I don't even know how to begin!  I am so frustrated.
I'm trying to create a website for a client.  This is my first real experience creating a site with Joomla, and I'm just having all kinds of issues.  I've battled through setting it up, and installing the files and template.  Now I'm on to customization and trying to place content areas for the next person to edit and add the real content.

It just seems so confusing.  I know it is a very robust system, and it's probably really simple once you know how things work, but I just can't seem to make any headway.
I've even watched a video tutorial series to try to learn more.  But I just felt like the instructor went through reading every screen to me... not helpful.

Any tips for a newbie?
(I'm trying to make a basic website that the client will eventually be able to edit and add content.)


Right now, I'm just trying to add some pics and generic text blocks, but I can't even get that to cooperate... I can't add margins to the pic, so it's right up against the text...

I've tried editing the html manually  style="margin:0 15px 5px 0;". 
I've tried using the style field within the image controls "margin:0 15px 5px 0;"

But nothing works!  It just erases what I've done.

Is it the tiny mce editor?  I've tried turning it off in the global controls, but that doesn't have any effect either.

Right now, I just hate it all and would go back to doing everything myself HTML/CSS, but I know that CMS is ultimately the way to go.


Check out this page to see my latest frustration:
http://teammai.gilbertstudios.com/instructors

See?  Why are the text widths different between the two items?!?  It's the same bloody thing!

Please help... I don't have much hair left to pull out, and my clients are getting antsy with how much time I've taken to do this.

I don't even know what to do from here.  Or what more to ask.

All comments and suggestions welcome.
Thank you!

Hi Ian,

Thanks for your reply.

Like I mentioned above, I've tried changing it within the img tag, but it's just erased when I save changes.

I suppose the next thing I would try is adding an id and adding the styles to the css, but I just assume it won't even take the id as it's not saving anything I do.

I will try it, though... Thank you for your suggestion.

I'm old fashioned and do it the hard way (neat HTML - no editor), but as far as I can see,  the built-in editor (Tiny whatever), and I assume that you are using it, is "correcting" your changes as I don't think it likes in-line "style" tags. On the rare occasion that I have used it, usually because I have forgotten to disable it and have already started an article, it does not retain any in-line style tags that I type.

I would suggest turning off Tiny MCE (?) and doing things the "hard way", or, as suggested by the poster above (sorry I cannot see the name and I forgot to look before starting this),  try JCE, I have not used it personally, but many use it and speak well of it.

Thank you everyone...  I have downloaded the JCE files and will be installing it shortly.

Just to let you know, I have tried to disable to tinyMCE editor and just use Joomla's no editor, but that didn't work... it still showed / used the tiny editor.

I'm hoping JCE has everything I need... Personally, I'd go all code, but I need to use some kind of WYSIWYG because my client will need to be able to easily update their content.

Thanks again... I'll let you know how it turns out.

BTW, please feel free to send me any info / tutorials / guides that you think are particularly helpful.

Thanks again.

Blank spot?

Are you talking about the content for the second two Articles not taking the full page width?

That's controlled in the Menu settings.