Joomla! Bible, 2nd Edition

Appendix B: Locating Key Files

In This Appendix

Locating the key files in your system

Though the Joomla! mantra states, “Do not modify the core files,” there are times when it is useful to know where to find key elements, either for the purpose of overriding them, or to simply crack open the file and look at it to better understand how things work. In this appendix, I've assembled a quick guide to where you can find all the key elements of the system, in hopes that it might save you from spending your time digging through directories and hoping you have found the right file.

Table B.1 shows the locations of most the critical files in the system. The table's contents include the key files used by the front-end components and modules, as well as the locations of the Language Packs, the default images, and perhaps most importantly, the front-end and admin templates and CSS files.

Note that the location I have included is the path to the files on your server, relative to the directory where you have placed your Joomla! installation.

TABLE B.1 Key Files

Item	Location
Configuration Settings
Configuration file	configuration.php
Components (front-end output)
Banner	components/com_banners
Contacts	components/com_contact
Newsfeed	components/com_newsfeeds
Search	components/com_search
Weblinks	components/com_weblinks
Wrapper	components/com_wrapper
Site Modules (front-end output)
Archived Articles	modules/mod_articles_archive ...