the category, you will be able to set it up again, but removing the categories

will be possible only until listings in those categories will have reviews.

When you complete your JReviews setup, it is necessary to adjust the con[guration settings

and to create JReviews menu items.



Chapter 4

ConEguring JReviews4.1 ConEguration SettingsJReviews Con[guration Settings are divided into diêrent tabs:

4.1.1 General

Debug PHP & Queries - shows PHP and Database debug information at the bottom of the

page. This is useful when you have an error on one of the JReviews pages, but you get a blank

page. Enabling this will allow you to see the error messages.

Debug Themes - shows the theme output of each theme labeled with the theme [lepath as

well as the controller [lename and function is used to process the output.

Debug IP - limits debug output to this IP address only. Click Insert IP button for JReviews to en-

ter your IP address.

Read more about Theme debug tools

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Theme_debugging_tools)

Disable Overrides - ignore all [les in the overrides folder. If you made code customization in

the jreviews_overrides folder and something stops working on the site, use this setting to test

if the bug is coming from your customizations. The Debug IP setting above has no eêct over

this setting which runs for all site visitors.


http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Theme_debugging_tools

http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Theme_debugging_tools

Disable DB Query Index Hints - by specifying index hints in certain DB queries it is possible to

improve their performance. In some setups the index hints have a counter eêct and disabling

the feature allows MySQL to [nd a better index.

Include language segment in Ajax URI - setting only relevant for multilingual sites. Disable if

ajax requests fail on non-default languages.

Load All MiniQed - most 3rd party javascript libraries are already mini[ed by default. By en-

abling this setting all proprietary JReviews [les will also load mini[ed to improve loading time.

Enable Javascript Loader - loads scripts in parallel and non-blocking to speed up the page

rendering process.

Disable jQuery - jQuery is not optional. If you disable it, make sure it is loaded by your tem-

plate or a plugin (i.e. jQuery Easy).

Disable jQuery UI - jQuery UI is not optional. If you disable it, make sure it is loaded by your

template or a plugin (i.e. jQuery Easy).

Joomla style URL parameters - uses the &param=val style for url parameters rather than

/param:val. It is recommended to leave this enabled.

Disable Secure URLs when site accessed via SSL - useful for add-ons that render site links on

remote sites with secure URLs. This only works for URLs rendered by JReviews.

JReviews Manual Chapter 4 Con[guring JReviews


Display 'Results per page' - disabled by default to avoid duplicate pages for SEO.

Security image veriQcation - enables captcha for guests and/or registered users, used in sub-

mission listing, review and review discussion forms.

Create accounts for guests - guests will be given the option to enter a username when making

a submission to automatically create an account for them. This feature requires that email ac-

tivation in Joomla is enabled so users can receive an email with a temporary password.

Use username or realname - choose which will be displayed on the site.

Site theme - this is the main theme that will be used for the JReviews frontend. If you will create

a custom theme, this is where you'd select it.

Mobile theme - here you can choose a theme that will be used on smartphones. It is recom-

mended to select the same theme that you selected for Site theme. The Default Theme is re-

sponsive and works [ne on mobile devices by default. The only reason why you might want

to use a separate mobile theme is if you want to delete certain page elements only for smart-

phones. JReviews includes a Mobile Theme that you can use for this purpose.

Fallback theme - all theme [les that the selected Site theme doesn't have will be loaded from

the fallback theme. The Default Theme should always be selected here (unless JReviews will

have two diêrent fallback themes in the future).

Number of items per page - used for pagination.



Number of pages shown in pagination in lists - number of pages between the [rst and last

page.

Show Breadcrumb - adds a pathway on top of JReviews' category and detail pages.

Override CMS breadcrumb in detail page - takes over the article page breadcrumb showing

JReviews links.

4.1.2 Cron

Running the JReviews cron url is required for maintenance purposes (rebuilding ranks and

purging cache). If Run Cron on site visits is enabled, it will run automatically by JReviews when

required. If you have a large site, it is recommended to disable this and instead setup a cron

job on your server using the url from Cron url.



4.1.3 Community

Community - choose a community extension from which JReviews will automatically show us-

er avatars and create links to user pro[les from listings and reviews.

Services - choose which social media buttons will be shown on listing and media detail pages.

Output can be modi[ed in /jreviews/views/helpers/community.php [le.

Button Count Position - choose between horizontal or vertical social media buttons.

Disable Secure URLs - useful if you use both secure and non-secure URLs on your site to avoid

having duplicate URLs for social sites.

Here you can choose on which actions JReviews will send activities to JomSocial or EasySocial.

If you use JomSocial, make sure you enable the JReviews Activity Stream plugin in the Joomla

Plugin Manager.



If you use EasySocial, enable JReviews Activity Stream app in EasySocial Applications Manag-

er.

Here you can enable auto tweets for submissions of new listings, reviews or review comments.

Read the Twitter integration article for more info

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Setup_Twitter_integration) .



http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Setup_Twitter_integration

http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Setup_Twitter_integration

The Facebook integration allows users to post their submissions to their FB wall. This is possi-

ble only for unmoderated submissions (i.e. those automatically published). Moderation of sub-

missions can be disabled in Access Settings.

Read the Facebook integration article for more info

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Setup_Facebook_integration) .

It is recommended to set Enable Open Graph Protocol to Yes for better functionality of the

Facebook like button.

4.1.4 Directory

Show alphabetical index bar - if enabled, the directory page will show an alphabetical bar like

this:

Display category images - here you can choose to show images next to categories if you as-

signed them in Joomla Category Manager. Applies to top level categories only.

Number of columns - choose in how many columns the categories will be displayed on the

directory page. This is possible only if you have more than one top level categories.

Show number of entries per category - if enabled, the number of listings will be shown next

to each category. Also applies to the category box in lists.

Hide empty categories - categories without listings will not be shown. Also applies to the cat-

egory box in lists.



http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Setup_Facebook_integration

http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Setup_Facebook_integration

Category levels to show - choose how many levels of categories to show.

Categories format - choose between Bullet list and Comma separate list. When comma list is

selected only 2 level of categories are shown.

4.1.5 List page

Theme Layout - available options:

• Tableview - displays listings in a table (not recommended for sites with responsive design)

• Blogview - standard layout similar to "blog posts"

• Thumbview - displays listings in 4 columns per row. This layout requires that all listings

have the same height.

• Masonry - displays listings in columns automatically based on the thumbnail dimensions.

Advantage over Thumbview layout is that listings/thumbnails can have diêrent heights,

disadvantage is that javascript is used to resize the layout. It is recommended to enable

'scale' thumbnail mode for list pages in Media Settings.

Show 'Add new listing' button in category pages - the button will be shown only to last level

categories (those that have a listing type assigned) and only to users that are allowed to submit

listings to those speci[c categories.

Use current page Itemid in the 'Add new listing' url - if enabled, the 'Add new listing' page

will display the same modules as the category page.

Show listings of child categories - if enabled, parent categories will display listings of child

categories (subcategories).



Enable listing comparison - if enabled, listings will display a Compare button/checkbox.

Checked listings will appear in the comparison dashboard after which users will be able to com-

pare them.

Slider listing columns - how many listings users will see on the comparison page before they'll

need to use the slider.

Show detailed user ratings - if enabled the individual criteria ratings will be shown.

Show detailed editor ratings - if enabled the individual criteria ratings will be shown.

Show categories in CATEGORY list view - list of sub-category links shown at the top of the

category page.

Number of columns for categories - choose in how many columns the sub-category links will

be shown.

Show ordering dropdown list - if enabled, the ordering dropdown list will be shown on every

category page.

Default Ordering - choose default ordering.

Order by Qeld - this setting overrides the default ordering. Use jr_[eld or rjr_[eld for descend-

ing order. You should use this setting only if the [eld you are using is common across all listing.

Otherwise you should use the equivalent setting in the listing types.



Choose which listing information will be displayed. Average User Rating is only for list pages and

other settings are for listing detail pages as well.

Show summary - here you can enable showing the summary text on list pages.

Trim summary (words) - choose how many words of the summary text will be shown. If zero

or blank it will display all the text. Limiting the number of words will strip all html formatting.

The Label settings are used on both list and listing detail pages.

Action Box settings are for the list pages only.



4.1.6 Listings

Enable favorites - if enabled, users will be able to add listings to their favorites list

Enable Listing Claims - if enabled, users will be able to claim listings to become owners of the

listing and to be able to edit listing details. Any claim submission must be approved by admins

in JReviews administration.

Enable claims only for listings owned by (optional) - add user ids separated by comma with-

out any spaces. If you are adding most listings yourself you can enable the claims functionality

only for your userid or setup a special user to submit listings and make them claimable.

Limit the number of characters shown - if you enter the number of characters higher than

0, visitors will need to click the 'show more' link to expand the full text. Limiting the number of

characters will strip all html formatting.

Enable Listing Inquiries - this enables a Send Inquiry button on listing detail pages for site

visitors to be able to [ll a contact form to request information. If you want to embed the form



directly on the page, leave this setting disabled and instead add this code to the theme [le of

the listing detail page (/listings/detail.thtml):

<?php echo $this->element("inquiry_widget");?>

Inquiry is sent to - choose who will receive the email from site visitors:

• Listing owner - the e-mail will be sent to the e-mail address of the person that submitted

the listing.

• Site e-mail - the e-mail will be sent to the e-mail address set in Joomla con[guration.

• Custom <eld e-mail - the e-mail will be sent only if the listing has a value in the e-mail

custom [eld speci[ed in the below setting.

Custom Qeld name - if custom [eld selected above, enter the [eld's name here (i.e. jr_email).

BCC Admin email - a copy of the e-mail will be sent to this e-mail address.

4.1.7 Reviews

View All Reviews Canonical (SEO) - outputs a canonical tag to the listing detail page in the

view all reviews page for a listing (to avoid Google considering the "view all reviews" page as a

duplicate of the listing detail page).

Enable User Reviews - if enabled, users will be able to review listings.



Enable Editor Reviews - available options:

• One editor review per listing

• Multiple editor reviews per listing - this option will allow multiple multiple editor reviews by

diêrent users. It is not possible for a single user to submit more than one editor review.

• No editor reviews

Comma list of JReviews Editors user IDs - only reviews written by these users will be auto-

matically recognized as editor reviews. Addittionaly, any review can be marked as an editor re-

view in the review moderation menu.

Multiple user reviews per listing - valid for registered users only. Checking is done against IP

address and userid.

Disable IP address check for multiple reviews - performs check on user id only.

Stop users from reviewing their own listings - also disable the review form in listing submis-

sion in Con[guration => Standard Fields.

Default Ordering - choose how reviews will be ordered:

• Most Recent

• Oldest

• Last Updated

• Highest user rating

• Lowest user rating

• Most helpful

• Least helpful

• Most discussed



Rating scale - enter a number higher than zero. Once you have reviews on your site DO NOT

change this setting.

Rating increment - choose between 0.5 and 1.

Rating selector in review form - choose between Star Images and Select List.

Pre-select N/A for optional rating criteria - if enabled, users don't need to click on the N/A

option to ignore a criterion.

Hide non-rated criteria from detailed ratings - useful if there are many optional criteria.

Show rating count in detailed ratings - this can be informational when users gave N/A ratin-

gs to certain criteria.

Enable listing owner replies to user reviews - listing owners will be able to reply to reviews.

Enable review discussions - a 'Comments' button will appear in every review that will take

users to a separate review detail page where they'll be able to discuss the review.

Enable reporting of user reviews - if enabled, every user review will display a "report review"

icon in bottom right corner. All reports will be sent to the JReviews administration area.

Enable reporting of editor reviews - if enabled, every editor review will display a "report re-

view" icon in bottom right corner. All reports will be sent to the JReviews administration area.

Enable user review voting - if enabled, visitors will be able to vote on review helpfulness.

Enable editor review voting - if enabled, visitors will be able to vote on review helpfulness.



Disable ip address check for votes - by default, JReviews will prevent visitors from voting mul-

tiple times. Here you can disable IP address check (for testing purposes).

Settings for editor reviews.

Settings for user reviews.



4.1.8 Standard Fields

Allow duplicate listing titles - you should not enable duplicate listing titles in the same cate-

gory if you are removing ID numbers from listing urls via the JReviews SEF Plugin.

Name - (Required | Optional | Hidden) - not shown to registered users

E-mail - (Required | Optional | Hidden) - not shown to registered users

Summary - (Required | Optional | Hidden)

Description - (Required | Optional | Hidden)

Review form shown to - choose who will be able to submit a review when submitting a new

listing.

Make review optional - shows a checkbox allowing users to hide the review form when sub-

mitting a new listing.



Title - (Required | Optional | Hidden)

Name - (Required | Optional | Hidden) - not shown to registered users

E-mail - (Required | Optional | Hidden) - not shown to registered users

Comment - (Required | Optional | Hidden)

4.1.9 Search

Use current page Itemid for search results - works only for JReviews pages, not detail pages

which are com_content. In that case the JReviews search menu id will be used or one you spec-

ify below.



Specify a menu id for search results - used in detail pages; and other JReviews pages if the

setting above is disabled.

If one result found, redirect to detail page - disable to always show the search results page.

Allow all listings to be returned with empty search queries

Theme Layout - available options:

• Tableview - displays listings in a table (not recommended for sites with responsive design)

• Blogview - standard layout similar to "blog posts"

• Thumbview - displays listings in 4 columns per row. This layout requires that all listings

have the same height.

• Masonry - displays listings in columns automatically based on the thumbnail dimensions.

Advantage over Thumbview layout is that listings/thumbnails can have diêrent heights,

disadvantage is that javascript is used to resize the layout. It is recommended to enable

'scale' thumbnail mode for list pages in Media Settings.

View SuRx - if you want to use a diêrent theme [le for the search results page (i.e. listin-

gs_blogview_search.thtml), enter the su]x here.

Default query type - 'Any' will look for listings which contain any of the words. 'All' will look for

listings that contain all the words.

Show search box in listings and directory - simple search will be displayed on directory and

category pages.

Use current page category id as Qlters for simple search - if enabled, the search input on a

category page will return listings only from that category.

Allow searching by listing owner - displays the author input [eld to allow searching for listin-

gs written by a speci[c user.



Allow searches on more than one option for single select and radiobutton Qelds - allows

searches that match several options for single select and radiobuttons. For example: if you

have a multiple select [eld with all the states in the US, the user will be able to choose several

of the states instead of just one if this setting is disabled.

4.1.10 NotiEcations

Choose which e-mails will be sent to admins.

Choose which e-mails will be sent to users.



To customize the text of the emails you need to edit the email themes in this folder:

/components/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/email_templates/

4.1.11 RSS

If feeds are enabled, one feed icon will be displayed in the listing detail page for user/editor

reviews of that listing and two feed icons will be displayed in list pages (one for listings and one

for user/editor reviews).

