Learn how to create a custom HTML module in Joomla 1.5 that displays a photo linked to your blog. The tutorial covers uploading and resizing an image, centering it in the WYSIWYG editor, adding a hyperlink to a blog page, and positioning the module on the right rail of all pages.
Today we're going to talk about how to create a module in Joomla 1.5 that shows your photo and then a link over to your blog. So all you're going to simply do is go over to Extensions, Module Manager, and then you need to determine then what position you want this module to be in. And so in this example, we're going to go ahead and place it in the right rail. So let's just select our position. As Right. And the reason I want to do that is because I need to see all of the other things that are currently in the Right Rail to know where it is that I want to, to place it. Remember, once you create this, you can use the arrows to move it up and down in position, or you can use the numbers, and then you can order it, and then you can click the little Save Diskette, and that will save the order as well. So let's go ahead and click New. And then what we're doing is creating custom HTML here on the left. Just click the link and then we want to give it a name. So let's just call it Blog Photo Link. Now what we probably don't want to do is we probably don't want to show the title. So let's do New because we don't want the Blog photo link name to appear. We just want our picture and a link. We do want it enabled and we want to choose our position, which is going to be right. Okay, let's try that again. Right, there we go. And then which page do we want it to appear on? We want it to appear on all the pages and that's why that is chosen. Now down here at the bottom, what we're going to do is we want to make— we want to choose our photo. So we're just going to put our cursor here and let's just go choose a photo. And so what I'm going to do is just go ahead and choose just anything right now as the picture. So I'm just going to go ahead and choose. And so I've just got this picture here. And so I'm going to size it the way that I want it. Remember, you want to upload it as small a size as possible. And then maybe do Read My Blog underneath of it. Now you're going to want this to be centered, all of it to be centered in your module. So just highlight it all. And then choose Center up here in your WYSIWYG. Then to link it, you want to highlight it all and then you're going to choose Link. And what you're going to do then is type in the link URL. Now you might not know what that URL is, and so for example, if I'm over here and say I'm linking to something that's on, you know, my website, ryandohrn.com, I'm going to pull up the site and I'm going to either go to the article itself and I'm going to cut and paste from the address window that's at the top in the www window, or I'm actually going to go like to the category. Like for example, if there's a category that lists all of my blogs here, I'm going to go up and I'm going to grab the category from the address window. I'm going to cut and I'm going to paste it. So I'm going to click Link and I'm going to cut and paste that there and click Insert. And then to test it out, I'm going to click Apply or I'm going to click Save. Now remember something, the order is determined right here under Order, and that's the first place you can determine it. So you're going to put the order here, choose where you want it, okay, then you're going to save it. And then what you're going to do then is you're going to find it in this list and make sure it's in the right spot, check it on your front page, and you should be good to go. And that's all you need to do to create a link using a picture inside of a module. Good luck!
