Joomla Plugins

Authentication (Joomla!, LDAP, OpenID, GMail)
The “Authentication” plugins add different form of user authentication to your site.
The Joomla! Authentication plugin involves initially registering at the web site and then
confirming your identity through a confirmation email.
The OpenID and GMail Authentication plugins use prexisting databases to authenticate the user.
By signing in with a GMail or OpenID account, steps will be eliminated from the registration
process.
By default, only the Joomla! Authentication plugin is enabled.

Cache
The “Cache” Plugin provides page caching functionality. This reduces server load and lag.
By caching the pages, new pages do not have to be generated as often, however, the benefits of
caching require high traffic levels to be noticable.

Code Highlighter (GeSHi)
GeSHi is an Open Source syntax highlighter program
that helps illustrate different code languages such as
PHP, JavaScript, HTML, each in a different colour, to
assist with the readability of a code entry in a
Content Item. This code entry must be encased
within a

...

element that defines a block
of preformatted code.
In this Plugin form, GeSHi is installed with the ability
to highlight CSS, HTML4 (strict), JavaScript, PHP,
PHP brief, MySQL, SQL, and XML.

Email Cloaking
The Email Cloaking plugin adds a layer of security to email addresses contained inside Content
Items and Contacts. The plugin uses JavaScript to effectivly hide the email address when an
email address appears as one of the following:
● address@mydomain.com
● address@mydomain.com
● mail Admin!
All would be cloaked by the functionality of this plugin.

Editors (TinyMCE 2.1 & Xstandard Lite for Joomla!)
Both the TinyMCE 2.1 and the Xstandard Lite for Joomla! plugins are WYSIWYG (What You See
Is What You Get) editors. They allow for the creation of Content Items and editing descriptions
among other tasks.
TinyMCE 2.1 is both the default and most feature rich editor. It offers all the features that are
needed for standard use.
The default editor may be set from the “Global Configuration” dialoge.

Editors-XTD (Image, Page Break, Readmore)
These Plugins add important functionality to the front-end for viewing content and the back-end
for enabling and configuring this functionality.
The Image Editor-XTD Plugin displays a button to make it possible to insert images into an
Article. The button causes a popup to be displayed allowing you to configure the image’s
properties, and to upload new image files.
The Pagebreak Editor-XTD Plugin provides a button to enable a pagebreak to be inserted into an
Article. A popup allows you to configure the settings to be used, such as “Title.”
The Readmore Editor-XTD Plugin enables a button to be available that allows you to easily
insert the “Read more…” link into an Article.

Legacy
The “Legacy” Plugin adds Legacy support for Joomla! 1.0. This Plugin allows existing
components, mambots, templates and modules to function in Joomla! 1.5.
By default, the “Legacy” Plugin is disabled, but can be enabled if required.
It is recommended to use extensions that run natively in Joomla! 1.5.

Rating
The “Search” Plugin adds the functionality of a reader rating system to the Content Items in the
Front-end of the web site. This is the sequence of 5 image objects that are “lit up” in accordance
with the seletions made by the Users in the Front-end.
By default, this Plugin is not enabled.

Search (Categories, Newsfeeds, Sections, Contacts, Content, Weblinks)
The various “Search” Plugins enable the Search component to search all types of content on
your website. The different plugins are for each type of content, allowing the enabling and
disabling of searching the different types of content.
Through using this methodology, content stored and managed by third party components can
be searched if an appropriate plugin is made available.

SEF
The “SEF” Plugin adds Search Engine Friendly functionality to the URL links of content items. It
operates automatically once published and enabled in the Global Configuration. The plugin
operates directly on the HTML code and does not require special tagging to be added by a user.

XML-RPC (Blogger API, Joomla! API)
The “XML-RPC” (Extensible Markup Language – Remote Procedure Call) Plugin adds XML-RPC
functionality to Joomla!
The “XML-RPC Blogger API” allows third party applications, such as w.bloggar, to talk to
Joomla!, giving the user the ability to remotely edit, add, delete and publish content items.
The “XML-RPC Joomla! API” adds further Joomla! specific functionality through compliant
third party applications.

Joomla Modules

Archived Content
The “Archived Content” module allows the positioning of a display of Content Items that have
been Archived by a Publisher or above. The Content Itmes are available behind a Month/Year
directory list.
The Items are sorted by creation date not archival date. Only those Months/Years with Content
Items created in them will be displayed so there will not be a list of empty directories.

Banners & Feed
Both the “Banners” and “Feed” modules are the front-end display mechanism for their
respective components.
Both can be configured to display specific items on specific pages.
Standard module parameters such as “Menu Assignment” and “Details” are available.

Custom HTML
The “Custom HTML” module allows the creation of a custom module. “Custom HTML” modules
may contain any HTML based content, including text, images and links.