4.1.12 Cache



Cache Settings - cached [les will be re-created if they have expired.

Enable query cache

• The cache is cleared after the duration time has passed or every time the JReviews setup,

con[guration, and a listing or review is submitted or updated. This setting, when enabled,

caches the data returned from the database for both guests and registered users. It re-

duces the number of queries per page for lists and detail pages, which have some of the

most intensive queries.

• Notes: The cached queries will take up disk space because all returned data is stored. If

disk space is an issue, monitor it and it might make sense to leave it disabled. It's a trade-

o^ between database queries and disk storage. To get improved results for registered

users, query cache should be used in combination with a view cache solution where view

cache is typically disabled in both JReviews and Joomla.

Enable view cache (Guests only)

• Caches whole views for guest users only. The cache is cleared after the cache duration time

has ended or every time the JReviews setup, con[guration, and a listing or review is sub-

mitted or updated.

• Notes: This setting is similar to the Joomla Cache. The JReviews view cache is only for

guests viewing the output of the JReviews component, not the entire site. If you are using

the Joomla Cache or a 3rd Party Cache, it may be best to turn o^ this cache.

Enable session cache

• Caches data to the user's session to reduce the number of queries. For example the total

count of results for diêrent paginated pages is cached and then read from the user's

session data.

Notes on JReviews Cache Optimization in General:

If you enable debug mode in Joomla you can check the number of queries and memory used

in the diêrent pages, and that gives you a reference for what happens when you enable/dis-

able some of these settings. When using another extension to compress JS or CSS [les you may

have to exclude some of the JReviews scripts from the optimization. After optimizing your sites

be sure to check all functionality as a guest.



4.2 Media Settings

4.2.1 Display Settings

Force use of Catch-All menu for media urls - you need to create the JReviews Catch-All menu

item for Media. If disabled, JReviews category menu ids will be used if they exist.

No Image Path - enter the path to the default image. For the default image to appear on list-

ings, also enable Use Default Image setting.

Video Processing Path - enter the path to the default image for videos when they are still pro-

cessing.

Thumbnail Quality - choose the quality of the generated thumbnails in a scale from 1-100.

Default is: 85.

Default Media Order - this is the ordering that will be used in media list pages.

Default Media Order - Listing SpeciQc - this is the ordering that will be used in listing detail

pages and photo and video galleries for a speci[c listing. If you choose Ordering, the media

items will be ordered based on how you ordered them on the 'Media Edit' page of a specific

listing.



Display Terms & Conditions in upload page - users will need to accept your Terms & Condi-

tions when submitting media items if this setting is enabled. The terms will not display for the

Joomla editor group and above.

Add additional link to Submission Guidelines page - enter the Joomla Article ID of the Terms

& Conditions articles that you want to use. You can [nd the ID in the Joomla Article Manager.

Choose which media count icons will be displayed on list and listing detail pages.

Show Main Media Thumbnail - enable or disable displaying the main media thumbnail on list

pages (category pages, search results, etc.).

Thumbnail Mode - (Scale | Crop)

Thumbnail Size - WIDTHxHEIGHT in pixels. This can be considered as "maximum width" and

"maximum height" for the thumbnail.

Use Category Image - if main media thumbnail doesn't exist, an image assigned to the cate-

gory in Joomla Category Manager will be displayed.

Use Default Image - if main media thumbnail doesn't exist, the default image will be used. Set

the path to the default image in the No Image Path setting.



Separate Listing Owner and User uploaded media - for photos and videos only. Listing Own-

er media displays in main area of the listing detail page while Review media will appear in indi-

vidual reviews. Links to view 'All', 'Listing' and 'Users' photos and videos will also be displayed

unless lightbox or gallery layouts are used.

Photo Display Layout - available photo layouts:

• Contact sheet with lightbox

• Contact sheet linked to separate gallery page



• Full width gallery without lightbox

• Small gallery with lightbox

• Film Strip with lightbox

• Film Strip linked to separate gallery page

Video Display Layout - available video layouts:

• Contact sheet with lightbox

• Contact sheet linked to separate gallery page

• Full width video player

• Film Strip with lightbox

• Film Strip linked to separate gallery page

Audio Downloads - displays a download button next to each track.

Main Media Thumbnail - if disabled, the main media will be displayed in the gallery together

with other images.

Disable Main Media Link - disable the lightbox for photos when set as main media. Gallery

photos will continue opening in a lightbox if Photo Lightbox is enabled. Useful when company

logos are used as main media.

Main Media Thumbnail Mode - (Scale | Crop)

Main Media Thumbnail Size - WIDTHxHEIGHT in pixels. This can be considered as "maximum

width" and "maximum height" for the thumbnail.

Show category/default image using above settings for List Pages - if enabled, the listing

detail page will display the default image or category image when main media isn't available.

Thumbnail alignment - display the main media on left or right side of the listing detail page.

Gallery Thumbnail Mode - (Scale | Crop)

Gallery Thumbnail Size - WIDTHxHEIGHT in pixels. This can be considered as "maximum


Display photo info as overlay on mouseover - when Full width gallery without lightbox is used,

you can choose to display photo info on gallery overlay.

Photo Limit - after this number visitors need to go to the gallery page for the listing to view all

photos.

Video Limit - after this number visitors need to go to the gallery page for the listing to view all

videos.



Gallery Thumbnail Mode - (Scale | Crop)

Gallery Thumbnail Size - WIDTHxHEIGHT in pixels. This can be considered as "maximum


Photo Limit - after this number visitors need to go to the gallery page for the listing to view all

photos.

Video Limit - after this number visitors need to go to the gallery page for the listing to view all

videos.

Media List Layout - choose the layout for media list pages (i.e. Latest Media, My Media)


Thumbnail Size - WIDTHxHEIGHT in pixels. This can be considered as "maximum width" and

"maximum height" for the thumbnail.



4.2.2 Photos

Replace Qlename with listing title - if enabled, the uploaded photo [lename will be replaced

with listing title.

Prepend listing id to Qlename - if enabled, listing id will be prepended to the photo [le name.

Max Photos per Listing per User - choose how many photos each user will be able to upload

per listing. Leave blank for no limit. Set to zero to disable uploads.

Max Photos per Review per User - choose how many photos each user will be able to upload

per review. Leave blank for no limit. Set to zero to disable uploads.

Maximum Upload Size

Allowed File Extensions - enter the list of allowed photo [le extensions, separated by com-

mas.

Original Resize - the uploaded photo will be resized to the speci[ed dimension if larger. Leave

blank for no resizing. Default is: 800x800.

Original Resize Quality - choose the quiality of the resized photo in a scale from 1-100. Default

is: 90.



4.2.3 Videos

Replace Qlename with listing title - if enabled, the uploaded video [lename will be replaced

with listing title.

Prepend listing id to Qlename - if enabled, listing id will be prepended to the video [le name.

Video Upload Methods - available options:

• Upload & Link from video sites - users will be able to upload video [les and embed videos

from other sites.

• Upload only - users will be able to only upload videos without embedding videos from other

sites.

• Link only - users will be able to only embed videos from other sites.

Video Link Sites - choose from which sites embedding videos will be allowed.

Max Videos per Listing per User - choose how many videos each user will be able to upload

or embed per listing. Leave blank for no limit. Set to zero to disable uploads.

Max Videos per Review per User - choose how many photos each user will be able to upload

or embed per review. Leave blank for no limit. Set to zero to disable uploads.

Maximum Upload Size

Allowed File Extensions - enter the list of allowed video [le extensions, separated by commas.



4.2.4 Attachments

Replace Qlename with listing title - if enabled, the uploaded attachment [lename will be re-

placed with listing title.

Prepend listing id to Qlename - if enabled, listing id will be prepended to the attachment [le

name.

Max Attachments per Listing per User - choose how many attachments each user will be

able to upload per listing. Leave blank for no limit. Set to zero to disable uploads.

Max Attachments per Review per User - choose how many attachments each user will be

able to upload per review. Leave blank for no limit. Set to zero to disable uploads.

Maximum Upload Size

Allowed File Extensions - enter the list of allowed atachment [le extensions, separated by

commas.



4.2.5 Audio

Replace Qlename with listing title - if enabled, the uploaded audio [lename will be replaced

with listing title.

Prepend listing id to Qlename - if enabled, listing id will be prepended to the audio [le name.

Max Audio per Listing per User - choose how many audio [les each user will be able to up-

load per listing. Leave blank for no limit. Set to zero to disable uploads.

Max Audio per Review per User - choose how many audio [les each user will be able to up-

load per review. Leave blank for no limit. Set to zero to disable uploads.

Maximum Upload Size

Allowed File Extensions - enter the list of allowed audio [le extensions, separated by commas.

4.2.6 Storage Settings



Photos - choose between Local or Amazon S3 storage.

Videos - videos can only be uploaded to Amazon S3 (because they need to be encoded into

multiple formats by 3rd party video encoders).

3rd Party Videos (embedded) - choose between Local or Amazon S3 storage for thumbnails

of embedded videos.

Attachments - choose between Local or Amazon S3 storage.

Audio - audio [les can only be uploaded to Amazon S3 (because they need to be encoded into

multiple formats by 3rd party audio encoders).

Path: - choose where media [les will be uploaded when Local storage is enabled. Default is:

media/reviews/

Original media folder name - choose the subfolder name for the original uploaded media.

Thumbnail media folder name - choose the subfolder name for the thumbnails.



API Key - if you choose to store media [les to Amazon S3, enter the API Key of your Amazon S3

account.

API Secret - if you choose to store media [les to Amazon S3, enter the API Secret of your Ama-

zon S3 account.



Replace Amazon S3 URLs with CDN URLs - if you want to use CloudFront CDN with Amazon

S3, read how to set up JReviews with Amazon S3 and CloudFront CDN

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=How_to_set_up_JReviews_with_Amazon_S3_and_CloudFront_CDN)

.

4.2.7 Encoding Settings

Encoding Service - if you enabled video or audio uploads, you need to have an account with

one of the 3 available encoding services that will encode video/audio to all required formats:

• Transloadit.com (https://transloadit.com/r/MDb)

• Encoding.com (http://www.encoding.com/r?id=10905)

• Zencoder.com (http://www.zencoder.com/)

Video Frame Size - choose the video frame size. Default is 854x480.

Bitrate - choose the bitrate for encoded video/audio [les.



http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=How_to_set_up_JReviews_with_Amazon_S3_and_CloudFront_CDN

http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=How_to_set_up_JReviews_with_Amazon_S3_and_CloudFront_CDN

https://transloadit.com/r/MDb

http://www.encoding.com/r?id=10905

http://www.zencoder.com/

Transfer Method - this method will be used by the encoding service to download the uploaded

[les from your server. The S3 method uploads the [le from your server to S3 to let the encod-

ing service download it from S3. If you choose ftp make sure your server allows enough simul-

taneous connections.

Enter your account details for one of the encoding services.



4.3 Access Settings

4.3.1 Listings

Submit New Listing - select user groups that will be allowed to submit listings.

Moderate new listing - new listings submitted by selected user groups will be held for ap-

proval by admin.

Moderate edited listing - listings will be unpublished and held for approval when edited via

the frontend.

Edit listing - choose which user groups will be able to edit listings. Registered and Author can

edit only their own listings. Editor and above can edit all listings, but only see custom [elds for

which they have access.

Publish/unpublish listing - select users groups that will be allowed to pulbish/unpublish list-

ings. Registered and Author can only publish/unpublish their own listings.

Delete listing - select users groups that will be allowed to delete listings. Registered and Au-

thor can only delete their own listings.



WYSIWYG editor - select user groups that will have a WYSIWYG editor enabled for standard

summary and description text areas. JReviews will use the WYSIWYG editor that is selected in

Joomla Con[guration. Supported editors are TinyMCE and JCE.

Meta data Qelds - select user groups that will be able to enter Meta Keywords and Meta De-

stription data when submitting listings. This is not necessary if you setup automatic meta data

via the Listing Type Manager.

4.3.2 Reviews

Submit new review - select user groups that will be allowed to submit reviews.

Moderate new user reviews - new user reviews submitted by selected user groups will be

held for approval by admin.

Moderate new editor reviews - new editor reviews submitted by selected user groups will be

held for approval by admin. De[ne JReviews editors in Con[guration => Reviews tab. These are

not Joomla editors.

Moderate edited user reviews - user reviews will be unpublished and held for approval when

edited via the frontend.

Moderate edited editor reviews - editor reviews will be unpublished and held for approval

when edited via the frontend.



Enable voting - select user groups that will be allowed to vote reviews helpful.

Edit review - choose which user groups will be able to edit reviews. Registered and Author can

edit only their own reviews. Editor and above can edit all reviews, but only see custom [elds

for which they have access.

4.3.3 Media

Here you can select default View Access Level for Listings and Reviews Media. Only the selected

access level will be able to view/play/download media. The media count totals will re\ect the

count for media that is not accessible to the current user. This is because totals are pre-calcu-

lated for improved performance.



Allow Uploads from URL - selected user groups will be able to upload listing media by pasting

the url to the media [le on a 3rd pary site.

Photos/Videos/Attacments/Audio - select user groups that will be able to add media to list-

ings.

Registered Group - select All to allow uploads by any registered user without the need to sub-

mit a review.

Allow Uploads from URL - selected user groups will be able to upload review media by pasting

the url to the media [le on a 3rd pary site.

Photos/Videos/Attacments/Audio - select user groups that will be able to add media to re-

views.



Moderate (Hold for approval) - media uploads of selected user groups will be held for ap-

proval by admin.

Edited Media - media will be sent back to the moderation queue and held for approval when

edited via the frontend.

Likes for Photos - select user groups that will be allowed to like/dislike photos.

Likes for Videos - select user groups that will be allowed to like/dislike videos.

Edit Media - choose which user groups will be able to edit media items. Registered and Author

can edit only their own media. Editor and above can edit all media.

Delete Media - choose which user groups will be able to delete media items. Registered and

Author can delete only their own media. Editor and above can delete all media.

Publish Media - choose which user groups will be able to publish media items. Registered and

Author can publish only their own media. Editor and above can publish all media.



4.3.4 Discussions

New Comment - select user groups that will be allowed to comment reviews. (Review discus-

sions need to be enabled in Con[guration Settings => Reviews).

Moderate (Hold for approval) - New Comment - comments of selected user groups will be

held for approval by admin.

Edit Comment - choose which user groups will be able to edit comments. Registered and Au-

thor can edit only their own comments. Editor and above can edit all comments.

Delete Comment - choose which user groups will be able to delete comments. Registered and

Author can delete only their own comments. Editor and above can delete all comments.

4.3.5 Owner Replies

Moderate listing owner replies to reviews - listing owner replies to reviews will be held for

approval by admin.



