Appendix A: Choosing a Sample Data Set
In This Appendix
Understanding the various sample data options
Working without sample data
Creating a blog site
Deploying a brochure site
Installing the default sample data set
Using the Learning Joomla! sample data
Installing testing data
Joomla! comes bundled with sample data files you can elect to include when you run the Joomla! installer. There are six options you can choose from, including an option to install Joomla! without any of the sample data. While setting up the site without sample data provides you with a clean slate, there are circumstances where installing the sample data is desirable. If you are new to Joomla!, you will even find a sample data set tailored to helping you find your way around the system for the first time. Even if you are an experienced Joomla! user, you may want to install the sample data in some cases, as it can jumpstart your site-building efforts by providing common modules and menu items that are ready to use. You can either keep the structures that are created by the sample data or edit them to suit your needs; in either event, it may be faster than creating everything from scratch. Finally, Joomla! also includes a sample data set created specifically for testing purposes, to assist with ongoing development of the Joomla! CMS.
In this appendix, I explain the purpose of each sample data set and provide screenshots of the output created by each one. The six variations discussed in this appendix are
