Using TYPO3

TYPO3 is a powerful content management system, and like most powerful systems, it can be difficult to learn, especially when you are first getting started. Below are some resources that can help you learn TYPO3 basics.

WEC Classes and How-Tos

Begin with the WEC Getting Started Classes to learn via the class documents or with the help of Flash movies that walk you through the steps with a series of screen shots. Then you can explore the other topical classes according to your needs and interests. After you go through the classes, you can search through the How-Tos if you have a specific questions. How-Tos are "mini-classes" and the classes are made up of multiple How-tos. 

WEC User Community Forums

On the WEC Forums, you to can join in the discussion with the WEC community, which includes the WEC developers. There you can view previous discussions, post questions, make suggestions, discuss various topics, and help others.

Getting Started Documentation from the TYPO3 Website

The Getting Started document from typo3.org is another available tutorial. It is available as a document and has a companion video. It takes you through the basics of working with the TYPO3 backend, creating pages, and adding content to a website.

• Getting Started Document
• Getting Started Videos

Other Documentation from the TYPO3 Website

The complete list of TYPO documentation from the TYPO3 website can be found on the TYPO3 website at:

• TYPO3 Documentation
  

Note: In general, TYPO3 documentation from the TYPO3 website can be difficult to follow. There are several reasons for this.

• Many of the developers are extremely technically capable and tend to write at a more technical level.
• Most of the authors are from Europe and for many, English is a second language.
• Many developers are volunteers working in their spare time. So time for creating good documentation is limited.

At WEC, we greatly appreciate the efforts of the TYPO3 developer community and are trying to do our part by helping to improve the quality of both the documentation and the training.

TYPO3 Book

There is a new book available from Packt Publishing and titled TYPO3: Enterprise Content Management.

Several of the WEC developers have read through this book and were somewhat disappointed. The consensus is that this book can be hard to follow because it often does not provide introductory information, skips important aspects, and provides unneeded details. The book is translated from German, which may be a contributing factor. We do not recommend the book for beginners. However, if you have web development experience and benefit from a book that you can hold, read, and reference then this book may be right for you.

We recommend that you begin with the current WEC TYPO3 templates, or by making minor modifications to them. Template development can be challenging. If you'd like resources to learn template development, then please go to the WEC Template Developers page.