4.4 PredeEned Replies

If you enabled Moderation of user submissions in Access Settings, here you can prede[ne E-

mail Replies that will be sent to users when you Approve or Reject their submissions.

Prede[ned e-mail replies are available for Listing, Review, Media, Owner Reply, Discussion Post

and Claim submissions.

For each of them you can prede[ne 5 diêrent replies.

Tags that you can use in your e-mail replies:

{name} = user's name

{url} = frontend url

{listing_title} = listing title

4.4.1 Moderation of submissionsWhenever there are user submissions waiting for approval, you will see the Moderation menu

in the sidebar of JReviews administration:



When you go to any of the moderation queue pages to moderate submissions you will be able

to Accept, Reject or Hold each submission.

If you click the Choose Prede<nied Reply button, a drop down list will appear allowing you to se-

lect one of the Prede[ned Replies that you setup before. The prede[ned replies can also be

edited before sending the e-mail.

4.5 Theme ManagerTheme Manager allows you to easily manage customizations for individual categories in JRe-

views, including the listing detail pages.

The Theme Manager displays a list of all categories, allowing you to select a diêrent layout

(Tableview, Blogview, Thumbview or Masonry) and assign theme [le su]xes for each of them.

Theme su]xes are explained in more detail below.

For any given page, except for search results, the category theme setup is checked [rst, then

the global setting (List page tab in con[guration settings).



When a su]x is assigned (i.e. _museums), you can copy and rename any view/css [le to use

that su]x. If the [le is found, it will be used, otherwise the default view/css [les are used.

Example:

• /listings/detail.thtml - original detail page theme [le

• /listings/detail_museums.thtml - modi[ed [le that will be used only for listings that

belong to the Museums category.

After adding new [les to your JReviews theme, you must always click the Clear Cache & File

Registry link in the JReviews Administration so JReviews can recognize the new [les:

4.5.1 Theme suFxes in menus and modulesYou can also have diêrent theme [les for JReviews Menu items and Modules.



For the Menu Items, you can specify diêrent theme su]x in the menu item's preferences.

For the Modules, you can specify diêrent theme su]x in the module's preferences.

4.6 Fields SEO ManagerThe Fields SEO Manager allows taking advantage of Click2Search pages by adding title and

meta tags that can be indexed by search engines.

The Click2Search feature for custom [elds can be enabled in the Fields Manager. It links the

[eld text to a results page with listings that have the same [eld value.

For example, if you have a "Brand" custom [eld and you enable Click2Search, when a user

clicks on certain brand (i.e. Sony), he would be redirected to a page with all Sony listings. With

the SEO Manager, you can add Meta Title, Meta Keywords and Meta Description tags to those

Click to Search pages.

You can use the {[eldvalue}, {category} and {parent_category} tags in the title, keywords and

description [elds if you want the value of the [eld to be shown in the text in the front end. The

category tags will work only if you modify the Click2Search urls for each [eld to use the 'cat'

parameter instead of 'criteria'.

Show page title at the top of the list - if enabled, what you enter as Meta Title will be displayed

at the top of the Click2Search pages.

Show meta description at the top of the list - if enabled, what you enter as Meta Descriptionwill be displayed at the top of the Click2Search pages (below the title).

Example:



If you have Book listings on your site and created an "Author" custom [eld with Click2Search

enabled, when users click on a certain author, they will be taken to a page with a list of all books

written by that author.

If you enter "Books written by {[eldvalue}" as the Meta Title for that custom [eld, the title of

the Click2Search page when users click on book author (i.e. 'Dan Brown') will be: "Books written

by Dan Brown".

4.7 Category SEO ManagerThe meta keywords and description displayed below are the same ones stored in the Joomla

Category Manager. Here you can quickly view and edit them. You can also add a custom page

title and override the page heading and page description for category pages.

The following tags can also be used: {category} - current category title, {category1}, {category2},

etc. which represent the titles of parent categories of the current category. {category1} is the

[rst level, {category2} the second level and so on.



Chapter 5

Menu Items & SEF5.1 Creating Required Joomla Category Menu ItemsAll listings and articles in Joomla must have a parent menu item, otherwise their URLs have

ugly "/component/content/article/" segment and it is not possible to assign modules to those

pages.

Without a parent menu item, the listing URL will look similar to this:

example.com/component/content/article/49-category-name/subcategory-name/305-listing-title

JReviews uses Joomla's content system for listings and because of this the parent menu item of

listings must be a Joomla Category Blog/List menu item. After you create those menu items,

the "/component/content/article/" segment in URLs will be replaced with the titles of category

menu items.

Starting with JReviews 2.4.10 version, those Joomla Category menu items can be used as

the main navigation of your site if you enable the JReviews SEF Plugin

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Using_JReviews_SEF_Plugin) . In this case, create

Joomla Category menu items in the main menu of your site.

If you don't enable the JReviews SEF Plugin, you will need to create required Joomla category

menu items in a "hidden" menu that isn't shown on your site and for the main menu of the site

create separate JReviews Category List menu items.

5.1.1 Creating required category menu items

5.1.1.1 How to choose the best category menu item structure

Choosing a good menu item structure is important because the title aliases of those menu

items will be used in URLs of listings. You have a choice:

• create menu items only for top level categories

• create menu items only for last level categories

• create menu items for all categories

The third option is recommended because then none of the category URLs will have ID num-

bers and urls will include the full category structure.


http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Using_JReviews_SEF_Plugin


5.1.1.2 Steps for creating the menu items when JReviews SEF plug-in is used

• in Joomla administration go to the main menu of your site where you want to display the

Categories and click the New button in the toolbar.

• next click the Select button and you will get this popup with the list of available menu

item types, choose Category Blog or Category List (it is not important which one):

• after you click on the menu type, you will need to choose a category from the dropdown.

• after you created menu items for all categories, go to JReviews administration and click on

the "Clear Cache & File Registry" link in the left menu. This is necessary because JReviews

stores a cached version of the menu system to improve performance.

With this setup, you will have a "perfect" URL structure, for example:

example.com/category-name

example.com/category-name/subcategory-name

example.com/category-name/subcategory-name/listing-title

JReviews Manual Chapter 5 Menu Items & SEF


5.1.1.3 Steps for creating the menu items when JReviews SEF plug-in isn't used

• in the Joomla administration click on Menus => Menu Manager and to create a new menu

click on New.

• in the next screen enter the Title and Menu Type:

• after the Hidden Menu is created, click New in the toolbar to create the [rst menu item.

• next click the Select button and you will get this popup with the list of available menu item

types, choose Category Blog or Category List (it is not important which one):



• after you click on the menu type, you will need to choose a category from the dropdown.

• after you created menu items for all categories, go to JReviews administration and click on

the "Clear Cache & File Registry" link in the left menu. This is necessary because JReviews

stores a cached version of the menu system to improve performance.

With this setup, the listing URLs will include the category names that you created in this Hidden

Menu, for example:

example.com/category-name/ID-listing-title

The categories will have a separate URL structure based on how you create JReviews Category

List menu items in the main menu of your site.

5.2 Creating JReviews Menu ItemsFor users to be able to submit and access content, it is required to create some of the many

menu items that JReviews provides.

To create a menu item, go to one of your Menus in the Joomla Menu Manager and click the

New button:



On the next page, click the Select button to select the type of menu item:

A popup with all menu item types will appear:



Click on a link to create a speci[c type of a menu item. Each menu type is explained below.

Whenever you edit an existing JReviews menu item and adjust its parameters, you need to go

to the JReviews administration and click the "Clear Cache & File Registry" link for the changes

to be applied.

5.2.1 Advanced SearchThe Advanced Search menu item allows visitors to search listings based on multiple [eld val-

ues.

Example of the advanced search menu item can be found on the JReviews demo site

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/search.

The Advanced Search menu item has these parameters:



http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/search

Listing Type - if you leave the listing type unselected, visitors will [rst need to select a listing

type on the advanced search page before the search form will expand with all [elds. If you

select a speci[c listing type, the adv. search page will automatically expaned all custom [elds

available for that listing type.

Theme suRx - here you can choose a theme su]x for the search results page.

By default, all custom [elds that are included in a speci[c listing type will appear on the ad-

vanced search page. If you want to hide speci[c [elds from appearing on the search form, you

can do it in the Fields Manager:

Important: it is required to have a least one advanced search menu item without a listing type

selected for JReviews search functionality to work correctly. If you don't want to show the ad-

vanced search page on your site, you can create this menu item in a "Hidden Menu" that isn't

displayed on the site.

5.2.2 Catch-All optionsSome types of JReviews pages don't require a regular JReviews menu item, which means it's not

easy to controll their URL structure or to assign modules to them. To solve this problem, it is

recommended to create Catch-all menu items that will automatically become the parent menu

items of those pages.



The Catch-All options menu item has these parameters:

Type of Menu - there are 4 diêrent options, which means you should create a separate menu

item for each of them:

• Media - parent menu item for all media detail pages and media upload page.

• Listing Edit - parent menu item of all listing edit pages

• Listing Comparison - parent menu item of all listing comparison pages

• View All Reviews for Listing - parent menu item of all "View All Reviews" pages that are avail-

able on listing detail pages when the listing has a large number of reviews.

Everywhere Extension - this parameter is used only when "View All Reviews for Listing" type

of menu is used. You can have a separate "View All Reviews" menu item for each Everywhere

Extensions. For JReviews listings always use 'com_content'.

The Catch-All menus should not be visible anywhere on your site, you should create them in a

"Hidden Menu".

5.2.3 List PagesList pages display a list of listings based on how you con[gure the menu parameters.

The List Pages menu item has these parameters:



Type of Menu - available options:

• Category List - if you don't use the JReviews SEF Plugin

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Using_JReviews_SEF_Plugin) , it is recommended

to create this type of menu item for every single category. With the JReviews SEF Plugin

enabled this type of menu item isn't necessary.

• Top User Rated - displays highest user rated listings

• Top Editor Rated - displays highest editor rated listings

• Most Recent - displays latest listings

• Most Popular - displays listings with the highest number of views

• Most Reviews - displays listings with the highest number of reviews

• Featured - displays only featured listings. Listings can be made Featured on the Browse

Listings page in JReviews administration or via the "Manage" dropdown in listing details

on frontend.





• My Listings - displays listings of the logged in user. Should be created in a "User menu"

that isn't visible to guest visitors.

• My Favorites - displays listings that the logged in user added to his favorite list. Should be

created in a "User menu" that isn't visible to guest visitors.

• Custom List - displays listings based on the custom sql commands that you enter in the

Custom WHERE and Custom ORDER BY parameters. Read about Custom WHERE and

Custom ORDER BY

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Using_Custom_WHERE_and_Custom_ORDER_BY_parameters)

.

Directory - [lters listings to the selected directory. This parameter is optional for all types of

menus.

Category - [lters listings to the selected category. This parameter is required for Category Listtype of menu and optional for others.

Page total - total number of listings that will be shown.

Limit per page - how many listings will be shown per page.

List layout - if you don't select a speci[c layout, the one selected in Global Con[guration or

Theme Manager will be used.

Theme SuRx - enter a theme su]x if you want a diêrent theme [le to be used on this page.

For example, enter '_compact' to load listings_blogview_compact.thtml theme [le instead of

the default listings_blogview.thtml [le.

Custom WHERE for Custom List only - this parameter is used only if Custom List is selected

as type of menu. Read about Custom WHERE and Custom ORDER BY


.

Custom ORDER BY for Custom List only - this parameter is used only if Custom List is

selected as type of menu. Read about Custom WHERE and Custom ORDER BY


.

Page Description - custom description that will appear on top of the page.

5.2.4 Comparison PageThe Comparison Page will display speci[c listings using the side-by-side layout where visitors

can easily compare listing details.

The Comparison Page menu item has these parameters:



http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Using_Custom_WHERE_and_Custom_ORDER_BY_parameters







Listing IDs (comma list) - it is required to enter the IDs of listings that you want to show on

this page. You can [nd out listing IDs on the JReviews Browse Listings page in administration

or in Joomla Article Manager.

Theme suRx - enter a theme su]x if you want a speci[c theme [le to be used for this page.


5.2.5 DirectoryThe Directory page is used to display all categories that you use with JReviews. The advantage

of the directory page over regular category pages is that the directory page can display all levels

of categories. The directory page can't display listings.

Example of a directory page can be seen on the JReviews demo site:

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/business-directory.

The Directory menu item has these parameters:

Directory - if you leave this parameter unselected, the page will display all directories. If you

select a speci[c directory, only that one will be displayed.





The directory menu item has additional Con[guration Overrides parameters:

These parameters will override the settings from the global JReviews Con[guration, Directory

tab, but only if you set Enable Overrides to Yes.

Remember to click the "Clear Cache & File Registry" link in JReviews administration whenever

you edit this menu item and adjust its parameters.

5.2.6 DiscussionsThe Discussions page will display latest review comments if you enabled them in JReviews Con-

[guration, Reviews tab.

The Discussions menu item has these parameters:

Limit per page - how many results will be shown per page.


5.2.7 Media PagesThe Media pages display media items (photos, videos, attachments, audio [les) based on how

you con[gure the menu parameters.



Example of a "Latest Media" page can be seen on the JReviews demo site

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/latest-media.

The Discussions menu item has these parameters:


• Media List - dispays all media items based on the below parameters.

• My Media - displays media items submitted by the logged in user. Should be created in a

"User Menu" that isn't visible to guest visitors.

Order - choose how the media items will be ordered (Newest | Oldest | Most liked | Most

viewed).

Show Order List - if set to Yes, users will be able to reorder media items.

Media Type - choose All to show all types of media or only a speci[c type.

Show Media Type Filter if set to Yes, users will be able to [lter media items by type.

Extension - [lter media items by component.

Description - custom description that will appear on top of the page.

Show Description - choose to show or hide the description.



http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/latest-media

Page total - total number of media items that will be shown.

Limit per page - how many media items will be shown per page.


5.2.8 Submit New ListingThe Submit New Listing menu item will display the listing submission form. Users will [rst need

to select the category where they want to submit the listing and then the rest of the form will

appear.

Only users that are allowed to submit listings based on the JReviews Access Settings will see

the submit form.

The Submit New Listing menu item has these parameters:

Directory - if you select a directory, users will be able to submit listings only to categories that

belong to that directory.

Category - if you select a category, users will be able to submit listing only to the selected cat-

egory (and its subcategories if they exist).


5.2.9 Reviewer RankThe Reviewer Rank page displays the list of users based on the number of reviews they had

written and the percentage of helpful reviews.

Example of a Reviewer Rank page can be seen on the JReviews demo site:

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/reviewers-rank.

The Reviewer Rank menu item has these parameters:



http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/reviewers-rank

Limit per page - how many users will be shown per page.


