Besides being able to buy the component directly, in this website, it is possible to see it at work (front-end only).
An example installation has been set up. Some vehicles have been uploaded for demonstration purposes only. It will be possible to use the search panel and the modules linked to the component such as “Vehicle Categories” and “Hot Vehicles”. |
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MYCAR for Joomla! 1.1 |   | |
MyCar for Joomla! is a component for Joomla 1.0 and for Joomla 1.5 (legacy mode), for publishing vehicles within web sites. The visitor can search for a vehicle by setting selection filters or by clicking on a specific category, by viewing the list of vehicles on offer, etc.
The list of vehicles can be grouped by price, brand or category.
The vehicle's main image and information are shown within the list of vehicles. By clicking on the [DETAILS] button for each vehicle, all the information and images related to it will be shown. N.B. A vehicle may have an unlimited number of images.
Unlimited fields can be set up for each vehicle.
In the component configuration panel it is possible to create or delete any of the fields required for managing your fleet of vehicles.
It is also possible to add fields later.
The fields which can be created may be TEXT type (in this case they will contain a value entered manually) or CHECK type (in this case they will contain a YES/NO value).
A TEXT type field could be, for example, “Tyre Dimension”, whereas a CHECK type field could be “iPod Integration”.
(See the “Configuration” section in this manual). |
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Front-End use
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The front-end is completely devoted to the end user.
In the front-end it is possible to search for vehicles by using the search panels and the modules, looking at the specifications and expressing your interest in a vehicle via email to the vendor.
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Vehicle Search Panel |
Vehicles can be searched for using the dedicated Search panel or through the modules available with the component.
Once the component is installed, to activate the Search Panel simply create a new menu option in your website by selecting “component” and then “My Car”.
Once this is done, when you click on the menu option a page similar to the image below will appear.
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As shown in the image above, besides being able to search for a specific vehicle by typing its code in the box, it is possible to search using the filters contained in the drop-down list or in the text fields.
N.B. The component configuration panel allows vehicle category management to be disabled. If this option is activated the “Vehicle Category” filter will not appear in the vehicle search panel.
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However, other ways to search for a vehicle are available. For example, using the modules linked to the component.
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The main modules are the “Vehicle Categories” and “Hot Vehicles” modules.
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| Once the modules are installed and published (operation to be carried out in the back-end), they allow more direct searches within the vehicle database. |
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"Vehicles Categories" module
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The “My Car” component allows unlimited vehicle categories to be created at will.
When entering vehicles in the database they can be associated with a category.
The “Vehicle Categories” module displays the list of categories created.
It is possible to click on each item in the list to obtain a list of vehicles belonging to the category selected. (See following image).
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N.B. In this website the “Vehicle Categories” module has been installed and published in the right-hand column.
The component configuration panel allows vehicle category management to be disabled.
If this option is activated the “Vehicle Categories” module cannot be used.
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"Hot Vehicles" module
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In the vehicle management panel, it is possible to specify whether a vehicle is considered 'HOT' or not in the back end.
Hot vehicles are vehicles on offer.
The “Hot Vehicles” module, once installed and published, allows the user to view the list of vehicles set as hot.
(See following image) |
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N.B. In this website, the “Hot Vehicles” module has been installed and published in the right-hand column.
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The Vehicle list |
Whether the search is carried out by using the “Search Panel” or by clicking on a category in the “Vehicle Categories” module or by using the “Hot Vehicles” module, MyCar produces a summary list of vehicles like that shown in the following image. |
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Only the main vehicle information and one image are shown.
The number of vehicles shown per page can be set in the component configuration panel.
It is possible to order the list by Price, Category or Brand.
If category management has been disabled in the component configuration panel the order by category button will not be shown. By clicking on the DETAILS button all vehicle images and information will be shown.
(See following image)
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As shown in the image, the configurable TEXT type fields created by the administrator in the back-end (for example the KM or YEAR field) display their relative value at the side, whereas the CHECK type fields display a green tick (meaning YES) or a red X (meaning NO).
As shown in the previous image, at the bottom of the list there is a link to return to the summary vehicle list and a button to contact the vendor. By clicking this button a window similar to the one shown in the following image will appear.
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This contact form allows you to express your interest in a specific vehicle to the vendor.
The vendor receives an email with the fields completed by the potential buyer and with the vehicle reference code.
