Create an admin account on Joomla

To add Amabrik to a Joomla site, someone needs an account in the Super Users group. In Joomla, the install snippet goes into your site template’s code, and editing template files is reserved for Super Users. The Administrator group does not have that right. So Super Users is what’s needed to either paste the Amabrik snippet yourself or let Amabrik install it for you.

This guide covers how to confirm or create that account. If you already sign in to your Joomla admin and can open System > Templates > Site Templates and edit a template’s files, you’re a Super User and can skip ahead to giving Amabrik access.

What the account is for

A Joomla Super User can do everything on the site: change Global Configuration, install and edit templates, manage components and plugins, and create or remove other users (including other Super Users). Editing template files (the snippet goes there) is a Super User action, which is why this is the group you need.

You need a Super User for one of two things:

• To paste the Amabrik snippet yourself into the template.
• To create a Super User account for Amabrik so we add the snippet for you. Creating that account is itself a Super User action, so you, or whoever owns the site, must be a Super User first.

Super Users vs Administrator (which group you need)

Joomla ships with several built-in user groups. Two get confused often:

• Super Users: full control of the entire site, front end and back end. This group can change Global Configuration and edit template files. This is the group Amabrik needs.
• Administrator: access to most back-end functions and can install or manage components, modules, and plugins. But the Administrator group cannot edit or install site templates and cannot change Global Configuration. So an Administrator account is not enough to add the snippet through template code.

Other groups (Manager, Editor, Author, Publisher, Registered, Public) have fewer rights and can’t add code at all. The rule of thumb in Joomla is to keep each account’s rights as low as possible, so only use Super Users where it’s actually required, which here it is.

Confirm you’re a Super User

1. Sign in to your Joomla admin at yourdomain.com/administrator.
2. In the top menu, open Users > Manage. If you can see and edit every account here, that points to Super User rights.
3. To be sure, open System. If you can see Global Configuration and, under Templates, Site Templates with an option to edit a template’s files, you’re a Super User. Administrators don’t get those.

If you can sign in but can’t reach Global Configuration or edit template files, your account is in a lower group. Ask whoever set up the site to move your account into Super Users, or to create a Super User account for you.

Create a Super User account (if you’re already one)

If you’re already a Super User and want a second admin account (for example for a colleague), you create it the same way you’ll later create the one for Amabrik:

1. Go to Users > Manage, then click New.
2. On the Account Details tab, fill in Name, Login Name, Password (and confirm it), and Email. Login name and email both have to be unique on the site.
3. Open the Assigned User Groups tab and tick Super Users.
4. Click Save & Close.

Lost the admin login?

If nobody has a working Super User login, your hosting provider’s support can usually help, since they have database access. There’s also a Joomla command-line tool (php cli/joomla.php user:reset-password) that resets a user’s password if you have server access. Contact your host or developer. Amabrik can’t reset a Joomla login for you.

Next step

Once you have a Super User account, you can give Amabrik access so we add the snippet for you. The safest way is to create a separate Super User account for us rather than sharing your own login. See Give Amabrik access to your Joomla site for the exact steps.

FAQ

Which group do I need, exactly?

Super Users. It’s the only built-in group that can edit template files and change Global Configuration, both of which the install needs. The Administrator group can’t do either.

Isn’t “Administrator” the top group?

No. In Joomla the top group is Super Users. The Administrator group sits below it and specifically can’t edit templates or touch Global Configuration. That trips a lot of people up.

I can log in but can’t edit templates. Why?

Your account is in a lower group, most likely Administrator or Manager. Ask the site owner to move you into the Super Users group, or to create a Super User account for you.

Do I need a Super User account if Amabrik installs the snippet for me?

Yes. To grant Amabrik access you create a Super User account for us, and only a Super User can create that account. So you need Super User access first.

Is the Super User group safe to give out?

It has full control of the site, so treat it carefully. That’s why we recommend creating a separate Super User account for Amabrik instead of sharing your main login, and removing that account once the install is done.