Breadcrumbs
The “Breadcrumbs” module allows the adition of breadcrumbs to the websites front-end.
Breadcrumbs are a navigation aid commonly used in user interfaces. The breadcrumbs give
users a way to keep track of there location within the web site.

Footer
The “Footer” module shows the Joomla! Copyright information in the following form.
“Copyright © YYYY [Site Name Here]. All Rights Reserved.”
“Joomla! is Free Software released under the GNU/GPL License.”

Login
The “Login” module displays the required fields to login, without navigating to a new page.
Default visible fields include “Username,” “Password,” and “Remember Me.”
Various parameters are available to change what extra options are available, such as
“Remember Me.”

Menu
The “Menu” module displays a menu that is defined from within the Menu Manager. All Joomla!
web sites have a “Main Menu” which cannot be deleted. The “Menu” module allows new menus
to be displayed in other positions.
The module has various parameters including “Menu Name,” “Menu Style,” and sub-menu item
preferences.

Most Read & Latest News
Both the “Most Read” and “Latest News” modules display a list of links to either the most read
articles or the most recently added articles.
Both are easily managed with parameters to limit the scope to certain sections and/or
categories. Standard module parameters such as “Menu Assignment” and “Details” are
available.

News Flash
The “Newsflash” module displays Content Items from a specific Section/Category list. Standard
module parameters such as “Menu Assignment” and “Details” are available.

Polls
The “Polls” module is the front-end display mechanism for the “Polls” component.
Together, the “Polls” module and component can be configured to show specific polls on
specific pages.
Standard module parameters such as “Menu Assignment” and “Details” are available.

Random Image
The “Random Image” module displays a random image from the contents of a specific image
folder. This folder is set via the parameters dialoge. Standard module parameters such as
“Menu Assignment” and “Details” are available in addition to certain “Advanced Parameters.”

Related Items
The “Related Items” module utilises the meta-data associated with each piece of content. The
module will display content items with the same keywords, and therefore of a similar subject,
giving the user added value to the amount of detail that are able to obtain from a web site.
Hence, it is important to ensure that the keywords accurately reflect the specific content in
every item, otherwise the advantages are rapidly lost and will significantly detract from the user
experience. Less is definitely more (provided they are accurate).

Search
The “Search” module provides the user with the ability to instantly perform a basic search from
their current location and to be taken directly to the results. This removes the need to navigate
to a search dialogue.

Sections
The “Sections” module shows a list of all Article Sections configured in the your web sites
database.
If the parameter “Show Unauthorised Links” is set to No, the list will be limited to the Sections
the User’s access level permits them to see.

Statistics
The “Statistics” module displays a basic list of information about the server and Joomla!
Installation. Information displayed includes Server OS, PHP Version, MySQL Version, Time,
Caching, GZIP, Members, Content, Weblinks, and Content View Hits.

Syndicate
The “Syndicate” module displays a pictorial list of all the Feed types that are available for the
web site. The module works in conjunction with the Syndicate Component where the actual feed
details are configured.
A website user wishing to add the fee would them simply need to right click the module image
and copy the link location to their News Feed reader, or as is more common these days, use
their News Feed reader or Browse to automatically add the Feed.

Who’s Online
The “Who’s Online” module provides a basic display of the number of Guests (unregistered
vistors) and how many members (registered users that are logged in) are connected to the
website at the time the web page was queried.
The module can be set to display the names of the Members who are logged in.

Wrapper
The “Wrapper” module wraps another web page directly into the website at a specific location
determined by the module position. The web page is inserted as an inline frame into the web
site layout template.
The module can be used to display another web site, but also alternative pages from within the
website is is installed upon, as well as allowing completely independent applications and scripts
to be run on the web site and output their displays/information as if an integral part of the
website.

JOOMLA Components

Joomla Components
A Banner
The “Banner” component allows the user to manage banners by Categories and Clients. The “Banners Manager” has three tabs, “Banners,” “Clients,” and “Categories.”

B Contacts
The “Contacts” component allows the user to manage a Contacts directory with regard to the
Contacts within the web site.

C Newsfeeds
The “Newsfeeds” component enables the most recent articles from external web sites feeds
(e.g. RSS) to be linked to for further reading.

D Polls
The “Polls” component displays a list of all active (published or unpublished) polls on your site.
“Polls” are easily managed with parameters such as “Lag” (time between votes) and “Options”
for which visitors may vote.

E Search
The “Search” component provides statistics on searches performed using the Joomla! Search
Plugin.
The component provides the statistics as a simple list containing “Search Text” compared to
“Times Requested,” and by default sorted by “Times Requested.”

F Weblinks
The “Weblink” component lists and provides management controls for controlling Web Links
displayed in the Front-end of the web site.
The “Links” tab displays a list of active (published and unpublished) links organised by category
and order.
The “Categories” tab allows whole categories of links to be organised and “Published” status
changed.
Weblinks are managed in categories and have various parameters such as “Target” (e.g. “New
Window with Browser Navigation”) and “Description.”