In my previous articles “Day -12” to “Day – 20” , I wrote about the components menu. Today, will write about the next menu Extension. Under Extensions there are several sub menus, I will start with the install/uninstall menu. How we can install and uninstall modules, components, plugins, templates.

Extensions are add-ons that expand the functionality of Joomla. Extensions are used to add capabilities to Joomla that do not exist in the standard package. Hundreds of Extensions are available for Joomla, with more being developed all of the time.

Extensions are categorized into five types, as follows:

• A Component is a mini-application that renders the main body of the page. Examples of Components are Contacts, the Front Page, and News Feeds.

• A Module is a smaller Extension typically used for rendering a small element that displays across multiple pages. Examples of Modules include Menus and Related Items.

• A Plugin is a section of code that runs when a pre-defined event happens within Joomla. For example, editors are Plugins that run when an edit session is opened.

• The Language Extension allows for the Front-end and Back-end of Joomla to be presented in any language for which a language Extension exists. This way, Joomla! can be released in a new language with no changes to the core program.

• A Template controls the way the content of a web site is displayed, including the location and layout of elements, colors, fonts, and so on. Templates allow the appearance of the web site to be separated from it’s content.

This screen is organized into six sections as follows:
• Install: Allows you to install all types of Extensions.
• Components, Modules, Plugins, Languages, Templates: Allow you to enable, disable, and uninstall Extensions of each type.

Install Screen

Details

Joomla! Extensions can be installed using one of three methods, as indicated below. Only one method is needed to install a given Extension.

The normal procedure for installing a Joomla! Extension is as follows:

1. Download one or more archive files (normally “.zip” or “tar.gz” format) from the Extension provider’s web site to a local directory on your computer. Note that some Extensions are installed as one file (for example, one Component or Module) while other Extensions might have two or more files (for example, a Component and a Module). If there are two or more parts, each one will have its own archive file.

2. Use the “Browse” button in the “Upload Package File” to browse to each archive file.

3. Use the “Upload Package File” button to install the Extension. Joomla! then unpacks the archive file and installs the Extension.

4. Depending on the Extension, it may be necessary to enable the Extension (for example, in the Module Manager or Plugin Manager).

Package File

Browse to the location where you downloaded the Extension’s archive file. Then press “Upload File & Install”. Joomla! will read the contents of the archive file and install the Extension. When it is finished, the screen will display the message “Install Component Success”. If the installation is not successful, an error message will display.

Install Directory

As an alternative to installing from an archive file, you can follow the steps below:

1. Create a temporary directory on your local hard drive and unpack the Extension’s archive file in this temporary directory.

2. Using FTP, upload the contents of this directory (including files and subdirectories) to a directory on your server.

3. In the Install Directory field specify the directory where you have uploaded the files and subdirectories of the package.

4. Click on the Install button and Joomla! will install the contents of the given directory.
When it is finished, the screen will display the message “Install Component Success”. If the installation is not successful, an error message will display.

Install URL

A third alternative for installing an Extension is as follows. Instead of downloading the archive file to your local computer, just specify the URL of the target archive file. Then click the “Install” button and Joomla! automatically installs it directly from this URL. Again, the screen will display the message “Install Component Success”.

If the installation is not successful, an error message will display. Note that, with this method, you will not have a copy of the archive file on your local computer.