Joomla 3.1 Tags Feature

The war in the content management systems market would soon heat up as Joomla 3.1 is expected to add new dimensions to it. Other CMS solutions will face intense competition once 3.1 comes into the market. Joomla 3.1 beta version has been released for preview and it does pack and punch. One of the highlight features of the new version will be a feature called ‘Tags’. Though it is still under review, if included it might be one of the highlighting features of Joomla. Let us take a quick peek into what ‘Tags’ are and how they can prove to be a game changer for Joomla.

What Are Tags?

This is the first question that would come to your mind when we start talking about this new functionality. Tags are a kind of meta-data that allow developers to assign a keyword(s). Being a meta-data component it allows core and custom extensions to organize and display this data in different styles. The same tag can be used by different extensions in different ways. Tags allow extensions to connect to their API. It allows developers to implement tagging into their component and interact with other tags easily. Tags can easily be accessed under the Component dropdown.

How to Work With Tabs?

To add a new tag a user need to go to the Tags component and click on New. In the Tags window you will need to fill in the information within the tabs. One of the best features of Tags is the fact that they can be nested. For instance a tag can have multiple child tag. This feature allows you to manage tags efficiently and access related tags with ease. Even images can be associated with tags, you can use it for a full image or merely a teaser based on your requirements. As we have already mentioned, Joomla components can make use of tags. Once the Tags feature has been added to the core the core components will also have tagging enabled.

Tags can be controlled by Tags component:

Add new Tags:

Edit Tags:

Tags can be Nested:

Displaying Tags Via Menus

Joomla 3.1 allows display of tags in under the following menu items

1. Tagged Items
2. Compact list of tagged items
3. Compact Tags View
4. List of all tags

Highlights of the Tag Feature

•Tagging is integrated into all core components. Extension developers will be able to implement tagging irrespective of the type of content they are using.

•Tags are mutually sharable between different extensions. They can easily be nested which makes it easy for the developers to manage Tags.

•The Beta version of Joomla 3.1 has a few layouts and modules under which the Tags can be used. With time new options are schedule to be launched.

•The Tags functionality doesn’t change the content that is tagged.

All these features surely suggest that Tags will be one of the most important features of Joomla 3.1 when it hits the market. This is bound to change the way