5.2.10 Reviews PagesThe Reviews pages display a list of reviews based on how you con[gure the menu parameters.

Example of a "Latest Reviews" page can be seen on the JReviews demo site:

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/latest-reviews.

The Reviews Pages menu item has these parameters:



http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/latest-reviews


• My Reviews - displays reviews of the logged in user. Should be created in a "User Menu"

that isn't visible to guest visitors.

• Reviews - Latest reviews (all) - displays latest user and editor reviews.

• Reviews - Latest user reviews - displays only latest user reviews.

• Reviews - Latest editor reviews - displays only latest editor reviews.

• Reviews - Custom List - displays reviews based on the custom sql commands that you enter

in the Custom WHERE and Custom ORDER BY parameters. Read about Custom WHERE

and Custom ORDER BY


.






Category - [lters reviews to the selected category. This parameter is optional. If the Category

is selected, you must enter the Extension name in the below parameter.

Extension - use to [lter reviews by component (i.e. com_content, com_sobi2).

Page total - total number of reviews that will be shown.

Limit per page - how many reviews will be shown per page.

Theme SuRx - enter a theme su]x if you want a speci[c theme [le to be used for this page.

Custom WHERE for Custom List only - this parameter is used only if Reviews - CustomList is selected as type of menu. Read about Custom WHERE and Custom ORDER BY


.

Custom ORDER BY for Custom List only - this parameter is used only if Reviews - CustomList is selected as type of menu. Read about Custom WHERE and Custom ORDER BY


.


5.3 SEF URLsDue to the number of Search Engine Friendly (SEF) url solutions and the work required to sup-

port them we have decided to only o]cially support three of them: Core Joomla SEF, sh404sef

and SEF Advance. If you decide to use a diêrent solution we won't be able to provide support

for it.

We recommend using Core Joomla SEF which we think provides very good results without

adding too much overhead and have several articles below explaining what you need to do

to make sure it works well with JReviews. Core Joomla SEF combined with JReviews SEF Plug-

in (http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Using_JReviews_SEF_Plugin) allows to have perfect

category and listing URL structure without using any 3rd party SEF extensions.

5.3.1 Using Joomla Core SEFTo make the URLs look nicer, you should enable Joomla core SEF:

• go to Joomla Global Con[guration, and on [rst tab set Search Engine Friendly URLs and

Use URL rewriting to Yes.

• leave Add SuRx to URLs disabled.









• go to the root folder of your site and rename htaccess.txt [le to .htaccess if you don't

already have the .htacess [le. This is required for URLs to work when Use URL rewritingis enabled.

5.3.2 Using JReviews SEF PluginStarting with JReviews 2.4.10 version, JReviews installation includes a SEF plugin which makes it

possible to render Joomla category pages as JReviews category pages allowing you to simplify

the menu and SEF URL structure and to improve the URLs of listings by removing the ID num-

bers from URLs.

Important:

• the JReviews SEF plugin is not compatible with other 3rd party SEF extensions. You can't

use it together with sh404sef, SEF Advance or any other SEF extension.

• when using the SEF plugin with the article ID removal feature, you must not allow duplicate

listing titles in the same category. Check your settings in the JReviews Con[guration, Stan-

dard Fields tab. If you have listings with duplicate titles, then you need to change the title

aliases so they can have diêrent URLs.

The plugin is automatically installed, but it is left unpublished. After you read the instructions

below, you can publish the plugin in the Joomla Plug-in Manager.

These are the plugin options:



Remove Article ID from URL - if enabled, URLs of listing detail pages will no longer have ID

numbers and the SEF plugin will automatically 301 redirect old listing URLs with ID numbers to

new URLs without ID numbers. This option should not be enabled if you allow submissions of

listings with the same title in the same category.

Use core Category menus - if enabled, JReviews will render Joomla category menu items as

JReviews category pages which means it is no longer required to create a separate JReviews

Category List menu items. If you already have JReviews Category List menu items, they will be

redirected to Joomla Category menu items when this setting is enabled.

Use JReviews Category Menu ID - if your site already has JReviews category menus which are

visible to site visitors, enabling this will allow those menus to appear as active menus when

clicked.

Replacement for URLs without Itemid - all JReviews pages without an Itemid (parent menu

item) will use this string in URL instead of the default /component/jreviews/ segment.

New listing submission segment - appended to category URLs for new listing submissions.

View all reviews segment - appended to view all reviews URL when not using a catch-all menu

item.

View all photos segment - appended to view all photos URL when not using a catch-all menu

item.

View all videos segment - appended to view all videos URL when not using a catch-all menu

item.

Search results segment - appended to search URL.



5.3.2.1 Recommended setup of menu items when JReviews SEFplugin is used

For new sites

Create only Joomla Category List or Category Blog menu items. Either for all categories, or only

for top level or last level categories. It is recommended to create them for all categories so that

none of the category urls have ID numbers.

Those Joomla Category menu items are supposed to be used as the main navigation of the site

and they will be rendered as JReviews category pages. It is not necessary to create separate

JReviews Category List menu items.

The URLs of categories will follow the menu item structure. For example, if you created a cate-

gory menu item as [rst level menu item, it will look like this:

example.com/category-menu-alias

For subcategories, it is recommended to create menu items as a child of the parent category

menu item, then the URL will look like this:

example.com/category-menu-alias/subcategory-menu-alias

The URLs of listings will look like this:

example.com/category-menu-alias/subcategory-menu-alias/listing-title-alias

If you want to include a directory name in the URL structure, create a JReviews Directory menu

item and make it a parent of Joomla category menu items, then the URL will look like this:

example.com/directory-menu-alias/category-menu-alias/subcategory-menu-alias/listing-title-alias

If you have a lot of subcategories and don't want to create menu items for all of them, you

can create menu items only for top level categories and then the URLs will contain subcategory

names with ID numbers, for example:

example.com/category-menu-alias/ID-subcategory-name/listing-title-alias

For old sites that already have urls indexed by search engines

Before JReviews SEF plugin existed, it was required to create Joomla category menu items in

a "hidden" menu. Those menu items are still required, but with the JReviews SEF plugin the

URL structure generated by these Joomla menu items can be used for JReviews Category pages

when Use core Category menus is enabled in SEF Plugin parameters.



Basically, you don't need to make any changes to your existing menu item setup, JReviews SEF

plugin will automatically apply Joomla category URL structure to JReviews category pages and

setup 301 redirects.

Important: You should not delete or rename your existing Joomla category menu items be-

cause that will change the URLs of listings and the SEF plugin will not be able to redirect old

listing URLs to new ones. If you decide to change your menu item structure, you will need to

manually setup 301 redirects from old urls to new ones via the htaccess [le.

5.3.2.2 Assigning modules to category and listing detail pages

Important: This feature doesn't work if you use Advanced Module Manager. However, this ex-

tension provides similar features.

Now that Joomla category menu items are used as parent menu items for both category pages

and listing detail pages, any module that you assign to the category menu items will be out-

putted on both category pages and listing detail pages.

To allow you to hide a speci[c module in category pages or listing detail pages, JReviews SEF

Plugin adds a setting for this to every module in the Module Manager:



Chapter 6

JReviews ModulesJReviews comes with 9 modules and all of them are installed automatically when installing JRe-

views. To use any of the modules, go to the Joomla Module Manager and publish the module

to one of the module positions that your Joomla template provides.

6.1 Listings ModuleThe Listings Module can be used for displaying:

• Latest Listings

• Top User Rated Listings

• Worst User Rated Listings

• Top Editor Rated Listings

• Most Reviewed Listings

• Random Listings

• Featured Random Listings

• Popular Listings

Example of the module layout:


6.1.1 Listings Module Parameters

Listings Ordering - choose what the module will display:

• Latest Listings (everywhere)

• Top User Rated (everywhere)

• Worst User Rated (everywhere)

• Top Editor Rated (com_content)

• Most Reviewed (everywhere)

• Random (everywhere)

• Featured Random (com_content)

• Popular (com_content)

• Proximity (com_content) requires GeoMaps Add-on - works only on listing detail pages.

Radius for Proximity Ordering - used if Proximity is selected in Listing Ordering parameter.

Show Distance for Proximity Ordering - used if Proximity is selected in Listing Ordering pa-

rameter.

Show Summary - here you can enable displaying listing summary text in the module.

JReviews Manual Chapter 6 JReviews Modules


Summary Words - how many words of the summary text to show.

Show Listing Category - here you can enable displaying the listing category.

Comma separated list of custom Qelds to show (i.e. jr_state,jr_city) - enter the names of

custom [elds that you want to show in the module.

Show Editor Rating - here you can enable displaying the editor rating.

Show User Rating - here you can enable displaying the user rating.

JReviews Theme SuRx - this su]x will be applied to the module view [le and is useful to cre-

ate multiple instances of the module that have diêrent outputs. Two alternative theme [les

with su]xes for the Listings Module come by default with JReviews: _slideshow and _vertical.

Show Thumbnail - enable or disable displaying the main media thumbnail.

Thumbnail Position - (Left | Right | Top | Bottom)


Size (WIDTHxHEIGHT) - WIDTHxHEIGHT in pixels. This can be considered as "maximum width"

and "maximum height" for the thumbnail.

Everywhere Extension - this is a universal module that works not only with core JReviews list-

ings, but also with 3rd party components integrated via the Everywhere Add-on. The module

can only display listings from one component at a time, so you need to enter the component's

name here (i.e. com_content, com_sobi2, com_k2, etc.)



Category Autodetect - JReviews will try to determine the category id and show only results for

that category. If enabled, this setting overrides all the ID settings below it.

Directory IDs (com_content) - [lter listings by directory IDs.

Category IDs (everywhere) - [lter listings by category IDs.

Listing IDs (everywhere) - display listings based on speci[c listing IDs.

With Custom WHERE and Custom ORDER BY parameters you can display listings based

on the custom sql commands. Read about Custom WHERE and Custom ORDER BY


.

Positioning of Pagination - choose the position of slider arrows when the module has multi-

ple slider pages.





Page Transition - choose the transition type for the slider pagination (Horizontal sliding | Ver-

tical sliding | Fade eêct).

Enable Slideshow - if enabled, the module will automatically advance slider pages.

Slideshow Interval (sec.) - time between pages in seconds.

Max. number of results - total number of results that will be displayed.

Results per page - how many results will be displayed per slider page. If you enter the same

number as for Max. number of results, then the module slider will be disabled and all results will

be displayed at once.

Columns - choose how many results per row to show.

Show numbers - adds numbers before each result.

Submitted in past x days - with this setting you can [lter the results to use listings submitted

in the past x days. The setting works for all modes.

With reviews submitted in past x days - will display listings that had reviews submitted in the

past x days.

Review count higher than - [lters the results to listings with having at least the de[ned num-

ber of reviews.

Avg rating higher than - [lters the results to listings with having at least the de[ned average

rating.

Enable Compare Button - displays the Compare button in listings (only if listing comparison is

enabled in global JReviews con[guration as well).



6.1.2 Alternative Layouts of the Listings ModuleExample of the _slideshow layout:

To use this layout, enter "_slideshow" in the Theme SuRx parameter.

Example of the _vertical layout:

To use this layout, enter "_vertical" in the Theme SuRx parameter.

6.1.3 Customizing the Listings ModuleIf you want to customize the theme [le of the Listings Module, this is its default location:



/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/modules/listings.thtml

Before you start customizing the theme [les, make sure you read about JReviews Code Over-

rides (http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=JReviews_Code_Overrides) functionality and

create a custom theme.

There are two alternative theme [les for the Listings Module:

/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/modules/listings_slideshow.thtml

/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/modules/listings_vertical.thtml

To use one of those, enter the theme [le su]x in the Theme SuRx parameter. The same way

you can create multiple custom copies of the Listings Module theme [le. Remember to clear

JReviews File Registry when creating new theme [les.

6.2 Reviews ModuleThe Reviews Module can be used for displaying:

• Latest Reviews

• Most Helpful Reviews

• Random Reviews






6.2.1 Review Module Parameters

Reviews Ordering - choose how the reviews will be ordered:

• Latest Reviews

• Most Helpful

• Random

Review Type - choose to show All reviews or only Editor/User reviews.

Title Format - you can use the {listing_title} and {review_title} tags to build your link title out-

put. You can also specify the total number of characters to show (including the ... at the end),

by adding the number inside the tag like this {listing_title 10} - {review_title 15}.

Show Review Comments - here you can enable displaying the review comments text in the

module.

Trim Comments (# words) - how many words of the comments text to show.

Comma separated list of custom Qelds to show (i.e. jr_pros,jr_cons) - enter the names of

the review custom [elds that you want to show in the module.


ate multiple instances of the module that have diêrent outputs.



Show Thumbnail - enable or disable displaying the main media thumbnail.

Thumbnail Position - (Left | Right | Top | Bottom)




Everywhere Extension - this is a universal module that works not only with reviews of core

JReviews listings, but also with reviews of 3rd party component listings integrated via the Ev-

erywhere Add-on. The module can only display reviews from one component at a time, so you

need to enter the component's name here (i.e. com_content, com_sobi2, com_k2, etc.)

Category Autodetect - JReviews will try to determine the category id and show only results for

that category. If enabled, this setting overrides all the ID settings below it.

Directory IDs (com_content) - [lter reviews by directory IDs.

Category IDs (everywhere) - [lter reviews by category IDs.

Listing IDs (everywhere) - display reviews based on speci[c listing IDs.



With Custom WHERE and Custom ORDER BY parameters you can display reviews based



.


ple slider pages.















6.2.2 Customizing the Reviews ModuleIf you want to customize the theme [le of the Reviews Module, this is its default location:

/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/modules/reviews.thtml




You can create multiple custom copies of the Reviews Module theme [le and enter their suf-

[xes in the Theme SuRx parameter. Remember to clear JReviews File Registry when creating

new theme [les.

6.3 Advanced Search ModuleWith the Advanced Search Module you can create a customized search form with custom [elds

of you choice.

Example of the default module layout:

Example of the module layout after adding custom Qelds:





6.3.1 Advanced Search Module Parameters


ate multiple instances of the module that have diêrent outputs. The module comes with one

default su]x "_map" which includes the address and radius [elds, you should enter this suf[x

if you use the GeoMaps add-on.

Specify Itemid of JReviews menu for result url - by default the search result page will inherit

an Itemid of the JReviews Advanced Search menu item. Here you can override this to a diêr-

ent menu item if you want.

Theme SuRx for search results page - here you can apply a custom theme su]x for the

search results page.

Category Autodetect - if category is detected, the category list will display only that category

and its subcategories. If enabled, this setting overrides all the ID settings below it.

Directory IDs (comma list) - limits options shown in category list.

Listing Type IDs IDs (comma list) - limits options shown in category list.

Category IDs (comma list) - limits options shown in category list.



