When you're using sites around the web, most of the time we hardly give a thought as to how things actually work until you come accross a process that clearly doesn't work. For a long time Joomla's standard process of login/logout was a convoluted experience of page jumps and extra buttons with limited signposts along the way. But that's all over now...
Yes it could be improved using plugins or additional component installs but it took some doing. And in fairness, it still does but everything you need to create a smooth non obstructive login/logout process, is now available in core Joomla. As of J3.5 we can now create a seamless login / logout experience which won't upset you or your users. Amazing isn't it... Joomla 3.5, we've been doing it the other way for 10 years.
The video goes through it all in details but in essence, this technique makes use of a clever user group and access level called 'Guest'. Giving Guest access to an item means it will only be displayed to the user if they are not logged in. The moment they login in, Joomla hides the item from view. This applies to all content types including articles, categories and modules, as well as menus.
So the steps to accomplishing an excellent Login Logout process are:
- Make sure Guest group is set as Guest login option
- Create Login menu item and set access to Guest
- Create Logout menu item and set access to Registered
- Set desired redirects as needed in those menu options
Pretty simple, but one of those things that's not immediately obvious.
If you need any help finding the settings or you run into problems on your setup, get in touch, we'll be happy to help out.