As Joomla! Users, we are sure that you will be interested in learning about Joomla! extensions. To meet this demand, today we will provide you an overview of Joomla! Extensions. In this writing, we will introduce some general information on definition of extensions, a set of core Joomla! extensions, installing as well as updating extensions.
Let’s read and discover this writing.
1. Definition of an extension
Extensions are anything you can add to Joomla! to have a whole new functionality to your site with just a few clicks beside Joomla! default functionality. There are five different extension types in Joomla!. They are components, modules, plugins, templates, and languages. These extension types can all be installed according to the same way although they can perform incredibly different functions in your site. While a plugin and a template are very different things, each of them extend your site's inherent function and form beyond what comes with the basic Joomla! package.
Joomla! has a set of core extensions such templates, plugins, components, modules and languages which will be installed in your site directly after Joomla! installation.
Components
Components are large and quite complex extensions because they act as the main functional parts of a Joomla! site. Components play an important role in creating the main content body of your site's content on both the frontend and backend. They can also be seen as mini-applications. Created by a component, content is usually displayed in the center of the main content area of a template (depending on the template). It means that each template will display component in a different position. You will confirm this feature if you use a specific template or different templates.
Joomla! comes with a number of core components, like the Content Management System, Contact Forms and Web Links.
Modules
Modules are small extensions that are created in specific positions in your template. These module positions will be created according to the developer. In addition to components; it will help you perform a number of different tasks.
Plugins
A plugin is a kind of Joomla! extension. Plugins provide functions which are associated with trigger events. Joomla! provides a set of core plugin events, but any extension can fire (custom) events. When a particular event occurs, all plugin functions of the type associated with the event are executed in sequence. This is a powerful way of extending the functionality of the Joomla! Platform.
Templates
A template is a type of Joomla! extension that changes the way your site looks. There are two types of templates used by the Joomla! CMS: Front-end Templates and Back-end Templates. The Front-end Template controls the way your website is presented to the user viewing the website's content. The Back-end Template controls the way your website's administrative tasks are presented for controlling management functions by a Joomla! Administrator.
These would include common tasks such as: user, menu, article, category, module, component, and plugin and template management.
Languages
Languages are an essential type of extension within Joomla!. They enable the site manager to configure their Joomla! installation to support a variety of different languages on either the visitor side, administrator side, or both. While language support exists within the core Joomla! platform, you can install third-party language packs which can provide additional support to meet your individual needs.
You can absolutely find third-party language packs here.
2. Install extensions
Installing an extension is a fairly simple process. The first thing you need to do is to login to the administrative area of your Joomla! website. After that, access the Joomla! Extension Manager by going to Extensions -> Extension Manager.
Once you open the Extension Manager, you will have three options to install your extension. They are: Upload Package File, Install from Directory and Install from URL. In most cases, you should go for the first option: Upload Package File.
3. Update extensions
Updating your components, modules and plugins is an easy task. First, you need to access your Joomla! admin page and go to Extensions -> Extension Manager.
After the extension manager is loaded, please click on the “Update” on the left hand.
Next, Joomla! will show you a list of all extensions that have a new version. With just a few clicks, you can finish the update process of an extension.
This writing is an overview of Joomla! Extensions in term of definitions, a set of extensions, installing and updating them. I hope it will be useful for you, Joomla! Users. Thank you for your reading!