Enable Module Theme - this option allows you to add additional custom [elds to the module

without customizing the module's theme [le.

6.3.2 Creating custom search forms with the AdvancedSearch moduleThere are two ways to create your custom forms for the Advanced Search Module. The [rst

and simplest one is by using the module settings. The second one requires modifying the mod-

ule theme [le.

6.3.2.1 Customization via module settings

If you choose to use the module settings, head over to the Joomla Module Manager and click

on the Advanced Search Module to edit it. You'll [nd the Theme Customization Settings section

towards the bottom of the 'Basic Options'. Change 'Enable Module Theme' to Yes and paste the

starter theme code below in the textarea:

<div class="jrFieldDiv jrLeft">

{category_label}: {category}

</div>


{keywords_label}: {keywords}

</div>




<button class="jr-search jrButton">

<span class="jrIconSearch"></span><span>Search</span>

</button>

</div>



6.3.2.2 Customization via theme editing

This method requires modifying the advanced search module theme [le which is located here:

\com_jreviews\jreviews\views\themes\default\modules\advanced_search.thtml

Before you start customizing the theme [le, make sure you read about JReviews Code Over-



This is the code that displays default elements of the module:


<?php __t("Category");?>: {category}

</div>


<?php __t("Keywords");?>: <input type="text" class="jrText" name="data[keywords]" value="<?php echo Sanitize::getString($this->params,'keywords');?>" />

</div>




</button>

</div>

If you need multiple advanced search modules, then you also need multiple versions of the

[le. Use the Theme Su]x setting in the module while also creating copies of the theme [les as

explained below.

Theme SuRx Examples:

advanced_search_movies.thtml - enter "_movies" as Advanced search theme su]x in the mod-

ule's parameters.

advanced_search_hotels.thtml - enter "_hotel" as Advanced search theme su]x in the mod-

ule's parameters.

When you add a new [le to JReviews folders, you need to clear the File Registry in JReviews ad-

ministration.

6.3.3 Adding custom Eelds to the Advanced Search ModuleTo add your custom [elds into the form, use these tags:

• {jr_Qeldname} - outputs the [eld

• {jr_Qeldname_label} - outputs the [eld title





For example, to add a jr_brand custom [eld, you would use this code in the theme [le:


<?php __t("Category");?>: {category}

</div>


{jr_brand_label}: {jr_brand}

</div>


<?php __t("Keywords");?>: <input type="text" class="jrText" name="data[keywords]" value="<?php echo Sanitize::getString($this->params,'keywords');?>" />

</div>




</button>

</div>

If you use the module settings, the code would look like this:


{category_label}: {category}

</div>


{jr_brand_label}: {jr_brand}

</div>


{keywords_label}: {keywords}

</div>




</button>

</div>

{jr_brand_label}: {jr_brand} was added into the default code.

Use the same process to add your other custom [elds.

6.4 Directories ModuleYou can use the Directories module to display the complete directory/category navigation tree.




6.4.1 Directories Module Parameters


ate multiple instances of the module that have diêrent outputs. The module comes with one

default su]x "_folders" which will add folder icons next to the links.

Directory IDs (optional) - here you can choose to show only speci[c directories by entering

their ID numbers. ID numbers of directories can be found in JReviews Directories Manager.



Show Directory Links - if disabled, the module will hide directory links and show only category

links.

6.4.2 Customizing the Directories ModuleIf you want to customize the theme [le of the Directories Module, this is its default location:

/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/modules/directories.thtml




You can create multiple custom copies of the Directories Module theme [le and enter their suf-

[xes in the Theme SuRx parameter. Remember to clear JReviews File Registry when creating

new theme [les.

6.5 Fields ModuleThe Fields Module shows a clickable list of options for a chosen [eld. When visitors click on a

certain link, they will get a search results page with a list of listings that have that [eld value.






6.5.1 Fields Module Parameters

Field name (i.e. jr_Qeldname) - this parameter is required. Enter the name of the custom [eld

whose [eld options you want the module to display. Only [eld types for which you created [eld

options in the Fields Manager can be used.



Itemid selection - you can control the itemid used for the [eld option links so that modules

on the current page are seen on the result list or not.

Itemid - used only if you selected Use Itemid below in the above parameter.

Display mode - choose how the [eld options will be displayed:

• Links horizontal

• Links vertical

• Tags

• Dropdown list

Field option ordering - choose how the [eld options will be ordered.

Limit option text to x chars - here you can set a maximum number of characters that [eld

options will display.

Before text - this text will appear before the list. You can use html tags.



Category Auto Detect - if a category is found for the page, the results will be limited to that

category. If no category is found then the module will use the listing type and category settings

below if they are set.

Listing Type ID (single value) - limit results to all categories with the same listing type.

Category IDs (comma list) - separate values with comma. Limit results to speci[ed categories.

No need to specify listing type id above.

Custom URL parameters - add any other custom search parameters you want. This could be

custom [eld [lters (i.e. jr_brand:canon) or custom ordering (order:jr_price).

6.5.2 Examples of Fields Module display modesLinks horizontal

Links vertical



Tags

Dropdown list



6.5.3 Customizing the Fields ModuleIf you want to customize the theme [le of the Fields Module, this is its default location:

/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/modules/fields.thtml




You can create multiple custom copies of the Fields Module theme [le and enter their su]xes

in the Theme SuRx parameter. Remember to clear JReviews File Registry when creating new

theme [les.

6.6 Range ModuleThe Range Module shows a clickable list of numeric range options for a chosen custom [eld. It

is mostly used for Price Range links. When visitors click on a certain link, they will get a search

results page with a list of listings that belong to that price range.


6.6.1 Range Module Parameters





Field name (i.e. jr_Qeldname) - this parameter is required. Enter the name of the numeric

custom [eld that will be used to performe range searches.

Ranges (0-100+100-200+200-300+300) - enter the numeric ranges in the speci[ed format. The

last value without an upper range will be used to show all numbers above that value.



Itemid selection - you can control the itemid used for the [eld option links so that modules

on the current page are seen on the result list or not.

Itemid - used only if you selected Use Itemid below in the above parameter.

Display mode - choose how the [eld options will be displayed:

• Links horizontal

• Links vertical

• Tags

• Dropdown list

Option PreQx - use for units, currency, etc.

Option SuRx - use for units, currency, etc.

Range separator - goes in between the numbers in the range.

Before text - this text will appear before the list. You can use html tags.



Category Auto Detect - if a category is found for the page, the results will be limited to that

category. If no category is found then the module will use the listing type and category settings

below if they are set.

Listing Type ID (single value) - limit results to all categories with the same listing type.

Category IDs (comma list) - separate values with comma. Limit results to speci[ed categories.

No need to specify listing type id above.

Custom URL parameters - add any other custom search parameters you want. This could be

custom [eld [lters (i.e. jr_brand:canon) or custom ordering (order:jr_price).

6.6.2 Examples of Range Module display modesLinks horizontal

Links vertical

Tags



Dropdown list

6.6.3 Customizing the Range ModuleIf you want to customize the theme [le of the Range Module, this is its default location:

/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/modules/range.thtml




You can create multiple custom copies of the Range Module theme [le and enter their su]xes


theme [les.

6.7 Media ModuleThe Media Module can be used for displaying photos, videos, audio [les and attachments

based on how you con[gure the module parameters:






6.7.1 Media Module Parameters

Media Type - choose which media type the module will display:

• All

• Photos

• Videos

• Audio

• Attachments

Media Ordering - choose how the media item swill be sorted.





Type - (Scale | Crop)



Show Media Type Icon - if enabled, a small icon will be displayed in top right corner of the

thumbnail for visitors to know which type of media the thumbnail represents.

Everywhere Extension - if you want to limit results to a speci[c extension, then enter it here

(i.e. com_content, com_virtuemart, com_sobi2, etc.). Only ONE extension at a time!

Display Media Uploaded By - choose if you want to display media uploaded by listing owners,

by users or both.

Category Autodetect - [lters results for current category.

Directory IDs (com_content) - [lter media by directory IDs.

Category IDs (everywhere) - [lter media by category IDs.

Listing IDs (everywhere) - display media based on speci[c listing IDs.



With Custom WHERE and Custom ORDER BY parameters you can display media based



.


ple slider pages.















6.7.2 Customizing the Media ModuleIf you want to customize the theme [le of the Media Module, this is its default location:

/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/modules/media.thtml




You can create multiple custom copies of the Media Module theme [le and enter their su]xes


theme [les.

6.8 Favorite Users ModuleThe Favorite Users Module displays a list of users who've added the listing being viewed to

their favorites list.

If enabled, the module will display user avatars together with their names. The module works

with avatars from EasySocial, JomSocial or Community Builder.

The Favorite Users Module should be enabled only for listing detail pages.






6.8.1 Favorite Users Module Parameters



Only users with avatars - users that haven't uploaded their custom avatars will be hidden.


ple slider pages.









Number of columns - choose how many results per row to show.



6.8.2 Customizing the Favorite Users ModuleIf you want to customize the theme [le of the Favorite Users Module, this is its default location:

/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/modules/favorite_users.thtml




You can create multiple custom copies of the Favorite Users Module theme [le and enter their

su]xes in the Theme SuRx parameter. Remember to clear JReviews File Registry when creat-

ing new theme [les.

6.9 Totals ModuleTotals Module is a very simple module that displays the total number of listings and reviews.


6.9.1 Totals Module Parameters

Everywhere Extension - if you want to limit results to a speci[c extension, then enter it here

(i.e. com_content, com_virtuemart, com_sobi2, etc.). Only ONE extension at a time!



6.9.2 Customizing the Totals ModuleIf you want to customize the theme [le of the Totals Module, this is its default location:





/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/modules/totals.thtml




You can create multiple custom copies of the Totals Module theme [le and enter their su]xes


theme [les.





Chapter 7

3rd Party Integration7.1 Community Integration

7.1.1 EasySocial Integration

7.1.1.1 Displaying user avatars in their listings, reviews, commentsand linking to their proEles

To show user avatars in their listings, reviews and comments with links to their EasySocial pro-

[les, it is required to enable EasySocial integration in JReviews Con[guration::

Example of a user review with avatar and a link to the user proQle:


7.1.1.2 Integrating with EasySocial Activity Stream

To integrate with EasySocial Activity Stream, go to the JReviews Con[guration (Community tab)

and select posts that will be sent to EasySocial:

JReviews Manual Chapter 7 3rd Party Integration


In the EasySocial Applications page you need to enable the JReviews Activity Stream App.

This App is automatically installed by JReviews if it detects EasySocial is already installed. Other-

wise you need to get the App from the JReviews download package and install it via the EasySo-

cial Applications installer.



Example of an activity when someone votes on a review:

7.1.1.3 Displaying listings, reviews and favorites of users on theirproEle pages

JReviews provides 3 EasySocial Apps for user pro[les:

• MyListings - displays listings submitted by the user

• MyReviews - displays reviews submitted by the user

• MyFavorites - displays list of user's favorite listings



These Apps are not installed by default. To install them, download the latest JReviews package

from the client area and locate these installation [les:

• /package_jreviews_2.4.x_unzip_[rst/plugins_easysocial/mylistings.zip

• /package_jreviews_2.4.x_unzip_[rst/plugins_easysocial/myreviews.zip

• /package_jreviews_2.4.x_unzip_[rst/plugins_easysocial/myfavorites.zip

Apps need to be installed using EasySocial Application installer:

After the installation, reload the EasySocial Applications page and publish the plugins.

Click on the Apps to adjust their parameters. Most of the App parameters are the same as

those of JReviews Listings and JReviews Reviews modules, but there are 3 important EasySocial

parameters that de[ne how the App will display in user pro[les:



• Default application - if set to Yes, the App will be automatically installed for all users. If

set to No, the App will be displayed only in pro[les of users that installed it themselves via

their pro[le settings.

• Display as - if you choose Widget, the App will be displayed on the main pro[le page. If

you choose Application Canvas, the App will be displayed as a separate page with a link to

the App in the user's pro[le.

• Widget Position - if you selected Widget in the previous setting, here you can choose the

position of the App in the pro[le page.

Example of a MyFavorites App displayed in a proQle as a widget:

On the same screenshot you can see in the sidebar links to other Apps that have been set to

display as Application Canvas.

Example of a MyReviews App outputted as application canvas in user proQle:



7.1.1.4 Integrating with EasySocial User Points

If you want users to be awarded with points when they submit listings, reviews, comments or

media, it is necessary to import JReviews rules for points. They are automatically installed, you

only need to go to the EasySocial's User Points page, click the Discover link and then click the

Start Scan button:



Go to the main User Points page and you should see all JReviews rules:



You can unpublish rules that you don't want to use and adjust the number of points that will

be awarded.



7.1.1.5 Integrating EasySocial and JReviews Everywhere add-on forproEle reviews

With JReviews Everywhere add-on you can have the ability for users to review each other.

This integration is shown in the Everywhere add-on manual

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=JReviews_Everywhere_Add-on) .

7.1.2 JomSocial Integration


To show user avatars in their listings, reviews and comments with links to their JomSocial pro-

[les, it is required to enable JomSocial integration in JReviews Con[guration:




http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=JReviews_Everywhere_Add-on


7.1.2.2 Integrating with JomSocial Activity Stream

To integrate with JomSocial Activity Stream, go to the JReviews Con[guration (Community tab)

and select posts that will be sent to JomSocial:

Next, go to the Joomla Plugin Manager and enable the JReviews Activity Stream plugin. This

plugin is automatically installed by JReviews if it detects JomSocial is already installed. Other-

wise you need to get the plugin from the JReviews download package and install it via the Joom-

la Extension installer.



Example of an activity when someone votes on a review:


JReviews provides 3 JomSocial plugins for user pro[les:






These plugins are not installed by default. To install them, download the latest JReviews pack-

age from the client area and locate these installation [les:

• /package_jreviews_2.4.x_unzip_[rst/plugins_jomsocial/jreviews_mylistings.zip

• /package_jreviews_2.4.x_unzip_[rst/plugins_jomsocial/jreviews_myreviews.zip

• /package_jreviews_2.4.x_unzip_[rst/plugins_jomsocial/jreviews_myfavorites.zip

Those plugins need to be installed using Joomla Extension Manager installer:

After the installation, go to the Joomla Plugin Manager and publish the plugins.

Click on the plugins to adjust their parameters. Most of the plugin parameters are the same as

those of JReviews Listings and JReviews Reviews modules, but there are 2 additional JomSocial

parameters that de[ne how the plugin will display in user pro[les:

• Core Application - if set to Yes, the plugin will be automatically installed for all users. If

set to No, the plugin will be displayed only in pro[les of users that installed it themselves

via their pro[le settings.

• Position - you can choose to show the plugin in the Main content of the user pro[le or in

the pro[le sidebar.

