Jobline

This is a component to let clients publish job postings on your website.

Requirements

• Mambo 4.5.2.3 or Joomla 1.0.x
• PHP 4.2.2 or above
• MySQL 3.23.x or MySQL 4.x

Features

• View job openings - Users can list published job openings and sort on different fields.
• Post job openings - Any visitor can post job openings, but they need to be approved by admin before they are published.
• View internship openings - Like job openings but only for internships.
• Post internship opening - Post internship opening.
• Submit application - Users can send applications for job openings.
• Search job postings.
• SEF enabled links.
• All strings separated in separate language files for easy translation.
• Included languages: English, French, Italian, Russian, Swedish, Dutch
• Frontend HTML is separated into admin editable template files.
• Possibility to have several different sets of templates.
• Uses the Mambo html editor for description field.
• Possibility to customize extra fields for job postings.

Installation

Just install the component as according to the Mambo documentation.

Upgrade

Steps required to upgrade to a new version of jobline:

1. Backup your database, at the very least the mos_jl_jobposting table.
   Either use phpMyAdmin or a similar database utility, or follow these
   steps:
   
   1. Go to Administrator -> System -> Database -> Backup
   2. Select "Store the file in the backup directory on the server"
   3. Select "Data only"
   4. Select "As a SQL (plain text) file"
   5. Select "mos_jl_jobposting" in the box
   6. Click on the button "Backup the Selected Tables"
   
   
   It is a good idea to check that the file actually contains any data,
   the files are saved in <mambo path>/administrator/backups
2. Note your configuration options, or make a copy of the file components/com_jobline/configuration.php
3. Uninstall the Jobline component via Mambo administrator -> Components -> Install/Uninstall.
4. Install the new zip for Jobline via Mambo administrator -> Components -> Install/Uninstall.
5. Restore your backup of the mos_jl_jobposting table using either a
   MySQL databas utility like phpMyAdmin or MySQL Control Center, or follow
   these steps:.
   
   1. Go to Administrator -> System -> Database -> Restore
   2. Select the file with the same time and date as when you did the backup.
   3. Click on the button "Perform the Restore"
   
   
6. Change back your configuration options, or restore your copy of the file.

Manual Upgrade

It is also possible to upgrade without uninstalling the component,
below is a description on how to do this from different versions. If you
have followed the above steps you don't need to do this.

Step 1

Copy the files in the zip into the correct places (as shown in the jobline.xml file).

Step 2

You will have to follow each of the below steps from your current
version up to the latest version, starting with the lowest version
number and going up.

N.B.: If you have changed the database prefix in Mambo, you must substitute "mos_" in all queries with your chosen database prefix.

From 1.1 to 1.1.1

This is a small maintenance update, make sure to review the
configuration file and save it to make sure the new configuration
options are available.

From 1.0.3 to 1.1

This is a large update and requires several changes, it is not recommended to use this manual upgrade for this upgrade.

1. Run the following queries in phpMyAdmin to alter the Job Posting database:
   

   ALTER TABLE `mos_jl_jobposting` ADD `reference` varchar(255) NOT NULL default '';

   
   

   ALTER TABLE `mos_jl_jobposting` ADD `location` varchar(255) NOT NULL default '';

   
   

   ALTER TABLE `mos_jl_jobposting` ADD `duration` varchar(255) NOT NULL default '';

   
   

   ALTER TABLE `mos_jl_jobposting` CHANGE COLUMN `usstate` `usstate` varchar(10) NOT NULL default '';

   
   
2. The following queries can be used to add the List Templates sub-menu item in Administrator:
   

   INSERT INTO mos_components SET name='List Templates', 
    admin_menu_link='option=com_jobline&task=listtemplates', 
    admin_menu_alt='List Templates', 
    `option`='com_jobline', 
    admin_menu_img='js/ThemeOffice/template.png';

   
   

   UPDATE mos_components SET ordering = ordering+1 
    WHERE parent > 0 AND ´option`='com_jobline' AND ordering >= 2;

   
   

   SELECT parent FROM mos_components WHERE `option`='com_jobline' AND ordering=1;

   
   Note the return value of this, as you need it for the next query.
   

