Joomla 3.0 Tutorial – When you create a Joomla website sometimes you do not want visitors to see the login form.    That’s when you create a hidden login form.  Users that need to log into your website will access the hidden login form using a link only known to them.  You can create a hidden menu by creating a new menu, menu item and changing the menu item alias.

Overview of Steps to Create a Hidden Login Module:

1. Remove Index.php from URL
2. Add a New Menu in Joomla 3.0 Menu Manager
3. Add New Menu Details in Joomla 3.0 Menu Manager
4. Add New Menu Item in Menu Manager in Joomla
5. Add New Menu Item Details in Menu Manager in Joomla
6. Select Menu Type in Menu Item Details in Menu Manager
7. Access Joomla 3.0 Link

Steps:

1.  Remove Index.php from URL

If you noticed in your Joomla 3.0 website link and whenever you click on a menu link, there will be an ‘index.php’ word in the URL.  It’s best that we remove this word to make it easier for users to access your hidden login form.

• I’ve created a tutorial here on how to Remove index.php from your URL

2.  Add a New Menu in Joomla 3.0 Menu Manager

Create a new menu in the Menu Manager.  This will contain the hidden login form where users can access the login form.

• Click on ‘Menus’
• Click on ‘Add New Menu‘

3.  Add New Menu Details in Joomla 3.0 Menu Manager

You can enter anything in your new menu details.  I will put ‘Elaine Login’ as the Menu Title.  You will see this in the list of Menus later.

• In Menu Manager: Add Menu
• In the Menu Details, enter in the following values:
  • Title = Elaine Login
  • Menu Type = Elaine Login Menu
  • Description = Elaine Hidden Login Menu
• Click on ‘Save & Close’

4.  Add New Menu Item in Menu Manager in Joomla 3.0

Now you can access the menu you created above from the Menu drop down.  You will populate this menu with menu items.  The Menu I created above was ‘Elaine Login’.  I will see it in my Menu drop down list.

• Click on ‘Menus’, ‘Elaine Login’
• Click on ‘Add New Menu Item‘

5.  Add New Menu Item Details in Menu Manager in Joomla 3.0

Here you will create a new menu item in your newly created Menu.  You will create login menu item.  You can name it anything you want.  In my case, I’m naming my login form ‘Elaine Login Form’.

• In Menu Manager, New Menu Item
• Click on ‘Details’
• Enter in the following details:
  • Status = Published
  • Menu Title = Elaine Login Form
  • Alias = Elaine-Login-Form
  • Menu Item Type = Click on ‘Select’

6.  Select Menu Type in Menu Item Details in Menu Manager

Select the login form as the Menu Item Type.

• Select Menu Item Type
• Click on ‘Users Manager’
• Click on ‘Login Form‘

7.  Access Joomla 3.0 Link

Now you can access your Joomla 3.0 website.  You will not see your hidden login form.  You will be able to access you hidden login form with the alias link.  The alias created is in step 5.  In my example, the link will be:

• cmsmind.com/Elaine-Login-Form

You will only be able to access this Login form with the above link.  If you did not perform step 1, then you probably have to use the index.php word in between.  So your access link would be:

• cmsmind.com/index.php/Elaine-Login-Form

Now you have a link to a hidden login form.  Hope that helps.  Please leave a comment if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Elaine