Learning the Basics Types of Extensions
| Types of Extensions |
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| Written by Administrator |
| Monday, 13 October 2008 06:40 |
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If you browse through extensions.joomla.org, you will notice that extensions have a C, M, P. These stand for the different extensions that you can install into Joomla. Templates are another extension, but those are different than the other three. Here, I will explain what the different types of extensions are and what they're used for. ComponentsComponents are add-ons to Joomla. They usually come with all their own configuration and manager pages under the Components menu. They can be as small as the Contacts component, and as large as the VirtueMart component. Often times, components are accompanied by modules.ModulesModules are extensions that generate something to display in template positions. Often times, modules display something that is managed by a component.PluginsPlugins are extensions that don't fall into the components or modules category. They can be WYSIWYG editors, authorization plugins, extra buttons, content plugins, etc. Usually they work behind the scenes to change functionality of the front-end or back-end.TemplatesTemplates are designs. You can download templates, modify them, or create your own. You install templates, and assign one as your default in the Template Manager.When modifying a template, there are usually only 2 files you need to mess with... index.php and css/template.css. index.php is the dynamic php/html code that is used to display every page of your website. Notice that the positions are defined by... <jdoc:include type="modules" name="user1" /> If you add new module positions, update the positions xml in templateDetails.xml. css/template.css is the stylesheet used by index.php. Note: there are usually additional stylesheets that you should look at, but usually template.css is the main one. |
| Last Updated on Wednesday, 26 November 2008 14:28 |