Switching to Joomla

[Kazander13@gmail.com]

I am seriously considering switching to Joomla from Sitebuilder Pro and would like to know if anyone else has done this or may be able to answer a few questions.

1. Is there a way to back up the pages, that way at the very least I could transfer them over to Joomla from SB with a copy and paste. Most of it is text and tables, a decent amount fo hyperlinks, and some pictures added. I do have all of the pictures backed up on my comp anyway so that would be a minor issue I suppose.

2. What would be the safest method of transfer without losing any data. If I have to copy all the pages to MS Word or something I will, but I'd like to think that some method exists.

3. Is there a way to transition in minute ways? To clarify, could I continue adding to SB while I'm learning Joomla, during which time I could copy page by page over to Joomla. This would prevent me from coming to a halt while I transition.

Thanks in advance for your time!

[Costa]

Hi

Joomla is a database driven application and is structured so that content pages are created in categories which are in sections. Each page of content will be linked in some way to a menu link, category link or section link.

It won't therefore be possible to simply copy and paste your SB content into Joomla. The Joomla will need structuring into sections and categories first with a bit of forward planning.

I do think it would be worth the extra work however as Joomla is an excellent well supported CMS, both at the Joomla website and here at Siteground.

I don't think it would be wise to continue adding content to your SB as that content will have to be implemented into Joomla in due course anyway - just doubling your workload

Hope this helps

Regards

Costa

[Kazander13@gmail.com]

Thank you for the reply! So now what would be the method best to supress the SB site so to speak? I imagine that would be through the unpublish function. If I do unpublish the site, I am still able to edit it correct?

Lastly, is a simple unpublish then an install of Joomla all I need to do the switchover?

[Costa]

Hi again

I havent spent an awfull lot of time with SB, but What I would be inclined to do is.

Install Joomla in a subdirectory or your account, for example yoursite.com/joomla. Then begin the construction of your joomla site by copying the content from your SB application. That way you can still continue to keep your current site "live" whilst building your Joomla.

When you feel that the Joomla site is ready to replace the SB one, then you can simply move the Joomla (along with small edits to the config file) to the root of your account, or wherever your current SB resides.

Just my way of doing it

Hope this helps

Costa

[Kazander13@gmail.com]

Sure does help. That's pretty much what I was worried about. As long as the current one can stay live while I hack away at learning Joomla and do at least text transfers, that would be cool.

I do appreciate the assistance. I just want full control over themes/colors/fonts for individual reviews without the assault of a global change. Joomla is also open source which is really nice.

[Costa]

You're very welcome

Yeah, Joomla is open source and you'll find lots of help and guidance both here and elsewhere.

Good luck with your new site

Costa

[Kazander13@gmail.com]

I have now copied everything I need into the Joomla sub directory and have rebuilt the pages. Is there any kind of FAQ or general advice I should be following before I now make the transition? I now wish to migrate the Joomla sub directory to serve as my one and only one, eliminating the previous pages I had built with Sitebuilder.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[dellzip]

I am seriously considering switching to Joomla from Sitebuilder Pro and would like to know if anyone else has done this or may be able to answer a few questions.

1. Is there a way to back up the pages, that way at the very least I could transfer them over to Joomla from SB with a copy and paste. Most of it is text and tables, a decent amount fo hyperlinks, and some pictures added. I do have all of the pictures backed up on my comp anyway so that would be a minor issue I suppose.

2. What would be the safest method of transfer without losing any data. If I have to copy all the pages to MS Word or something I will, but I'd like to think that some method exists.

3. Is there a way to transition in minute ways? To clarify, could I continue adding to SB while I'm learning Joomla, during which time I could copy page by page over to Joomla. This would prevent me from coming to a halt while I transition.

Thanks in advance for your time!

Try WordPress I have had great experiences with it...