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I am aware of Joomla recently released new version with Twitter Bootstrap built in to support device responsiveness.

Having said that, now I have an option to use the latest version of Joomla so I don't need to worry about implementing Bootstrap manually but I guess the major drawback of using the latest core version would always be the short number of supported extensions.

So I was thinking of implementing Bootstrap into the older version of Joomla so I can still keep the extensions being used already.

Has anyone done this before and if so, how difficult was it to implement into a cms system like Joomla. I am sure we are talking more workloads than Bootstrap implemented in static non-cms web pages.

Seong Lee
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I have custom Joomla 2.5 templates made with Bootstrap and everything works like a charm.

At its heart, Bootstrap is simply a CSS framework with some optional JS so in theory you could use it in all sorts of situations.

To use it for Joomla 2.5 you need:

  • some knowledge of how to make a Joomla template, you'll find all sorts of articles and courses online, or Blank Template will get you up to speed quickly because it's already built around Bootstrap
  • you will probably need to disable Mootools which is activated by default but will likely confilct with jquery which is used by Bootstrap. I've used Mootools enabler / disabler and you will find other options in the JED

This will get you to the point where your base Joomla installation is responsive, though it won't magically rewrite all the output from extensions used on your site. For example if you have an image gallery, you want to find a responsive gallery extension.

The more complex the extensions are that you plan to use on your site, the more likely it is that you may have some issues here. If you use something like Blank Template to set up a test site quickly then you'll be able to confirm whether or not this last detail will be the deal breaker or not.

Good luck!

David Taiaroa
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    Thanks @david Blank Template seems to be a promising one. Yes, I've experienced a pain with Mootools conflicting JQuery. And, you've got another good point there with the extensions not necessarily come with responsiveness in mind unless they explicitly say they support 3.x onward. – Seong Lee May 08 '13 at 20:55
  • If Blank Template looks like a good fit for your project, the optional eBook has a lot of extra info as well. – David Taiaroa May 09 '13 at 20:00
  • You have to know, that die EBook V2 is still in work. I like blanc.vc, it's good work, but for me it's really not finished, because there are new versions coming, but you have to find out how to update sites to the new version on your own. So you better know the used tools. And also remember, that it just generates a blanc page, so you have to care about the template (that's what it's done for), but normally you have enough to do with the content and functionality. – Sammy May 10 '13 at 06:38
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I would really go with 3.x, since by now there are just three superclasses, that have to be renamed. So most 2.5-extensions should also run under 3.0, even without 'official support'.

I like it more to have my work done for a longer time and not go with 2.5 and have to migrate/update within the next year and maybe find out than, that my used extension still offer no 3.x-version.

I haven't done this 100% but had to answer the same question for me. Have to say, that I always try to use extensions rarely or to implement them on my own (for small tasks), so the newer core was the main reason for my choice. The used extension are well known an supported for lots of joomla-version, so they still supported 3.x. That also has the advantage that you know the developer to be 'an insider' knowing what he does ;-)

Sammy
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  • Thanks very much. I am still juggling between 2.5 and 3.x. – Seong Lee May 08 '13 at 20:54
  • In addition, I am particularly developing a website for a software company so it will need a lot of functionality but you've made good points! Thanks again. – Seong Lee May 08 '13 at 21:22
  • Your wellcome. Just think about the time you need for development to get the pages into production. It will soon be outdated ;-) Check the functionality of your sites and the availability of the needed extensions. If there are missing some in 3.x, that get sure, that the used 2.5-ones will be updated when 2.5 ends. Good luck. – Sammy May 10 '13 at 06:34