Joomla Contact Us Form Issue – PHPMAILER_RECIPIENTS_FAILED

PHPMAILER_RECIPIENTS_FAILED

Some times this error occurs because default contact form tries to use users email address as the FROM address. Some hosts doesn’t allow this to stop spam.

So we need to change the FROM address to the Joomla configurations FROM address in the line 162 of file components/com_contact/controller.php.

After that , for convenience, we can add users email as REPLY TO address.
alter:

line 162 of file components/com_contact/controller.php.

Code:
$mail->setSender( array( $email, $name ) );
to:

Code:
$mail->setSender( array( $MailFrom, $name ) );
$mail->addReplyTo( array( $email, $name ) );

There may be other reasons to cause this error , this is just a one case and this case is hard to find since the mail error doesn’t generate much information.

Database Error: Unable to connect to the database:Could not connect to database

You should check the configuration.php file of your Joomla application and make sure the following lines are correct:

var $dbtype = ‘mysql’;
var $host = ‘localhost’;
var $user = ‘user_name’;
var $password = ‘YourPassword’;
var $db = ‘database_name’;
var $dbprefix = ‘jos_’;
You should make sure you are using the correct MySQL username and database in your configuration.php file. You can use the MySQL Databases tool in your cPanel in order to check the correct username and database for your Joomla. In addition, make sure that your MySQL username is added to your database. This issue can also be caused by errors within the database itself. In such cases you can try restoring your Joomla database.

Joomla Tip : Creating a new file on a joomla installation

Whenever creating a new file for the Joomla! installation you must avoid using certain text editors such as , WordPad, Word, for example as they unfortunately have a tendency to add unwanted and unnecessary code that may cause problems later on. Always remember to save files in plain text format.

How to add CSS and Javascript to Your Joomla Extension

When creating a quality Joomla extension you will place your styles and javascript codes on seperate files.

Then here is the way to add those files in to the joomla extension the proper way.

$document = JFactory::getDocument();
$document->addStyleSheet(JURI::root().’mod_name/css/stylesheet.css’);
$document->addScript(JURI::root(). ‘mod_name/js/script.js’);

Redirecting non-www to www with .htaccess

If you want to redirect all non www requests to your web site to the www version, all you need to do is add the following code to your .htaccess file: Needless to say that you must be running on apache with mod_rewrite enabled.

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www\.
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]

Redirecting www to non-www 

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^my-domain\.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://my-domain.com/$1 [R=301,L]

Why it is better to have a Dedicated IP ?

Every small piece of information transferred on the Internet is passed via an IP address. This address is just like your home address, and like a physical address can contain multiple houses , multiple websites can reside at one IP address. This setup is called shared hosting.

A dedicated IP gives you with your own private and unique online address that one can use to go directly to your website. A dedicated IP is necessary for services that require the passing of delicate and private information such as credit cards, social security numbers, and purchase information.

Benefits of having a dedicated IP over a shared IP:

Run Special Software on Your Server

Certain programs require a dedicated IP address before they can be set up and used. A dedicated IP allows you more options for available scripts.

Open Custom additional Ports

Gain access to additional ports you may need to run special services on that are blocked for shared IPs.

Avoid Negative Impact from Others who are sharing the same IP

On a dedicated IP you avoid possible negative action taken against shared IP users should someone on the same server get blocked.

Rank Better in Search Engines

Many experts believe that sites with a dedicated IP rank better in search engine results than those on a shared IP.

Browse Your Website by IP

Handy for situations where you want to access your site, but your domain name is inaccessible or not configured properly.

Enable SSL on Your Website

SSL Certificates are crucial if you have a business-oriented website and want to collect sensitive information such as credit card numbers. 

Inserting an Iframe to Joomla article using JCE editor

Have you tried to embed the an iframe in an article using the JCE editor in Joomla ?

You may have been frustrated to see your iframe code stripped off when the articles is finally saved.

Most of the time iframe is the easiest way to include external content in an webpage such as videos, forms and social feeds.

A quick fix for this would be to allow iframes in JCE editor settings below.

In Joomla admin, to to components > JCE Editor >

Profles -> desired Profile -> Plugin parameters -> Allow IFrames.