Example of a MyReviews plugin displayed in a user proQle:



7.1.2.4 Integrating with JomSocial User Points

If you want users to be awarded with points when they submit listings, reviews, comments or

media, it is necessary to import JReviews rules for points. They are automatically installed, you

only need to go to the JomSocial's User Points page and click the Rule Scan button:



Go to the main User Points page and you should see all JReviews rules:

You can unpublish rules that you don't want to use and adjust the number of points that will

be awarded.

7.1.2.5 Integrating JomSocial and JReviews Everywhere add-on forproEle reviews








7.1.3 CommunityBuilder Integration


To show user avatars in their listings, reviews and comments with links to their Community

Builder pro[les, it is required to enable Community Builder integration in JReviews Con[gura-

tion:



JReviews provides 3 Community Builder plugins for user pro[les:






These plugins are not installed by default. To install them, download the latest JReviews pack-

age from the client area and locate these installation [les:

• /package_jreviews_2.4.x_unzip_[rst/plugins_community_builder/

plug_cbjreviewsmylistings.zip


plug_cbjreviewsmyreviews.zip


plug_cbjreviewsfavorites.zip

To install the plugins, go to the Community Builder component, click the Plugin Managementand at the bottom of the page you will [nd the plugin installer:

Publish the plugins after the installation.

To con[gure the plugins, go to the Community Builder Tab Management and click on a plugin

name. Most of the plugin parameters are the same as those of JReviews Listings and JReviews

Reviews modules.

Example of a MyReviews plugin displayed in a user proQle:



7.1.3.3 Integrating Community Builder and JReviews Everywhereadd-on for proEle reviews




7.2 Setup Facebook IntegrationThe JReviews integration with Facebook allows you to create incremental tra]c to your site, by

posting user submitted actions to their Facebook walls. These will also appear in the newsfeeds

of the user's friends which creates a viral eêct.





7.2.1 Which actions will generate a Wall post?Currently the actions supported by this integration are submissions of unmoderated listings,

reviews and helpful review votes, which are similar to the "like it" functionality of Facebook, but

for user reviews in JReviews.

With any of the above actions, the listing or review information will appear in the user's Face-

book wall, including a link back to the detail page, the listing image if available, and the user

rating where appropriate. This is how a review submission will look like in the reviewer's wall:

Helpful review voting will only generate a wall post if the user has already established a Face-

book session; unlike reviews and listings, there's no practical way to ask the user to publish the

vote to FB. If users log into your site via Facebook connect, then positive votes will automatical-

ly generate a wall post with the review the user liked.

7.2.2 Are there any special requirementsThe integration will work with or without a Facebook Connect Joomla login. If your site already

supports Facebook Connect login, via JFBConnect, JomSocial, Community Builder or any other

solution, then JReviews is able to identify the Facebook session for the current user and use it

to submit directly to his Wall. This is transparent to the user.

If the user has not granted publish stream permissions or if the user is not logged in via Face-

book, then he will see the following checkbox option above the submit button in both review

and listing forms:

When the user clicks on the checkbox or FB button the Facebook Popup will appear requesting

login information or publish stream permissions or both. This button will only appear for users

not logged in via Facebook or users that haven't granted publish permissions. If you decide you



want to allow users to opt-out of publishing the submissions to their Facebook wall, you can

enable the opt-out setting in the JReviews con[guration for Facebook.

7.2.3 Facebook API Compatibility NoticeJReviews uses only the latest FB javascript and PHP APIs and will not work with websites

that use the old API for Facebook Connect functionality. You can [nd references to the old

JavaScript SDK by searching for the string "FeatureLoader.js.php in your page source.

7.2.4 How to setup the Facebook IntegrationIn the JReviews con[guration, under the Community tab you need to enter a Facebook Ap-plication ID and Secret strings. If you already have a Facebook application for your site

login, then you can use the strings from that application, otherwise you need to go to

https://developers.facebook.com/apps and create a new application.

Once you click the Create New App, you'll need to enter the application name and agree to

the license terms.

The next step is to con[gure the application:



https://developers.facebook.com/apps

Copy the Application ID and Secret values from your new app and paste them in the JReviews

Con[guration, Community tab:



7.2.5 TroubleshootingTesting the integration

To test whether the integration is working, make sure you don't have an active Facebook ses-

sion when using Facebook Connect to log in to your site. Go to the Facebook site and log out.

Then go back to your site and navigate to a page where you can see the review form. Click on

add review and look for the Publish to Facebook button as shown in the second image from

the top. If it's not there, make sure you are accessing the site as a user for which moderation is

not enabled because this only works without moderation.

A few steps to go over if it doesn't work

1. If you have another Facebook Connect extension used for user login, make sure it uses the

most recent javascript SDK (API). Instructions for checking this are above

2. Make sure you used the Facebook Application ID in the con[guration instead of the API

Key. Components like JomSocial use the API Key; therefore just copying your settings will

not work.

3. Make sure you disabled the moderation for listings and/or reviews for the user group for

which you are testing this feature. The FB integration only works with unmoderated sub-

missions.



7.3 Setup Twitter IntegrationThe JReviews integration with Twitter allows you to create incremental tra]c to your site by

posting updates to your Twitter account based on user submitted actions.

7.3.1 Which actions will generated a Twitter update?Currently the actions supported by this integration are submissions of new listings, reviews

and review comments.

With any of the above actions there will be a Twitter update to your account linking back to the

related page on your site. For moderated submissions the updates will be posted on modera-

tor approval.

7.3.2 How to setup the Twitter IntegrationFirst you need to create a Twitter app. Go to http://developer.twitter.com and log in. Under

your username click on "My Applications" link:

On the next page click the Create a new application button:

Then [ll in your app details:



http://developer.twitter.com

On this page you'll need to accept "Developer Rules", [ll in captcha and click the Create yourTwitter application button at the bottom.

On the next page click on the Settings tab and choose Read & Write for app access:



At the bottom of the page click Update this Twitter's application setting button and then

return to the [rst tab.

On the [rst tab click Create my access token button and reload the page.

Now you have all required app information that you need to enter in JReviews Con[guration

settings:

• Consumer Key

• Consumer Secret

• Access Token

• Access Token Secret





7.3.3 Integrating bit.lyFor the automatic tweets to include links to the listings on your site, you also need a bit.ly ac-

count. Make sure to create a real account instead of using your Twitter account to access bit.ly.

In JReviews Con[guration you will need to enter your bit.ly username and API Key. To [nd the

API Key, in your bit.ly account click on the Settings link, go to the Advanced tab and click the

Show legacy API key link:

7.3.4 TroubleshootingIf the twitter integration is not working, these are the [rst things you need to check:

1. Make sure your Twitter App has Read & Write access.

2. Make sure you entered the callback url as shown above.



3. Make sure your server time settings are correct. If the server time settings are diêrent

than those of Twitter then the Oauth athentication will result in a 401 error. More details

about this problem can be read here https://github.com/abraham/twitteroauth/issues/44.



https://github.com/abraham/twitteroauth/issues/44

Chapter 8

Theme Customizations8.1 How does the JReviews Theme Engine workJReviews uses a php templating system. This means you can mix html with php code, which

provides a lot of \exibility to create conditionals and add snippets of php code.

JReviews themes are located in this folder:

/components/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/

You will [nd several themes there:

• /components/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/

• /components/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/dark/ - for using with dark joomla

templates

• /components/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/mobile/ - for mobile devices

You will notice that "dark" and "mobile" theme folders contain less [les than the "default"

theme folder. The default theme is a "fallback" theme which contains all the necessary [les,

while dark and mobile themes are variations of the default theme and contain only "modi[ed"

[les and images. If a theme doesn't contain a certain [le, JReviews will load that [le from the

default theme. That makes updating themes easier.

If you want to make theme customizations, create a custom theme similar to the dark theme.

Theme [les in the default theme should never be modi[ed.

Instead of creating your custom theme in /components/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/

folder, you should use the JReviews Code Overrides

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=JReviews_Code_Overrides) functionality to place your

custom theme outside the /com_jreviews folder. That way you won't lose your custom theme

when you upgrade JReviews.

You will [nd 3 settings for theme selection in JReviews Con[guration:




Site theme - this is the main theme that will be used for the JReviews frontend. If you will create

a custom theme, this is where you'd select it.

Mobile theme - here you can choose a theme that will be used on smartphones. It is recom-

mended to select the same theme that you selected for Site theme. The Default Theme is re-

sponsive and works [ne on mobile devices by default. The only reason why you might want

to use a separate mobile theme is if you want to delete certain page elements only for smart-

phones. JReviews includes a Mobile Theme that you can use for this purpose.

Fallback theme - all theme [les that the selected Site theme doesn't have will be loaded from

the fallback theme. The Default Theme should always be selected here (unless JReviews will

have two diêrent fallback themes in the future).

8.2 JReviews Code OverridesJReviews' code override functionality allows you to override any [le located in the JReviews ap-

plication folder at:

/components/com_jreviews/jreviews/

8.2.1 Why use the complete overrides functionalityThe most common way to upgrade a component in Joomla is to uninstall it and then re-install

it. This means that any code changes you might have made to the core [les of the components

could be lost if you don't have a back-up; it is also more di]cult to keep track of the [les that

JReviews Manual Chapter 8 Theme Customizations


you've customized. With the code override functionality you can place your customized [les in

a folder outside of the JReviews component to keep all your customizations in one place and

safe from upgrade losses. Of course you still need to check for [le diêrences when there's an

upgrade, because there might be bug [xes in your modi[ed [les, but now you can easily keep

track of which [les to check.

8.2.1.1 How do I use this capability?

Easy! Just create a new folder in the templates folder of your Joomla installation called "jre-

views_overrides". This folder matches the jreviews folder inside com_jreviews so that:

{site_root}/templates/jreviews_overrides/ = /components/com_jreviews/jreviews/

8.2.2 How to create a custom theme

8.2.2.1 Preparing a custom theme folder• create a "jreviews_overrides" folder inside {site_root}/templates/

• create your custom theme folder inside the jreviews_overrides folder like this:

• {site_root}/templates/jreviews_overrides/views/themes/mytheme

• Important: your custom theme must have a unique name, don't name it the same as

one of the existing themes and the folder name must be all lowercase.

• create a themeInfo.xml [le which will contain the information regarding the theme. You

can copy the [le from the Dark theme and adjust the values. Here is an example of the

themeInfo.xml contents:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<theme>

<creationDate>Jan 2014</creationDate>

<author>ClickFWD</author>

<authorEmail>[email protected]</authorEmail>

<authorUrl>http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com</authorUrl>

<copyright>Copyright (C) 2010-2014 ClickFWD LLC. All rights reserved.</copyright>

<license>Proprietary</license>

<version>2.4</version>

<description>This is my custom theme</description>

<settings>

<name>mytheme</name>

<title>My Theme</title>

<addon>0</addon>

<configuration>1</configuration>

<fallback>0</fallback>



</settings>

</theme>

8.2.2.2 Copying the Eles from the default theme• after you created the theme folder and the themeInfo.xml [le, the next step is to copy the

theme [les that you want to modify from the default theme and make sure you use the

same folder structure, for example:

• If you want to modify the /themes/default/listings/detail.thtml [le, create a copy like

this:

• {site_root}/templates/jreviews_overrides/views/themes/mytheme/listings/detail.thtml

• Important: do not copy all [les from /default theme, only small number of [les that you

want to modify.

• JReviews will always look for images in your custom theme, so copy the /theme_images

folder with all its images from the default theme folder to your custom theme:

• {site_root}/templates/jreviews_overrides/views/themes/mytheme/theme_images

• if you will have css [les in your custom theme you'll also need to copy the /theme_css/

images folder to the custom theme.

• you shouldn't copy the core css [les into your custom theme, instead copy only

custom_styles.css and custom_styles_modules.css [les, the styles you add there will

override styles of core css [les.

• use custom_styles.css for styles of JReviews pages, and use

custom_styles_modules.css for module styles.

• Important: after you are done adding [les to your custom theme, for JReviews to

recognize new [les, you must click the 'Clear Cache & File Registry' link in JReviews

Administration:

• when you make modi[cations to the theme [les, but the modi[cations aren't visible on

the site, you probably need to clear the browser's cache to see the changes (in some

cases it will be necessary to clear cache in JReviews and Joomla also).



8.2.2.3 Using your custom theme

Go to JReviews Con[guration, tab 'General' and select your custom theme from the Site Themeand Mobile Theme dropdown:

Note: Fallback Theme dropdown must always be set to Default theme, so that the [les that

don't exist in your custom theme are loaded from the default theme.

8.2.3 Modifying the theme Eles of add-onsJReviews add-ons have their own themes which are located in:

/components/com_jreviews_addons/{add-on_name}/views/themes/{theme_name}

If you want to modify the [les that exist in those themes of add-ons, copy those [les into your

custom JReviews theme the same as if they existed in the default theme folder.

For example, if you want to customize this theme [le:

/components/com_jreviews_addons/geomaps/views/themes/geomaps/geomaps/map_detail.thtml

it would go into this folder:

/templates/jreviews_overrides/views/themes/mytheme/geomaps/map_detail.thtml



Some of the add-ons have their own css [les as well, but you should never customize those or

copy them to your custom theme. Instead, copy speci[c css styles that you want to customize

into the custom_styles.css [le in your JReviews theme and adjust the styles there.

8.2.4 Modifying JReviews core ElesIt is recommended not to make too many modi[cations to the JReviews core [les, in order to

make future upgrades easier; but you can do it the same way as when modifying theme [les.

For example, if you want to override a controller [le (i.e. listings_controller.php), you would

copy it here:

/templates/jreviews_overrides/controllers/listings_controllers.php

The framework will always check in the jreviews_overrides folder [rst to see if the [le is there

and if found it will use it instead of the core [le.

Keep in mind that anytime you add a [le to the overrides folder you need to clear the File Reg-

istry in the JReviews administration. Doing this allows JReviews to recognize the new [le. Oth-

erwise it will continue reading the [le from the main component folder.

8.3 What happens with modiEed Eles when JReviews is up-gradedWhen JReviews is re-installed or upgraded, the whole /components/com_jreviews folder is re-

placed with the new version, which is why it is important to make your modi[cations inside the

/jreviews_overrides folder.

Your modi[ed [les in the jreviews_overrides folder will not be deleted when JReviews is up-

graded, but you will need to update those modi[ed [les if they are changed in new version of

JReviews. When a new JReviews version is released, you should [rst check if some of the [les

that you customized have been updated in the latest release by comparing them with the list

of updated [les (http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com/changelogs/jreviews/2.4/[les_jreviews.txt)

.