   UPDATE mos_components SET parent = ENTER THE VALUE RETURNED FROM THE EARLIER QUERY 
    WHERE `option`='com_jobline' AND name='List Templates';

   
   

From 1.0.2 to 1.0.3

1. No special changes needed.

From 1.0 / 1.0.1 to 1.0.2

1. Run the following queries in phpMyAdmin:
   

   ALTER TABLE `mos_jl_jobposting` ADD `jobstatus` tinyint(3) NOT NULL default '1';

   
   

   ALTER TABLE `mos_jl_jobposting` CHANGE COLUMN `creditcardexpyear` `creditcardexpyear` int(11) unsigned NOT NULL default '0';

   
   

Usage

Once installed you will have a new menu option called Jobline under
the Components menu in the administrator page of Mambo. From this menu
you can Show job postings, Approve new job postings, administer the
component, read information, change the configuration, edit templates
etc.

Frontend Usage Information

List job postings

By default the component lists the 20 latest job postings. Uses can
change the number of postings to show per page from the drop-down box
above the list. If there are more published and posted jobs than the
current maximum number of items to show per page there will be links to
the other pages below the list of jobs. Clicking on the title of a job
posting will show details of that job. Above the list are also two
links, one leading to a search form and the other to add a job posting.

Search Job Postings

The search form includes a single search box where the user can enter
a search string. This string will be searched for in the job title,
description and qualifications text. This is a very simple search that
only searches for the entire string. When clicking on search, a result
page will show listing all jobs matching the search string. This result
page looks the same as the standard job posting list except that it also
includes links back to the search form.

Add Job Posting

Any user visiting the site may add job postings, however they will
not show up on the site until they have been approved and posted by an
administrator. The available fields on job postings are:

Item Details

Title

This will show as the title of the job. (This is the only required field.)

Reference

An internal reference that the poster can use to keep track of the job.

Description

A long description of the job.

Job Info

Job Type

Is this job full-time, part-time or an internship?

Job Status

Used to show what stage this job is in at the moment.

Location

Where this job is located, either enter something in the field, or choose a US state.

Qualifications

What are the qualifications required for this job?

Compensation Range

This field can be used to enter what range the compensation for this job will be.

Show compensation?

Should the compensation range be shown publically on the site?

Duration

How long this job is intended to be.

How to apply

Information on how to apply for this job.

Extra Fields

The fields available under this tab can be customized by the administrator from the configuration of Jobline.

Contact Information

Enter Company Name

Name of the company that posts the job.

Address 1

First line of the company address.

Address 2

Second line of the company address.

City

City where the company is located.

State

The US state the company is in.

Zip Code

ZIP code for the company

Company Website

Enter the URL for the company website here.

Contact Name

Name of the contact at the company.

Contact Phone

Phone number to the contact person.

Contact Email

Email address to the contact person.

Show Contact on Job Posting?

Should contact information be shown publically on the job posting?

Member ID

This can be anything, can be used by the administrator to keep track of who to invoice for the job posting.

Credit Card Type

Select between different credit card types.

Credit Card Number

Enter credit card number

Credit Card Expiration

Enter the expiration date of the credit card.

When the information has been entered and the user clicks "Preview
Job" a preview of the job posting will be shown and the user will be
asked to either "Save Job Posting" or "Edit Job Posting". If the posting
is saved it will be saved to the database and will show up in the
"Posting Approval Queue" in the administrator page and a thankyou page
will be shown. If an admin email address has been entered in the Jobline
Configuration an email will be sent to this address informaing about
the new job posting. If the user selects "Edit Job Posting" the job
posting form will be shown again with all the information prefilled.

It is important to always supply a contact email address, since this
is the only way for the administrator to contact the poster of the job
and it is also used when applications are sent through the system. If no
email address is entered, no job application link will be shown when
viewing this job posting.

The three credit card fields will only be shown if the configuration
option "Show Credit Card fields" has been set to Yes. If you use this
you should make sure that the site runs encrypted so that no credit card
information is sent in plain text over the internet. This information
isn't handled in any way and if you allow these fields the administrator
will have to withdraw payment manually.

Submit Application

When viewing a Job Posting there is a button below it called "Apply
for Job", when this is clicked a application form will be shown. All
data the user enters in this form will be emailed to the contact email
address for the job posting when the "Send Application" button is
clicked.

