How to add a new module position in joomla 3.X

Question

I am trying to add a new module position to the top of my joomla template. I have followed all of the steps outlined in this article:
https://www.gavick.com/documentation/joomla-templates/customizing-joomla-template/how-to-add-new-module-position.

However, when I get to the final step, the module is never in the exact position where I want it. I need the module to be in the upper right section of the page for a login box.

Can anyone provide information on what I am missing to place the module exactly where I want it to be? Thanks!

Answer 1

I'm going to assume that when you say the module is never in the exact position where I want it, it means your new module position is rendered, but not the way you expect.

As the tutorial you've used mention:

To make the module match the look of the template, you may need to adjust the CSS files

You probably need to position the <div> correctly using CSS. An exact answer is not possible unless you can give access to a live site, tell us what template you're using, or at least provide a screenshot. But first of all I suggest you check your source code or Firebug/Chrome Developer tools (press Ctrl + U, or F12) and see if your module HTML is rendered where you expected.

If it is, then you will have to play around with CSS in order to position it correctly. This page has an introduction on how to position elements using CSS.

Answer 2

The templateDetails.xml file contains all the installation and core information for a template. In order for module positions to be available for selection in the Module Manager, the positions must be declared in the templateDetails.xml file of the template.

<positions>
  <position>top</position>
  <position>left</position>
  <position>right</position>                
  <position>bottom</position>
  <position>banner</position>
  <position>syndicate</position>
  <position>footer</position>
  <position>user1</position>
  <position>user2</position>
  <position>user3</position>
  <position>user4</position>
  <position>debug</position>
</positions>

Know more - https://docs.joomla.org/Declaring_module_positions