When developing or modifying custom Joomla Templates, Mambo Templates and Virtuemart Templates, being able to quickly referece the various module positions available within your web site template design structure helps make easy work of populating your web pages within the Joomla Content Management System (CMS) framework.

One way to view the template with its array of Joomla module positions is through the administrator back end, navigating to the SITE > PREVIEW > INLINE WITH POSITIONS drop down menu link. Using this method, isn't quite the ideal method, as your view of the template module positions is only viewable in a wrapper.

The best option is to utilize the Joomla Template Front End Preview Module Positions URL (index.php?tp=1), which provides a preview of your Joomla and Mambo CMS template's module positions from the front end without a wrapper. This trick works any any Joomla / Mambo Templates, including the free templates as well as the custom commercial templates. And when combined with the functionality of Mozilla Firefox tabs functionality, which we prefer over the bug-riddled Internet Explorer (IE) 7.0 tab system, toggling between the site visitors' front-end view and the module position preview view makes easy work of developing a logical module structure.

So, when you need to quickly identify a Joomla or Mambo website template's module positions, simply add index.php?tp=1 to the end of your Joomla / Mambo install directory URL, and you're in business.