If some of the [les that you modi[ed have been updated in the new version of JReviews, you

have two options:

• update your modi[ed [le with changes in new version of the [le, or

• copy the new version of the [le and re-do your modi[cations

If a [le has many changes in the new version, a second option might be better because you are

more familiar with your old modi[cations and re-doing them will be easier than implementing

new changes into your modi[ed [le.



http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com/changelogs/jreviews/2.4/files_jreviews.txt

http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com/changelogs/jreviews/2.4/files_jreviews.txt

Comparing [les for diêrences would be di]cult without some tools. On windows, you can

use Beyond Compare (http://www.scootersoftware.com/) (commercial) or WinMerge

(http://winmerge.org/) (open source). On Mac OS, you can use CompareMerge

(https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/comparemerge/id478570084?mt=12) (commercial) or Kalei-

doscope (http://www.kaleidoscopeapp.com/) (commercial).

Here is an example of the detail.thtml [le comparison between JReviews versions 2.4.9.1 and

2.4.12.4 using CompareMerge:

8.4 Theme debugging toolsIn JReviews Con[guration you will [nd debugging tools:



http://www.scootersoftware.com/

http://winmerge.org/

http://winmerge.org/

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/comparemerge/id478570084?mt=12

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/comparemerge/id478570084?mt=12

http://www.kaleidoscopeapp.com/

http://www.kaleidoscopeapp.com/

8.4.1 Debug PHP & QueriesThis option is very useful during development when something doesn't work because of php

or database errors. Enabling it will display all php errors and database queries below all con-

tent on pages.

8.4.2 Debug ThemesThis option is very useful if you don't know which [le or function outputs speci[c elements of

JReviews pages.

If you enable this option, it will show the theme output of each theme labeled with the theme

[lepath as well as the controller [lename and function is used to process the output. Example:





8.4.3 Debug IPEnter your IP address to the Debug IP input when you enable Debug options so that other visi-

tors of your site won't see debug info.

8.5 How to edit .thtml theme ElesJReviews themes use .thtml [les which are "php + html" template [les. To modify .thtml [les,

you need a text editor. Any text editor like notepad would work, but it's better to use more

powerful code editors with syntax highlighting and other features.

8.5.1 Some of the popular code editors• Notepad++ (http://notepad-plus-plus.org/) (Windows) - free

• TextWrangler (http://www.barebones.com/products/textwrangler/) (Mac) - free

• jEdit (http://www.jedit.org/) (Windows, Linux, Mac) - free

• Sublime Text (http://www.sublimetext.com/) (Windows, Linux, Mac) - commercial

Most of the code editors will display .thtml [les as regular text, without syntax highlighting by

default, but in each of them you can enable PHP highlighting for .thtml [les.

8.6 How to edit the JReviews language ElesJReviews uses language [les for all the text that is used in the themes. To change the text or

translate it to a diêrent language you need to edit the [les in:

/components/com_jreviews/jreviews/locale/

There's a folder for each language. You can modify the default.po [le for your language or copy

one of the 3-letter word language folders and rename it for your language. Then edit the de-

fault.po [le.

When translating or changing the .po [le it is very important to keep the character encoding of

the [le. In order to do this you need to use a special editor like Notepad++ or Poedit. Both are

free applications. The Qles must be saved with UTF-8 encoding.

When changing the [le it is only necessary to change the msgstr, changing the msgid will not

work. For example:

#: jreviews\views/helpers/custom_fields.php:312


msgid "Submit"

msgstr "Submit"



http://notepad-plus-plus.org/

http://www.barebones.com/products/textwrangler/

http://www.jedit.org/

http://www.sublimetext.com/

would be changed like this for a Spanish translation:



msgid "Submit"

msgstr "Enviar"

The msgid serves as the lookup reference from the .thtml theme [les, where you'll [nd it in this

format:

__t("Submit");

There is no need to change the theme .thtml [les for translation, but if you do change the ref-

erences in the __t("text"); format, then those will not be translatable via the language [le unless

you add to them new reference:

msgid "text"

msgstr "translated text"

After making changes to a language [le you must clear the cache in JReviews using the "Clear

Cache & File Registry" link in the JReviews administration:

You need to do this even if caching is disabled in JReviews.

It is recommended to use the JReviews Code Overrides

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=JReviews_Code_Overrides) functionality to make

modi[cations to language [les outside the /com_jreviews folder so that your changes are not

lost after you upgrade JReviews.

For example, if you want to customize the spanish language, copy the spanish language folder:

/components/com_jreviews/jreviews/locale/spa/

into the jreviews_overrides folder like this:

/templates/jreviews_overrides/locale/spa/

8.7 Tools for customizing JReviews ThemesIf you use the Chrome browser, the best tools are the default DevTools:





You can right-click on any element on the page and click Inspect Element. That will open up

the Element tab of the Chrome DevTools and you will be able to inspect the html code and see

all css styles that are applied to that speci[c element.

Check the Chrome DevTools Guide (https://developers.google.com/chrome-developer-tools/)

for more info on how to use it.

If you use Firefox, there are default development tools available as well, but you can also use a

powerful add-on called Firebug (http://get[rebug.com/) .

8.8 Default theme overviewThe default JReviews theme is located in this folder:

\components\com_jreviews\jreviews\views\themes\default

This is the structure of the theme:

• /claims - listing claims submission form.



https://developers.google.com/chrome-developer-tools/

http://getfirebug.com/

• /community_plugins - theme [les of plugins used with EasySocial, JomSocial and

Community Builder.

• /directories

• /directory.thtml - "Yahoo style" directory page.

• /discussions - theme [les for user review discussions.

• /elements - various theme [les that are included in other theme [les.

• /email_templates - templates for e-mail noti[cations.

• /everywhere - user reviews theme [le for Everywhere Add-on.

• /feeds - theme [les for RSS feeds.

• /inquiries - inquiry form theme [le.

• /listings

• /create.thtml - submit listing page.

• /create_form.thtml - submit listing form.

• /create_form_tabbed.thtml - alternative theme [le of the submit listing form that

uses tabs for [elds.

• /detail.thtml - theme [le of the listing detail page.

• /detail_tabs.thtml - alternative theme [le of the listing detail page that uses tabs.

• /detail_compact.thtml - alternative "compact" theme [le of the listing detail page.

• /listings_blogview.thtml - blogview list page layout.

• /listings_blogview_compact.thtml - "compact" blogview list page layout.

• /listings_compare.thtml - listing comparison page.

• /listings_header.thtml - header of list pages, used on top of blogview, tableview,

thumbview and masonry layouts.

• /listings_masonry.thtml - masonry list page layout.

• /listings_tableview.thtml - tableview list page layout.

• /listings_thumbview.thtml - thumbview list page layout.

• /media - theme [les for all media elements in JReviews (photos, videos, attachments,

audio).

• /modules - theme [les of all JReviews modules.

• /owner_reply - submit form for owner replies in reviews

• /reports - review report submit form

• /reviews



• /create.thtml - submit review form.

• /editor_reviews.thtml - editor reviews layout.

• /review_layout.thtml - layout of individual reviews on listing detail pages.

• /review_list_layout.thtml - layout of individual reviews on list pages.

• /user_reviews.thtml.thtml - user reviews layout.

• /search - advanced search page

• /sitemaps - video sitemap theme [le

• /theme_css - all css [les and images used by css [les

• /theme_images - all theme images

• /theme_layouts - containers of other theme [les, no need to modify

• themeInfo.xml - the required [le that contains info about the theme.

8.9 Variables you can use in theme Eles

8.9.1 $listing arrayThe $listing array contains all the data of a certain listing.

It is used in these [les:

• /listings/detail.thtml

• /listings/detail_tabs.thtml

• /listings/detail_compact.thtml

• /listings/listings_blogview.thtml

• /listings/listings_blogview_compact.thtml

• /listings/listings_tableview.thtml

• /listings/listings_thumbview.thtml

• /listings/listings_masonry.thtml

• /modules/listings.thtml

In those [les you can add any data from the $listing array. Here is a list of mostly used ones:

Listing ID

<?php echo $listing['Listing']['listing_id'];?>

Listing Title



<?php echo $listing['Listing']['title'];?>

Listing Alias

<?php echo $listing['Listing']['slug'];?>

Listing summary text

<?php echo $listing['Listing']['summary'];?>

Listing description text

<?php echo $listing['Listing']['description'];?>

Summary + Description

<?php echo $listing['Listing']['text'];?>

Media count

<?php echo $listing['Listing']['media_count'];?>

Photo count

<?php echo $listing['Listing']['photo_count'];?>

Video count

<?php echo $listing['Listing']['video_count'];?>

Audio count

<?php echo $listing['Listing']['audio_count'];?>

Attachment count

<?php echo $listing['Listing']['attachment_count'];?>

Number of visits

<?php echo $listing['Listing']['hits'];?>

Created date

<?php echo $Time->nice($listing['Listing']['created']);?>



Modi[ed date

<?php echo $Time->nice($listing['Listing']['modified']);?>

Category ID

<?php echo $listing['Category']['cat_id'];?>

Category Title

<?php echo $listing['Category']['title'];?>

Directory ID

<?php echo $listing['Directory']['dir_id'];?>

Directory Title

<?php echo $listing['Directory']['title'];?>

Listing Type ID

<?php echo $listing['Criteria']['criteria_id'];?>

Listing Type Title

<?php echo $listing['Criteria']['title'];?>

Listing author's ID

<?php echo $listing['User']['user_id'];?>

Listing author's real name

<?php echo $listing['User']['name'];?>

Listing author's username

<?php echo $listing['User']['username'];?>

Listing author's email

<?php echo $listing['User']['email'];?>

User rating



<?php echo $listing['Review']['user_rating'];?

Number of user ratings

<?php echo $listing['Review']['user_rating_count'];?>

Number of user reviews

<?php echo $listing['Review']['review_count'];?>

Editor rating

<?php echo $listing['Review']['editor_rating'];?>

Number of editor ratings

<?php echo $listing['Review']['editor_rating_count'];?>

Number of editor reviews

<?php echo $listing['Review']['editor_review_count'];?>

Number of users who added listing to their favorite list

<?php echo $listing['Favorite']['favored'];?>

8.9.2 ConditionalsYou can use any of the above variables to create conditionals, for example:

<?php if($listing['Review']['review_count']): // if user review exists ?>

// display something

<?php else: ?>

// display something else

<?php endif;?>

8.9.3 How to customize the layout of custom Eelds intheme ElesTo simplify the initial setup of JReviews, there's a default output of custom [elds for both listin-

gs and reviews. If you want to customize them, you can unpublish the [elds from both list and

detail views in the Fields Manager, and place the [elds where you want them in the theme [les.



Besides using custom code for custom [elds in the theme [les, it is possible to customize

the [eld output using the Banner [eld type

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Using_banner_[eld_type_for_custom_[eld_output) .

Custom [eld placement also allows to use [elds in javascript code for Google Maps and other

scripts you may want to use.

The following code works in these [les:

/listings/detail.thtml

/listings/detail_compact.thtml

/listings/detail_tabs.thtml

/listings/listings_blogview.thtml

/listings/listings_blogview_compact.thtml

/listings/listings_tableview.thtml

/listings/listings_thumbview.thtml

/listings/listings_masonry.thtml

/modules/listings.thtml

/modules/listings_slideshow.thtml

/modules/listings_vertical.thtml

8.9.3.1 Outputting a certain listing custom Eeld

In all code examples below replace jr_[eldname with the name of the [eld that you want to

output.

Outputs the Qeld label

This code will output the label of the [eld where you place the code in the theme [le:

<?php echo $CustomFields->label('jr_fieldname',$listing); ?>

Outputs the Qeld value text

This code will output the text of the [eld value where you place the code in the theme [le:

<?php echo $CustomFields->field('jr_fieldname',$listing); ?>

Outputs the Qeld value

If you have a custom [eld with [eld options, this code will output the value of the [eld as it is

referenced in the database:

<?php echo $CustomFields->fieldValue('jr_fieldname',$listing); ?>

Get Qeld text without click2search or output re-format



http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Using_banner_field_type_for_custom_field_output

http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Using_banner_field_type_for_custom_field_output

You can also have a bit more control of the output by using additional parameters when you

call the display method: $CustomFields->[eld($name, &$element, $click2search = true, $out-

putReformat = true)

The example below calls the brand [eld and turns o^ click2search and outputreformat ad-

vanced options:

<?php echo $CustomFields->field('jr_fieldname',$listing,false,false); ?>

Get text of selected option for select list with images

If you have a select [eld with images associated to options and want to get the [eld text for the

selected option, use this code:

<?php echo $CustomFields->fieldText('jr_fieldname',$listing,false,false); ?>

8.9.3.2 Outputting a certain Eeld group

Outputs a whole Qeld group using the default output:

<?php echo $CustomFields->displayAll($listing,'content','group-name');?>

Replace group-name with the name of the [eld group that you want to output. You can use

this to put diêrent groups in diêrent tabs when combined with a tabs plugin.

Outputs multiple Qeld groups:

<?php echo $CustomFields->displayAll($listing,'content', array('includeGroups' => array('group-name1', 'group-name2')));?>

Outputs all Qeld groups except speciQed:

<?php echo $CustomFields->displayAll($listing,'content', array('excludeGroups' => array('group-name1', 'group-name2')));?>

8.9.3.3 Review custom Eelds

You can place review custom [elds in these [les:

/reviews/review_layout.thtml

/reviews/review_list_layout.thtml

/modules/reviews.thtml

Outputs the Qeld label

This code will output the label of the [eld where you place the code in the theme [le:



<?php echo $CustomFields->label('jr_fieldname',$review); ?>

Outputs the Qeld value text

This code will output the text of the [eld value where you place the code in the theme [le:

<?php echo $CustomFields->field('jr_fieldname',$review); ?>

8.9.3.4 Custom Eeld conditionals

If you want to output certain code only if the speci[c custom [eld isn't empty, you can use this

code:

<?php if($CustomFields->field('jr_fieldname',$listing,false,false) != ''):?>



<?php endif;?>

If you want to output certain code only if the speci[c custom [eld has a speci[c value, you can

use this code:

<?php if($CustomFields->field('jr_fieldname',$listing,false,false) == 'some-value'):?>


<?php endif;?>

If you have a multiple select or checkbox type of custom [eld and you want to check if it has a

specific value, use this code:

<?php if (in_array('some-value', $CustomFields->fieldValue('jr_fieldname',$listing))): ?>


<?php endif; ?>

8.10 Customizing the listing detail pageThe listing detail page contains all information about a speci[c listing (custom [elds, media

items, reviews, etc.). Here is an example of a listing detail page on the demo site

(http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/products-catalog/laptops/apple-macbook-

pro-154-laptop) .

If you want to customize the layout of the listing detail page, this is where its default theme [le

is located:

/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/listings/detail.thtml



http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/products-catalog/laptops/apple-macbook-pro-154-laptop



Before making any theme changes, read about JReviews Code Overrides

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=JReviews_Code_Overrides) and create a custom

theme.