The potential buyer also receives a copy of the email. By clicking on any image it will be shown in a larger format. |
| It is possible, by clicking on the left or right of the image, to pass to the previous or the next image. (See following image). |
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Component Installation and Back-End Use |
As previously specified, the component works both with the Joomla version 1.0.xx and with version 1.5.xx (in legacy mode).
In this manual a Joomla 1.5xx installation has been simulated.
The component and any integrated modules must be installed.
Once the installation has been carried out the option “MyCar” will appear in the component menu as shown in the following image.
The component has 4 menu options: Manage Categories
Manage Vehicles
Manage Brands
Configurations |
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Manage Categories |
This menu option is used to create and manage vehicle categories. Any code can be used. It is possible to create categories according to vehicle types as in the example in this site (Cabriolet, City Car, Coupé, etc.) or divided into New Vehicles, Used Vehicles, etc. In the configuration panel (Configuration menu option) vehicle category management can be disabled.
In this case the menu option “Manage Categories” cannot be used. The window which is displayed when you click on “Manage Categories” is the following. |
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| When you add or modify a category a window similar to the one in the following image will appear. |
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Configuration |
| The configuration panel is used to specify the store details as well as some component settings and to manage the configured vehicle fields. (See following image). |
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Particularly evident are the “Objects per Page” field which establishes how many vehicles appear in every page of the summary list, the “Thumbnail Size” field which establishes the size in pixels of the Thumbnail images and the “Image Size” which establishes the size in pixels of the larger version.
The Thumbnail border colour can be specified in the “Thumbnail Frame Colour” field and the size in pixels in the “Thumbnail Frame Size”.
Lastly, the “Enable Category Management” field allows or disallows vehicle category management. Clicking the “Fields” button at the top right accesses the configured field management window. (See the following image). |
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During the installation phase of My Car some configured example fields are preloaded.
They can however be deleted and others loaded at will. For each field, the name of the field, the type (TEXT or CHECK) and the order in which it is displayed in the window is displayed.
When you click on “New” or modify a field, a window appears as shown in the following image. |
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The contents of the “Field Label” field appear in the Front-End as a description of the field itself.
If the “Field Type” field is set to TEXT, when vehicle data is entered/modified the field value will be requested in a text box.
If the “Field Type” field is set to CHECK, when vehicle data is entered/modified only the choice of YES or NO will be presented.
N.B. Unlimited configurable fields can be set up. |
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Manage Vehicles |
This menu option is used to enter/modify/delete vehicles, both the main vehicle data and the configurable fields and images. (See following image).
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In this window it is possible to use the “New” button, delete selected vehicles from the archive by clicking the “Delete” button or modify the main vehicle data by clicking on the code.
There are a further two buttons, one to enter/modify the vehicle's configurable fields and one to enter/delete the images.
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Main Vehicle Data |
When you click on “New” or on the code of a vehicle which is already present to use the “Modify” function, the window displayed in the following image appears.
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As you can see, it is possible to enter a “Brief Description” which appears both in the summary vehicle list and when you click the “DETAILS” button, plus a “Long Description” which appears only in the details vehicle screen.
In the “Long Description” field it is possible to enter HTML code and therefore embed any kind of object such as images, flash, etc.
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It is also possible to establish whether the vehicle is HOT or not.
Once a vehicle has been entered, it will be shown in the vehicle list. From here it is possible to enter the values for the configured fields using the dedicated button “Vehicle Equipment” which appears on every line next to every vehicle. (See following image). |
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| Once you have clicked the button a window similar to the one shown in the following image will appear. |
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As you can see, you are requested to enter a value for all the configured fields entered during the component configuration phase.
A value is requested for TEXT fields and YES/NO for the CHECK fields. |
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By clicking the “Vehicle Images” button from the vehicle list it is possible to upload all the photos of the vehicle.
(See following image). |
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To enter an image simply select it using the “Browse” button then click on “Upload Image”.
Unlimited images can be entered. The first image uploaded is considered as the vehicle's main image and is shown in the summary vehicle list.
Each uploaded image can be removed with the delete button. |
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Manage Brands |
| This option is used to manage the archive of vehicle manufacturers. |
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During the component installation phase all the most famous automotive manufacturers are preloaded.
It is however possible to add to this list. |
| Naturally each entry can be modified or deleted. |
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