The setting is available in the media settings tab.

What is Joomla and Why do I need Joomla for my website?

beautiful stacked website designs done using joomla

Almost everyone who wants to publish a web site can benefit from using Joomla! to do it. Take a look at a few of the many good reasons to consider into using Joomla. Don’t forget that it’s FREE, so you can give it a try without risking anything but a little time.

Joomla! is a FREE web application that can likely handle all of your web site needs. Known as a content management system or CMS, Joomla specializes in managing web content with a simple What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get interface so even a non-technical person can post articles and images. Installation is as easy as uploading the Joomla files to a web server that can run PHP and has access to MySQL database (most web providers meet both requirements). After a straightforward 6-step installation process, your site is up and running!

Here are a few good reasons to look into using Joomla:

  • If you want to create a professional looking web site and you don’t have any HTML programming experience or design skills… Joomla! is for you.
  • If you have a static web site or a blog and you want more control over how the content is displayed… Joomla! is for you.
  • If you’re an intermediate web designer but you don’t have the skills to take your web site to the next level… Joomla! is for you.
  • If you run a company that wants an advanced Web 2.0 site but you don’t have a large budget to spend on a custom site… Joomla! is for you.
  • If you want advanced interactive features including forums, chat rooms, shopping cart/eCommerce functionality, interactive maps, and more available through the 1800 add-ons… Joomla! is for you.

Joomla has been embraced for every type of web site need from professional commercial online shopping eCommerce stores to blog pages to Internet magazines.
Joomla! is free, open source, and easy to use
To add content, simply click the Add Article button in the Administrator interface. You will be able to edit an article in much the same way as you do in a word processor (the editor even has a spell checker). When you click Save, the article will be instantly posted to the web for millions of visitors to read.
Content can be organized by filing individual articles into user-defined categories and sections. If you later want to change the location of an article, you need only select a different location from a drop-down menu and the next visitor to your site will see it in the new location. That’s because Joomla! is completely dynamic — changes made to any setting or preference are instantly reflected in the web site presentation.

Joomla Lets You Change the Look of Your Site Instantly

Joomla uses a template system that defines the fonts, color scheme, images, and general presentation of the site. To change the look-and-feel of your entire web site, download one of the hundreds of templates that are either free or very inexpensive. In moments, you can change your site from one style (see below left) to another (below right) with literally the click of a single button.
Take Advantage of Nearly 2000 Add-ons

Joomla has free or inexpensive extensions available to add almost any functionality you might want to your web site. If you want to include a commenting system, an eCard interface, or countless other features, go to the Joomla! Extension Directory (http://extensions.joomla.org) where you can download add-ons for these features. Even better, over 80% of the add-ons are free!

A Robust Programming Framework for Developers

Instead of developing a custom PHP site, Joomla makes it easy to build applications either atop the Joomla Framework (the Joomla CMS is actually an application running on the framework) or within the CMS.

Joomla features three different types of extensions (modules, components, and plug-ins) to allow custom programming code for everything from a simple display add-on to a plug-in that modifies input and output at the foundation level of Joomla.

In addition to the advantages provided by the extensive framework, developers inherit the tried-and-tested security features that underpin the Joomla system.

 

How to create a Joomla 1.5 Custom 404 Error Page

Joomla! CMS uses the templates/system/error.php file to handle several HTTP Status errors, including “403 Forbidden”, “404 Not Found”, and “500 Internal Server” Errors. You may style the error results by directly changing the templates/system/error.php.

But it is not advisable to hack core system files as those changes can be lost in an event of a Joomla update process!.

So best way is to use the template overriding and add a error.php file to your default template and customize it.

Remove featured products and recently viewed products from Joomla Virtuemart category browse page

go to: component/com_virtuemart/themes/browse/includes
edit one of this files depending of what you have selected in layout style.

browse_listtable.tpl.php
browse_layouttable.tpl.php
browse_notables.tpl.php

Comment out following lines.
echo $ps_product->featuredProducts(true,10,true);
echo $recent_products;
It should look like this now
// echo $ps_product->featuredProducts(true,10,true);
// echo $recent_products;