Administrator Usage Information

Job Postings

This page shows all approved job postings, whether they are published
or not. From here you can publish/unpublish job postings, add new
postings and edit current job postings. This list works in the same way
as the normal Mambo content editing list. To edit a job posting, click
on its title or mark the checkbox and click on the "Edit" icon. To add a
new job posting click on the "New" icon. Several items can be
published, unpublished or deleted at the same time by marking the
checkboxes next to them and clicking on the appropriate icon. To mark
all checkboxes on the current page, click on the checkbox in the header
field.

Add/Edit Job Posting

The form to Add and Edit a Job Posting works in the same way, when a
job posting is edited all fields will be pre-filled with the values of
that posting.

The fields are the same as when adding a job posting from the
frontend, except that there is a drop-down to select if the posting
should be published or unpublished.

When editing a job posting, it will be checked out and no other
administrator user will be able to edit it until it has been saved or
the cancel icon has been clicked.

Posting Approval Queue

When Job Postings have been published from the frontend of the site they will first show up here.

When clicking on the title of a job the edit form will be shown where
the administrator can review the posting and change anything if
necessary. When everything seems to be OK click on the "Post Job" next
to the job to post the job to the site. An email will be automatically
sent to the contact email address of the job informing the user that the
job has been posted. To reject the post and remove it from the site,
click on the "Reject" link, an email will be dispatched informing about
this as well.

When a job is posted it will be automatically moved to the "Job Postings" list and show up on the frontpage.

List Templates

This shows a list of the available template files in the currently
selected template set. To edit the contents of a template file, just
click on the name of the item. It is not possible to add or remove
template files, as they are used internally by the component.

Description of template files

show

Show a job posting.

list

The main job posting list.

listempty

What should be shown if there are no available job postings.

listitem

This file is called for each job posting in the list.

applicationform

The html of the job application form.

applicationemail

The application email sent out to the owner of the job posting when a user applies using the job application form.

thankyou

The page that is shown when a job posting has been added.

search

The search page.

error

The look of error messages.

preview

The preview screen when adding a job posting from the frontend.

Edit template

When clicking on a template in the template list a page with a large
text field is shown where the contents of the template file can be
edited. If the template file is writeable a green "Writeable" text is
shown above the field, if the system won't be able to save the template a
red "Unwriteable" text is shown above the field instead. If the latter
is shown you need to change the file permissions on the file shown to be
able to save this template file from the administrator page. Click on
the 'Save' button to save the template, or 'Cancel' to discard any
changes.

Information

This page shows information about the component, these usage instructions, license information etc.

Configuration

These are a few simple configuration options to change the behavior of Jobline.

Name automatic emails should be sent from

Email address to the administrator, if this is set emails will be sent to this address when new job postings are entered

Email address automatic emails should be sent from

This email address will be in the From field of all emails sent by
the system. If you don't enter anything here the server default will be
used.

Number of items to show on each page in lists

The default number of job postings to show in lists, this can be changed by the user.

Sort order of items in lists

The default sort order of job postings.

Number of days job postings are shown (enter 0 for no limit)

Job postings won't show up on the site this number of days after it
was posted. If this is set to 0 all postings will show on the site until
they have been specifically set to unpublished by the administrator.

Terms of Service

The information in this text box will be shown when adding job
postings from the frontend. Enter anything you like here about the terms
for submitting information to the site.

Show Credit Card fields

If you set this option to Yes three new fields will show up when
adding and editing job postings where credit card information can be
entered. This information isn't handled in any way so the administrator
will have to withdraw money manually when the job is posted. Beware that
this information isn't encrypted in anyway and you should not use this
unless the site is encrypted.

Show US State drop-down boxes

Show drop-down boxes with a list of all US States for job location and company address.

Select which template set to use

Choose between all available template sets.

Default job status

Choose which value should be chosen by default in the Job Status drop-down.

Use email program for applications instead of a form.

Set to 'Yes' to use the application form, set to 'No' to only show an email link.

Restrict who can post jobs to this access level

Choose which users can post jobs from the frontend.

Automatically approve posted jobs.

When set to 'Yes' all jobs will be posted automatically instead of being added to the Job Posting Queue.

Job postings are marked new for this number of days.

If the template supports it, postings will be marked as new for this number of days.

