Joomla Tutorials and Blog Posts

Delete Joomla Site Sample Data Quickly

September 7, 2010 | Written by Rod Martin

Before you start to build your Joomla site, I recommend you delete all the sample content.

Is this a common problem?. A quick search for some of the default text shows over 4 millions sites who have forgotten to remove it. Also commonly indexed are Newsfeeds and Weblinks. The Joomla sample data isn't relevant to your site and can often clog up up the administrator area.

Whats the Solution?

We're going to recommend a component called Mass Content.

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For this demonstration, I've started with a brand-new Joomla site with all the sample data installed.

Install Mass Content

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Go to Baticore.com and download Mass Content. Install via Administrator >> Extension >> Install / Uninstall. Then go to Components >> Mass content >> Delete mass content

Delete the Sample Data

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You'll be able to select one section at a time and delete all the associated categories and menu links. Alternatively you can choose to delete only one specific category or even just to delete the content from inside the articles. When you've made your choice, click "Delete".

The End Result

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Mass Content will give you a warning that these items will be completely deleted. Click "OK" if you're sure you've made the right decision.

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This is the end result of the deletion. All the article links and associated menu links are gone, but the modules are still in place. You will have to unpublish those or delete them from Extension >> Install / Uninstall.

Delete the Sample Metadata

Part of the sample data consists of a meta description for search engines. Is "Joomla! - the dynamic portal engine and content management system" a valid description of your site? Thought not. However nearly 700,000 sites still have that description according to Google. To change the metadata to apply to your site, go to Site >> Global Configuration and alter the "Global Site Meta Description" and "Global Site Meta Keywords" entries:

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Also Worth Doing Before Launching a Site

  • Components >> Newsfeeds >> Delete all newsfeed categories and items
  • Components >> Newsfeeds >> Delete all weblinks categories and items

Also, go to Extensions >> Plugin Manager and unpublish these plugins, otherwise you'll find a lot of clutter in the search results:

  • Search weblinks
  • Search contacts
  • Search newsfeeds
  • Search categories
  • Search sections

Video on How to Use Mass Content to Delete Sample Content


 

 


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Comments  

 
#1 kolonel 2010-12-20 05:33
Is it just as easy to not select install sample data when installing joomla ?
 
 
#2 kl6H_steve 2010-12-21 08:34
That's true :) And we do normally recommend not using the sample data at all.

However, some people install it anyway - this is hopefully a useful tip only for those people.
 
 
#3 Rich 2011-01-16 13:24
The "VIDEO ON HOW TO USE MASS CONTENT TO DELETE SAMPLE CONTENT" is actually showing a different video (how to edit template CSS).
 
 
#4 Kaz 2011-02-11 16:56
I am building a new site and I didn't install the sample data. Now I am looking for the 'user registration and login' and cannot find it. Is it still there in the Joomla core?
 
 
#5 Kaz 2011-02-11 16:58
Ia have just made a simple site with 'no
sample data' installed. (ozchord.com)
Now I am looking for 'user registation or
login'. Is that included in the Joomla! Core?

Kaz
 
 
#6 KeithMattox 2011-04-08 15:15
I installed Joomla without sample data but now I am doing your tutorial on Template Design and it seems that the sample data would be helpful. Is there a simple way to add it in or should I just re-install Joomla?
 
 
#7 iowawebco 2011-04-11 10:41
Hi Keith,

There is a way, but it's not that simple (but not terribly hard either). The easiest route is just to start a fresh if possible.

If you'd like to install the sample data manually, just post in the support forum, www.ostraining.com/support, and I can walk you through it.

Kind regards,
Nick
 
 
#8 iowawebco 2011-04-11 10:43
Hi Kaz,

You should be able to go to extensions >> module manager >> new >> login module.

Be sure to post in the support forum, www.ostraining.com/support, if you have any questions and we'll get them answered within the day. The forum is the best way to get support as it's harder for us to keep track of all the comments in our many tutorials, so that's why we use the support forum instead.

Kind regards,
Nick
 

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