Help message

Message (Edit)

Overview

The Message edit screen is where you create or edit a sermon, Bible study, or teaching message. Messages are the core content entity in Proclaim, bringing together teachers, scripture references, media files, series, topics, and more.

How to Access

Components -> Proclaim -> Messages, then click New or click an existing message title.

Toolbar

Button	Action
Save	Saves and stays on the edit screen
Save & Close	Saves and returns to the messages list
Save & New	Saves and opens a blank form
Cancel	Discards changes and returns to the list
Reset Hits	Resets the hit counter for this message (existing messages only, requires edit permission). Displays a confirmation dialog since this cannot be undone.
Help	Opens this help page

Media Files Card

At the top of the edit screen, a collapsible card displays all media files attached to this message. For new (unsaved) messages, you must Save first before media files can be added.

Element	Description
Add Media File	Opens the media file editor pre-linked to this message. Appears after the message is saved.
YouTube Sync	Syncs metadata from YouTube (appears only when a YouTube media file is attached).
Media Table	Shows each attached file with columns: Name, Server (color-coded badge), Status, Duration, Create Date, ID. Click a name to edit that media file.

Tabs

Details Tab

The Details tab is the primary editing area, split into a left content column and a right sidebar column.

Left Column (Content)

Field	Description
Title	Required. The message title as it appears on the frontend.
Alias	URL-friendly slug. Auto-generated from the title if left blank.
Study Introduction	Short summary displayed in list views (rich text editor).
Scriptures	Repeatable subform for scripture references (see below).
Secondary Reference	Free-text field for additional scripture notes.
Study Text	Full message text/notes (rich text editor, full width below).

Scripture Subform

The scripture field is a repeatable table where each row represents one scripture reference. Up to 20 references can be added per message.

Column	Description
Scripture Reference	Free-text field with autocomplete. Type a book name (e.g., "John") and suggestions appear. Enter references like "John 3:16-18" or "Romans 8:28-30".
Bible Version	Dropdown of available Bible translations. Only translations with active API providers are shown.

Working with scripture rows:

• Click the + (Add) button to add a new scripture row.
• Click the - (Remove) button on any row to delete it.
• Use the drag handle to reorder scripture references.
• The first scripture reference is treated as the primary reference for display.

Right Column (Sidebar)

Field	Description
Hits	Read-only view count for this message.
Status	Published, Unpublished, Archived, or Trashed.
Study Date	The date the message was delivered or published.
Image	Message image via Joomla media picker.
Primary Teacher	Hidden legacy field (maintained for backward compatibility).
Teachers	Subform for assigning multiple teachers (see below).
Series	The sermon series this message belongs to. Uses a modal picker with Select (browse existing series), New (create a series without leaving the form), Edit (edit the selected series in a popup), and Clear buttons.

Teacher Subform

The Teachers field is a repeatable table supporting up to 10 teachers per message.

Column	Description
Teacher	Dropdown list of all published teachers. Select the teacher for this row.

Working with teacher rows:

• Click the + (Add) button to add another teacher.
• Click the - (Remove) button to remove a teacher row.
• Use the drag handle to reorder teachers.
• The first teacher in the list is considered the primary speaker and is displayed prominently on the frontend.
• A message can have zero teachers (e.g., panel discussions) or up to 10.

Item Information Tab

The Item Information tab contains classification, filtering, and metadata fields. This tab is hidden in Simple Mode.

Field	Description
Location	Where the message was delivered. In multi-campus setups, this controls which campus sees the message.
Study Number	Optional reference number for the message (e.g., lesson number in a series).
Comments	Enable or disable visitor comments on this specific message.
Access	Joomla view access level. Controls who can see this message on the frontend.
Language	Language assignment for multilingual sites.
Topics	Tag-based subject classification. Multiple topics can be selected from the dropdown.
Suggest Topics	Button that uses AI to analyze the message content and suggest relevant topics. Matched existing topics can be added directly; new keyword suggestions can be created as new topics.
Message Type	Classification by format (e.g., Sunday Sermon, Wednesday Study, Devotional).
Thumbnail	Legacy thumbnail field (hidden, maintained for backward compatibility).

Publishing Tab

Standard Joomla publishing fields: Created Date, Created By, Created By Alias, Modified Date, Modified By, Publish Up/Down dates, Meta Keywords, Meta Description.

Permissions Tab

Per-item access control for Delete, Edit, and Edit State permissions. Only visible to users with core.admin permission.

Special Features

AI Assist

When an AI provider is configured in Component Options (Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini), the AI Assist button appears at the top of the Details tab. It opens a modal that generates:

• Topic suggestions -- AI-recommended topics based on the message title, scripture, and content
• Study Introduction -- A generated summary you can review and apply
• Study Text -- Generated study notes you can review and apply
• YouTube Chapters -- Timestamp-based chapter markers (when YouTube media is attached)

Three checkboxes next to the button control which content types are generated: Topics, Introduction, and Study Text.

YouTube Sync

When a media file linked to this message uses a YouTube server, the YouTube Sync button appears. It opens a modal that can:

• Import YouTube video tags as topics (matched to existing topics or created as new ones)
• Import the video description into the Study Introduction
• Import YouTube chapter markers

Simple Mode

When Simple Mode is enabled in Component Options, the message form is streamlined: the Item Information tab is hidden, AI Assist controls are hidden, and only essential fields are shown.

Tips

• Save the message first before adding media files -- the Add Media File button only appears after saving.
• Assign multiple teachers using the subform rows -- the first teacher is considered the primary speaker.
• Use Topics liberally to help visitors find related content through filtering.
• The Study Introduction appears in list views; the full Study Text appears on the detail page.
• Scripture references support multiple entries via the repeatable subform -- add as many as needed (up to 20).
• Use the Suggest Topics button on the Item Information tab for AI-powered topic recommendations.

Related

• Help-messages -- Messages list view
• Help-mediafile -- Media file entry (attach media to messages)
• Help-teacher -- Teacher entry
• Help-serie -- Series entry
• Help-topic -- Topic entry