Date format

How to format the dates, leave this field empty to use the default
set in the current Mambo language file. Uses the syntax of the PHP
function strftime().

Extra fields

Semi-colon separated names of extra fields you want added under the "Extra Fields" tab.

Example:

Start Date; Number of Openings

The above will add two text fields, one with the title "Start Date" and another with the title "Number of Openings". N.B. When adding new fields, they have to be added to the "show" template as well before they show on job postings.

Keyword categories

Add groups of checkboxes in the "Extra Fields" tab, which can be
used to add selectable keywords. Each group must be separated by a
newline, and the title should be left of an equal ("=") sign and the
names of each keyword should be to the right, separated by semi-colon.

Example:

Required Skills=Cooking; Sowing; Rowing; Swimming 
 Recommended Licenses=Driving; Flying

This will give you two keyword categories, one called "Required Skills"
and the other "Recommended Licenses", containing different keywords.
When adding a new job posting, each keyword can be selected by clicking
in the checkbox next to it, and all checked keywords will show up when
viewing the job. N.B. When adding new keyword groups, they have to be added to the "show" template as well before they show on job postings.

Templates

From v1.1 Jobline includes a template system for the html output of
frontend pages. Two different sets of templates are included with
Jobline and it's possible to switch between these from the Jobline
configuration. Each template file can also be changed via the Jobline
Administration. It's only possible to edit the content of template files
in the currently selected template set.

The template files are normal HTML files, but also uses functionality
similar to Mambo Mambots to make it possible to show where dynamic data
should be placed.

Available Template Mambots

{mxtvalue=XXX}

Prints the content of the variable XXX. All job database fields are
added as variables, as well as some other useful values. The available
variables available are different for each template file.

{mxtlang=XXX}

Prints the language string XXX. This can be any language string available in Mambo and Jobline.

{mxtshowif=XXX} Any content {/mxtshowif}

Only shows the content between opening and closing mambots if variable XXX contains a value.

{mxtshowifnot=XXX} Any content {/mxtshowifnot}

Shows the content if the variable XXX doesn't contain a value.

N.B. The mxtshowif and mxtshowifnot template mambots can't be
nested, as it will only work from the opening mambot to the first
occurence of closing mambot.

Please look at the content of the provided template files for more information on how to use this template system.

Customized fields are retrieved by adding "attribs_" to the beginning
of the name, so the field "Start Date" would be shown like this:
{mxtvalue=attribs_Start Date}

It's also possible to get configuration values, by adding "config_" in front of key name of the configuration value.

Information

If you have any bugs to report, or want to make a feature suggestion,
or just want to inform me of your site running this component you can
write about it on the forums at my Mambo site which you can find at this
address: http://mambo.theyard.org

All components and modules I've released are available from that site
so if you are looking for more Mambo enhancements, feel free to visit.

If you like this component you can encourage the development by donating a few dollars to me via PayPal on the address Olle@Johansson.com

About the Author

This component was initially developed by Olle Johansson.

Find more Mambo components and modules on Olle Johanssons Mambo site Mambo at the Yard.

Credits

Jobline was conceptualized and funded by PICnet, Inc, which has graciously agreed to license it as GPL.

The continuing development of Jobline has been sponsored by many people, without whom many of the new functions wouldn't exist.

Those who have contributed with code or language translations need an
extra special thanks. These are: Christiaan van Woudenberg for Job
Status code, Jean-Christophe Boussion for French translation, Vittorio
Docente for Italian translation, Alexander Kozlov for Russian
translation, Dominique for Dutch translation, Cristobal Dominguez for
Spanish translation, Tomasz Z. Napierala for Polish translation, Bruno
Carvalho Castro Souza for Brazilian Portuguese translation, Christoph
Lemmer for German formal translation, Øystein Efterdal for Norwegian
translation.

I'd like to thank all of the Mambo Core Developers for giving away so
much of their time to develop the best CMS there is to be found on the
net.

I'd also like to thank all of those who develop components, modules,
templates etc for Mambo, it's great to have such a wealth of addons to
choose from.

Disclaimer

Neither the creator of this component, Olle Johansson, nor PICnet are
responsible for the security of the data saved by this component and
they are not responsible for anything that occurs through the use of
this component. The component is used entirely at your own risk.