JoomCourses maintains a database of contacts (instructors, tutors, and staff) who can be assigned to teach courses. Contacts are linked to Joomla user accounts and their profiles appear on the frontend.
Contacts
Viewing Contacts
Go to Components > JoomCourses > Contacts to see all contacts.
The list shows:
- Contact name
- Company
- Phone
- Published status
- Ordering
Creating a Contact
- Click New in the toolbar.
- Fill in the contact profile:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| User | Link to a Joomla user account |
| Salutation | Mr., Ms., Mrs., etc. |
| First Name | Contact's first name |
| Last Name | Contact's last name |
| Company | Organization or company name |
| Contact email address | |
| Phone | Phone number |
| Address | Street address |
| City | City |
| Country | Country |
| VAT Number | VAT registration number (for B2B) |
| Identification Number | ID number |
| Website | Personal or professional website URL |
| Reference Number | Internal reference code |
| Published | Whether this contact is active |
- Click Save.
Publishing and Unpublishing
- Published contacts can be assigned to courses and appear on the frontend.
- Unpublished contacts are hidden from selection and frontend display.
- Toggle the status by clicking the icon in the list view.
Custom Fields for Contacts
JoomCourses supports custom fields on contacts, allowing you to add extra information such as:
- Biography
- Qualifications
- Specializations
- Social media links
To manage contact custom fields:
- Go to Contacts in the sidebar.
- Look for Custom Fields and Custom Field Groups sub-items.
- These link to Joomla's field manager for the JoomCourses contact context.
Tutors
Tutors are Joomla user accounts that represent instructors. While contacts store profile data, tutors are the actual user accounts associated with teaching.
Managing Tutors
Go to Components > JoomCourses > Tutors in the sidebar.
This view shows a list of Joomla users who have been designated as tutors.
Creating a Tutor
- From the Tutors view, click Add Tutor.
- Fill in the user account details to create a new Joomla user.
- The user will be set up as a tutor in the system.
Alternatively, you can link an existing Joomla user as a tutor when creating a contact record.
Editing a Tutor
Click on a tutor in the list to edit their user account details (name, email, user group, etc.).
Assigning Tutors to Courses
Tutors are assigned at the course date level, not the course level. This allows different instructors to teach different sessions of the same course.
To assign a tutor:
- Go to Course Dates and open a course date for editing.
- Select a contact from the Tutor dropdown.
- Save the course date.
The assigned tutor's name and profile will appear on the frontend for that specific course date.
Tutor Profiles on the Frontend
Tutors List Page
Create a menu item with type JoomCourses > Tutors to display a page listing all active tutors/instructors.
The tutors list can be displayed in two layouts:
- Grid — Card-based grid layout
- List — Traditional list format
Configure the layout in Configuration > Tutor Courses Layout.
Responsive Grid Settings
For the grid layout, you can configure how many columns appear at different screen sizes:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| XS Columns | Columns on extra-small screens (phones) |
| SM Columns | Columns on small screens (large phones) |
| MD Columns | Columns on medium screens (tablets) |
| LG Columns | Columns on large screens (desktops) |
| XL Columns | Columns on extra-large screens (wide monitors) |
Individual Tutor Profile
Create a menu item with type JoomCourses > Tutor to link to an individual tutor's profile page.
The tutor profile page displays:
- Tutor name and profile information
- List of courses taught by the tutor
- Course dates and tags
- Custom field data (if configured)
User Profile Integration
JoomCourses includes a user plugin that synchronizes data between Joomla user profiles and JoomCourses contacts.
When the plugin is enabled:
- Registration: When a new user registers on the site, their JoomCourses profile fields (salutation, address, phone, etc.) are captured during registration.
- Profile Updates: When a user updates their Joomla profile, the corresponding JoomCourses contact record is updated automatically.
- User Deletion: When a Joomla user is deleted, their associated JoomCourses contact record is also removed.
The plugin's profile fields can be individually enabled or disabled and marked as required.