Almost every block of code in detail.thtml is commented to make it easier to [nd what you

want to modify.

You can make any modi[cations below the "EDIT HTML BELOW THIS LINE" comment.

The detail.thtml theme [le also includes some other theme [les. For example, this line:

<?php echo $this->element('listing_detail_media',array('position'=>'top','mainMedia'=>$mainMedia));?>

loads a separate theme [le which includes all code for listing media items:

/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/elements/listing_detail_media.thtml

This code:

<?php echo $this->renderControllerView('reviews','user_reviews',array('listing'=>$listing))?>

loads a separate theme [le which includes all code for user reviews:

/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/reviews/user_reviews.thtml

Most of the listing data is stored in the $listing array. To see the contents of this array, add this

line to the detail.thtml:

prx($listing);

8.11 Customizing the list pageList pages display a list of listings. Those are category pages, search result pages and any other

special type of pages which displays multiple listings.

Here is an example of a category list page on the demo site

(http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/city-guide/hotels) .

There are 4 diêrent layouts available for list pages: Blogview, Tableview, Thumbview and Ma-

sonry. Each of those have their own theme [les:

/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/listings/listings_blogview.thtml - Blogview

/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/listings/listings_tableview.thtml - Tableview

/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/listings/listings_thumbview.thtml - Thumbview

/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/listings/listings_masonry.thtml - Masonry





http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/city-guide/hotels

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/city-guide/hotels

Before making any theme changes, read about JReviews Code Overrides

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=JReviews_Code_Overrides) and create a custom

theme.

Every list page also includes a separate "list page header" theme [le which contains the pagi-

nation, page title, category list, etc. This is the theme [le:

/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/listings/listings_header.thtml





Chapter 9

FAQs9.1 Troubleshooting FAQFor any type of problem, if you have recently modi[ed any core php JReviews [les, you must

revert to the original to make sure the issue is unrelated to your changes.

9.1.1 LicenseWhy do I see a license expiration in the JReviews admin if I purchased a never expiringlicense

Even though your license never expires, the local key has a valid life of 15 days. When the

15-day period has passed, the key is automatically renewed and stored in the database. This is

done to reduce the risk of fraud. It also provides a way to let you move the license to a diêr-

ent domain if required. For further information on how the license works read [How does the

JReviews license work][].

9.1.2 Client AreaI can't Qnd the downloads for GeoMaps, PaidListings, WidgetFactory or Everywhere add-ons

The add-ons don't have client area downloads. The Everywhere add-on is bundled with JRe-

views and will show up in the admin screen once you submit your license number. GeoMaps,

PaidListings and WidgetFactory add-ons are installed via the remote installer/updater menu in

the JReviews administration:


Just purchased an add-on but it says it’s not active

Go to the JReviews admin license screen. Clear the local key text area and re-submit the license

number. This will fetch a new local key that includes the recently purchased add-on informa-

tion. If that doesn't work submit a ticket.

JReviews Manual Chapter 9 FAQs


9.1.3 Installation & ConEgurationI am getting an ionCube not installed error

Site error: the <le /some/path/components/com_jreviews/jreviews/admin_controllers/my_controller.php requires the ionCube PHP Loader ioncube_loader_lin_5.3.so to be installed by thesite administrator.

• If this is the [rst time you install JReviews, you must also install the ionCube loaders

on your site. Read the JReviews Pre-install requirements

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=JReviews_Pre-install_requirements) .

• If it was working before, this means something changed on your server that made the

ionCube loaders stop working. You will need to contact your host to [nd out what they

changed. You might need to upgrade the loaders to the latest version.



http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=JReviews_Pre-install_requirements

http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=JReviews_Pre-install_requirements

I cannot install JReviews, get the error "There was an error uploading this Qle to the serv-er. Unable to Qnd install package."

Some servers don't allow uploading [les larger than 2 MB by default. To check if this is the case

on your server, go to the System Information page in Joomla Administration, click the PHPInformation tab and search for upload_max_Qlesize setting:

This value should be set to at least 8M. If it is lower, you will need to edit the php.ini [le on

your server, [nd the upload_max_Qlesize setting and increase its value.

You also need to make sure you are uploading the correct installation [le. Read Installing JRe-

views component (http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Installing_JReviews_component)

for more info.

9.1.4 MediaI get "Upload directory is not writable" error when uploading media

This issue is typically caused by a wrong con[guration for the 'tmp' folder in the Joomla con-

[guration.php [le. This folder is used to temporarily store the uploaded media for further pro-

cessing.

This can happen if you moved your site to a diêrent folder or a diêrent host. Whenever you

do that, you need to edit the con[guration.php [le and update the path to the tmp folder.

9.1.5 Menus, SEF and ModulesModule assignments are lost on detail pages

For proper module assignments to listing detail pages, you need to create the Required

Joomla Menu Items

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Creating_Required_Joomla_Menu_Items) .

Custom title set in SEO Manager not working

If you con[gured a custom listing title in the Listing Type SEO Manager, it will not work by de-

fault because of a bug in Joomla 2.5 and 3.x.

To [x the bug, you will need to replace this [le:



http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Installing_JReviews_component

http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Installing_JReviews_component

http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Creating_Required_Joomla_Menu_Items



• components/com_content/views/article/view.html.php

with the patched [le that can be downloaded here:

• For Joomla 2.5.x: view.html.php_2.5.zip (http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/downloads/

joomla/seo-patch/view.html.php_2.5.zip)





Why are some of my JReviews pages showing homepage modules

When certain page doesn't have an ItemID in url, Joomla will show on that page only those

modules that are set to display on all pages.

But some Joomla templates (mostly RocketTheme templates) have a feature to instead show

all homepage modules on pages without ItemID and that feature is enabled by default.

To disable it in RocketTheme templates, go to template parameters, click on Advanced and at

the bottom you will [nd this setting:

You can turn it o^ or change the menu whose modules you want to show on pages without an

ItemID.

If you have this issue for listing detail pages also, it means they don't have any ItemID which

is not good. To [x that, you should create the Required Joomla Menu Items

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Creating_Required_Joomla_Menu_Items) .

How to Qx broken layout of Listings and Reviews modules

JReviews Listings Module and Reviews Module use a jQuery plugin for module pagination and

slideshow functionality.

This plugin requires that the module has [xed dimensions and it tries to automatically calculate

the available dimensions within the parent element. In some cases this is not possible. For ex-

ample, if you output the module inside a tab that is hidden by default, the module will not be

able to calculate the available dimensions. To [x that, you can try to set [xed dimensions to

the module's parent element. If that won't help, the only options are to publish the module

to a diêrent position where the dimensions can be calculated or to disable the pagination/

slideshow. To disable the pagination/slideshow, you just need to set the Max. number of re-sults and Results per page module parameters to have the same number.



http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/downloads/joomla/seo-patch/view.html.php_2.5.zip








9.1.6 Errors and things that don't workCreating new custom Qelds no longer works

If you have a lot of custom [elds in the Fields Manager and creating new custom [elds stopped

working, the reason is that you reached the database limit for those types of custom [elds.

To increase the possible number of custom [elds, it is necessary to set an optimal number of

Maximum Characters for existing [elds in the Fields Manager.

Most [eld types in JReviews use varchar for the column datatype in the database which makes

it possible to add indexes and improve performance.

By default, when you create a custom [eld, JReviews will assign it maximum 255 characters.

Most likely some of your custom [elds don't need that many characters and reducing this num-

ber for those existing [elds will open up space for new custom [elds.

To adjust the number of maximum characters, go to the Fields Manager, click on one of the

[eld names, locate the Maximum Characters setting and click the button to adjust the num-

ber of maximum characters, for example:

In this example for the City custom [eld, JReviews tells us that currently the longest existing city

value has 15 characters, but we set the "Maximum Characters" setting to 30, just in case longer

values will be necessary later.

If the setting was set to 255 by default and you reduced it to 30, that will open up space for

several new [elds.



Multiple select and Checkboxes [eld types will require more characters because each listing

can store multiple [eld values.

Ordering and/or pagination links are not working

• If you have installed sh404sef, make sure you also enabled Joomla SEF as explained here:

Using sh404SEF with JReviews

(http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Using_sh404SEF_with_JReviews) .

• If JReviews category page urls are not sef, then sh404sef is not setup correctly.

The listing or review form submission hangs

• Add the &tmpl=component param to the url. If you use a sef component then add

?tmpl=component. This will remove your Joomla template and modules and load

JReviews by itself. Now try the submission again. If it works it means there’s a con\ict with

a module or plugin that is also loading on that page.

• Look at the source of the page (without the tmpl=component parameter) on your

browser and search for other instances of jQuery. If another extension loads jQuery

you need to disable it to [nd out if that is what is causing the problem.

• Try disabling 3rd party plugins and modules until you [nd the con\icting one.

• Check the con\icts board on the forum.

• Try disabling email noti[cations and auto-tweets in order to rule those out as being the

cause of the problem.

• Use Firebug to view the response of the ajax request once you click on submit. This will

appear in the Console tab in Firebug and you need to click on the response tab of the

request that appears when you press the submit button. Let us know what the response

is in your forum post or ticket.

9.2 License FAQ

9.2.1 How does the JReviews license workWhy use a licensing system?

You are allowed to install JReviews on a single domain per license. To enforce this we use a

licensing system based on local key and remote checking. We think this system provides the

most \exibility because:

(a) it allows you to move your license to a diêrent domain if you need to; and



http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Using_sh404SEF_with_JReviews

http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=Using_sh404SEF_with_JReviews

(b) if you don't like the remote checking you can request a permanent key in the Client Area

two months after placing your order. After requesting a permanent key, you won't be able to

move your license to a diêrent domain.

Why does JReviews require me to manually copy the local key every two weeks?

The update of the local key should take place automatically and be transparent to you. Howev-

er, if your server has a [rewall it's possible that it is blocking communication to remote servers

and prevents JReviews from verifying the license. To get around this you need to open up the

host for JReviews (ping reviewsforjoomla.com) or make your local key permanent.

Why does it say the local key expires in the JReviews administration?

Even though your license never expires, the local key has a valid life of 15 days. When the

15-day period has passed, the key is automatically renewed and stored in the database. This

is done to reduce the risk of fraud and enables you to move the license as explained above in

point a).

Can I disable the periodic veriQcation of the license?

Yes, as stated above two months after purchasing a license you can make your local key per-

manent and disable the remote license check. You can do this in the Client Area under your

license details. There you'll [nd a button to make the key permanent. The button will appear

only if the license is active and if you haven't already made the key permanent.

Can I use the license in subdomains?

You are allowed to use JReviews in subdomains. This excludes domain su]xes, such as coun-

tries and business types. For example .com, .org and .net are diêrent domains. To enable the

license to work on subdomains please submit a ticket, after activation, requesting the license

change.

9.2.2 Can I remove the "Powered by" linkYes, you can remove it. However, it would be great if you can promote JReviews to everyone

you know or provide credit in some other way to help us with the tra]c to our site so we can

continue providing excellent support and upgrades.

You will need to edit the [le: * /components/com_jreviews/jreviews/views/themes/default/ele-ments/credit.thtml

And remove the following code:

<div style="margin:20px 0 20px 0;text-align:right;font-size:85%;">

Powered by <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com/" title="Joomla CCK and Reviews">JReviews</a>

</div>



Do not change the text to Powered by XYZ, it goes against the license terms.

You can make this change once and not worry about it on upgrades by using the JReviews Code

Overrides (http://docs.reviewsforjoomla.com/?title=JReviews_Code_Overrides) feature.

9.2.3 Can I install JReviews in a development domainYes, you can install JReviews in both production and development domains. JReviews also

works by default on http://localhost. To request the addition of a development domain to your

license or if you are having trouble using the license on localhost, please submit a ticket. Devel-

opment domains need to be a real domain and not an ip address.

9.2.4 Can I move the JReviews license to a diGerent domainYes, to move the license you will need to reissue it. To do this, [rst log in

(http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com/login) on our website and then go to the Client Area

(http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com/orders/client_area.php) .





On the next page you will [nd the Reissue License button:











After you click the Reissue License button, the license will no longer be locked to any domain.

Then go to the administration area of your new site and submit the license on the JReviews Li-

cense page.

Note: You do not need to reissue your license to switch between your live domain and devel-

opment domain. If you have a separate development domain, submit a support ticket to re-

quest that we add it to your license, then you will be able to use the same license on both live

and development domains.

9.2.5 Can I use one license in domains with diGerent do-main suFxes (TLDs)No, domains with diêrent su]xes, or top level domains, like location and business types

(.com,.org,.net) or country speci[c domains (.de, .uk,.nl,.es) are in fact diêrent domains and

you need to purchase a license for each one if you plan on installing diêrent instances of JRe-

views on them.

If you are using the domains as aliases for the main site and you are using a single Joomla and

JReviews installation then you can use a single license on the main site and always access the

JReviews administration from the main site.

9.2.6 Can I customize the code to extend the functionalityof JReviewsYes, you can customize both the theme [les and the php code. Some of the administration [les

are encoded, but this doesn't prevent extending the functionality of JReviews.



9.2.7 Is JReviews encodedYes, JReviews is partially encoded to protect the license code. The encoding is limited to several

administration only [les to guarantee that neither encoding, nor licensing issues will ever aêct

the front-end functionality of the site.

9.3 Client Area FAQ

9.3.1 Where can I download the latest versionTo access your license downloads, log in (http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com/login) on our web-

site and then go to the Client Area (http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com/orders/client_area.php)

.





On the next page you will see your license details and available downloads:







You will be able to download the latest version as long as you have a valid upgrades package.

You get 12 months of free upgrades. After expiration you need to renew the upgrades if you

want to download the most recent version.

Downloading JReviews Add-ons

There is no download link for JReviews Add-ons, they can be installed only directly from JRe-

views administration!

9.3.2 How do I purchase add-ons and upgrade packages if Ialready purchased JReviewsAdd-ons

For the GeoMaps, PaidListings and WidgetFactory add-ons you must be using the latest version

of JReviews in order to be able to install the add-ons. The reason for this is that we are con-

stantly improvement them and [xing reported bugs and are not able to provide support for

old versions.

Upgrades & Support



The option to extend your Upgrades & Support Package will only be available for orders that

have expired upgrades. If you still have a few days left before your upgrades expiration you will

need to wait until the upgrades expire before you can renew them.

To purchase add-ons or extend the JReviews upgrades for 12 months, log in

(http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com/login) on our website and then go to the Client Area

(http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com/orders/client_area.php) .




Click the [http://www.reviewsforjoomla.com/orders/client_orders.php View Your Orders] link

to see your orders and click the View button next to the order for which you want to purchase

an add-on or extend the upgrades:

Documents

JReviews Manual · 6.4 Directories Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 6.5 Fields Module