Joomla Troubleshooting Guide

Joomla is a flexible content management system (CMS) that powers everything from personal blogs to e-commerce stores. Like any platform, it can encounter errors during installation or everyday use. This Joomla troubleshooting guide covers common issues—such as the "session.save_path is unwritable" error—and provides solutions to help you get your site running smoothly.

It offers many features such as page caching, RSS feeds, printable page forms, news flashes, blogging services, search options, and internationalization of languages support. The huge directory of extensions for Joomla enables users to increase the capabilities of their site by incorporating feature modules such as galleries, message boards, shopping carts, social networking options, etc.

• Troubleshoot Joomla Installation
• Summary

Troubleshoot Joomla Installation

When trying to manually install Joomla, a "session.save_path is unwritable" error can bring the process to a dead stop, leaving you frustrated and looking for remedies. This is a fairly common error because Joomla needs a particular directory where session data will be stored, yet that directory needs to be accessible by the server web server. Resolving this error means knowing how Joomla was set up, and the server file permission settings. This solution hopes to sidestep the error by providing easy remedies that will get the installation running smoothly so that you can proceed with getting your website running on Joomla.

1. Log in to your Bluehost Account Manager.
2. Click Hosting in the left-hand menu.

   
    

   The details of your hosting plan will be displayed.

   
    

3. Click on the FILE MANAGER button.
4. Find the public_html file, then php.ini, and then right-click.
5. Select Code Edit.
6. Around line 824 is something that looks like ;session.save_path = /tmp
7. Remove the semicolon ';' in the front so it looks like this: session.save_path = /tmp
8. Make the path go to the temp folder on your account session.save_path = /home/username/tmp where the username is your cPanel username listed inside cPanel.
9. Save the changes.

Joomla is an Open Source project, meaning a developer community develops it. Everything from the documentation to the code was created by and for the community. The Joomla community provides extensive documentation and support via their website, Joomla.org. Thousands of independent sites also provide information, extensions, templates, tips, tricks, and hacks.

Here are some suggested resources for Joomla:

• Joomla.org
• Joomla.org Documentation
• Joomla.org Forums
• Joomla Extensions
• Joomla Templates Documentation
• List of Extensions (with links to developers) on Joomla.org
• Google
• Yahoo!
• Bing

Joomla.org

The official website for the Joomla script, with comprehensive documentation and support forums, asks questions and finds answers. When you are experiencing issues with Joomla, this should be your first stop for support since common problems and their solutions are typically posted on this website. There is also a great community to which you can pose your questions.

Extension or Template Designer's Official Website

As you work with Joomla, you may add extensions and templates to your website. When you have an issue with a particular extension or template, contacting the specific extension or template creator is best. You can locate this information on Joomla.org under the "Do More > Extensions" menu or by searching.

Try a Search Engine

Are you having an issue or want to do something in Joomla? Since Joomla powers 2.7% of the entire Web, someone else has encountered something similar, and they may have posted the solutions online. You can utilize search engines to locate whatever you may need concerning Joomla.

Place a copy of the modified php.ini file into the administrator or another appropriate folder.

Summary

Learning how to troubleshoot Joomla installation and resolving the "session.save_path is unwritable" error is a step toward a successful installation. This can be accomplished by knowing what Joomla requires and administering server permissions successfully. The Joomla community and its wealth of resources provide excellent sources for troubleshooting and improving your website based on Joomla. Never forget the official Joomla website and forums, official websites of extension or template designers, and search engines as top sources for help, as well as knowledge.