Art Timeline
Art Timeline enables anyone to build visually rich, interactive timelines on their Joomla website. Load events from Art Timeline Administrator, Google Drive, Google Calendar or SQL Query.
Note: This guide only covers Art Timeline v3.0.0 and above. If you haven't migrated to Art Timeline v3.0.0 yet, please make sure to get the latest version and complete the migration.
Installation
Install the extension using standard Joomla! installation procedure (Extensions -> Install/Uninstall).
Setup
Install the component, module and plugin using standard Joomla! installation procedure (Extensions -> Install/Uninstall).
Migration
If you're using a version of Art Timeline older than v3.0.0 then your upgrade will actually be a migration and not a standard upgrade.
First you will need to take note of all of the timelines and events. Export all timeline and event data from your sql tables.
The next step is to completely uninstall the older version of Art Timeline (both the component, module and the plugin) from the Extensions -> Manage page.
The final step is to install your newer copy of Art Timeline v3.0.0+ using standard Joomla! installation procedure (Extensions -> Install/Uninstall) and then re-create your timelines and events in the Art Timeline administrator component. You'll use our easy user interface to create timelines, events, templates, eras, media and categories. Timelines can be deployed with a simple plugin shortcode like [arttimeline id="1"] or you can deploy timelines using the included module or by setting a menu item to type of Art Timeline.
Basics
Ok, so you've installed and/or migrated to Art Timeline v3.0.0+. The basic parts of Art Timeline you need to know are below:
- Timelines
- The 'visualizations' administrator view is where you will configure your timeline's basic options such as 'What template would you like to use with this timeline?', 'Google Calendar or Google Drive integration to populate the visualization?'. You get the picture. The timeline is what ties everything together in the administrator.
- Templates
- The 'templates' administrator view is where you can customize nearly everything about the way a table or chart looks including colors, height, percentages etc. pretty much everything about the look of the timeline.
- Events
- Create Art Timeline events to populate the timeline and apply categories to your events. Set event start and end date.
- Media
- Media consists of a Media URL, Media Credit, Media, Caption and Media Thumbnail. Media URL can include URLs to visual media such as: Image, YouTube, Vine, DailyMotion, Vimeo, SoundCloud, Twitter, Google Maps, Google Plus, Instagram, Flickr, Imgur, Document Cloud, Wikipedia, Storify, iframe, Blockquote or Embedly. Media can be added to events from the event administrator view.
- Eras
- Eras define a period of time on a timeline. Eras can be defined with a start and end date and given a name that will show up on your timeline.
- Categories
- Categories are used to categorize events that are within a category. Templates are applied to categories which allows you to selectively style events within a category.
Deploying a Timeline on your Joomla Site
Art Timeline consists of a component, module, and plugin so you can deploy a timeline on your site in whatever way you prefer.
Component
The component administrator is for creating and managing your timelines, templates, events, media, eras and categories. One way to deploy a timeline on the front end is to create a new menu item of type 'Art Timeline'. This will use the component output to display your timeline and using this method the visualization will be the main part of the webpage.
Plugin
Another way to deploy a timeline is to use the content plugin. Using this method you can write [arttimeline id="1"] using the shortcode provided for you in the component administrator and you can put this shortcode anywhere on your site and it will be transformed into a timeline.
Module
The last way to deploy a visualization is to use the module. Simply create a new module instance and select the timeline you'd like to display from the module administrator area, select a template position where you'd like the timeline to display and you're done. Three great ways to deploy an Art Timeline on your Joomla 3.x site.