How To Use Joomla! Plugins

Joomla! Plugins are small, specialised pieces of code that typically run only when triggered by an event.

Plugins are used as "helper" applications, providing bits of additional functionality or extending existing Joomla! functions.

The default Joomla! system includes 32 plugins. They provide a number of significant and useful functions, including login authentication, site search, search engine friendly URLs, and the WYSIWYG content editor. Although not all of the 32 plugins are enabled in the default configuration, the majority are in use by the system.

Several of them are essential to the proper functioning of a Joomla! site and should only be disabled if you understand fully the implications and have planned accordingly.

The Joomla! Plugin Manager

Joomla! plugins are controlled through the Plugin Manager. The manager contains all the system plugins, together with any third-party plugins you may have installed.

To view the plugins in your site, log in to the Admin system and go to the Extensions menu.

Select the option Plugin Manager, and the Plugin Manager loads in your browser window.

The toolbar at the top of the Plugin Manager provides quick access to the following functions:

Enable: Select one or more plugins from the list and then click this icon to enable them.

Disable: Select one or more plugins from the list and then click this icon to disable them.

Edit: Select a plugin from the list and then click this icon to edit the plugin’s details.

You can easily identify all the plugins that are currently active on the site as they are denoted with either a "Tick" or a "Cross" in the Enabled column.

Configuring Joomla! Plugins

The workspace of each plugin is divided into two areas: Details and Parameters.

The Details portions of all the plugin types are identical. There are few options associated with plugins, and those few that exist are found in the Parameters area of each plugin's workspace.

The toolbar at the top of the plugin dialogue provides quick access to the following functions:

Save: Click this icon to save your work and exit the plugin dialogue.

Apply: Click to save your work without exiting from the plugin dialogue. This option lets you save without exiting the screen, and it useful in case you are interrupted or you otherwise want to save yet keep working on this screen.

Close: Cancels the task and exits the Plugin Manager.

The Details section of the workspace contains the following fields:

Name: The name given to the plugin.

Enabled: Select Yes to make the plugin active. The default state varies by plugin.

Type: This identifier is set by the system and tells you the type of plugin. This cannot be changed.

Plugin File: The name of the plugin file. Each plugin has two files associated with it; one .php and one .xml. Do not change the value in this field.

Access Level: Choose from Public, Registered, or Special to set the access level for this plugin. Setting the plugin to a level higher than Public may result in some functionality working incorrectly for some site visitors.

Order: Sets the order of the plugin relative to other enabled plugins of the same type. The order impacts the sequence in which plugins are activated and so may have impact on some functionality in limited circumstances.

Description: Joomla! provides this description text to help users understand the use of the plugin.

Joomla! Plugin Parameters

The Parameters section varies by each plugin type, however it is typically used to configure the way a plugin behaves and operates.

Sometimes there are no parameters associated with a plugin.

Joomla! Content Plugins

To embed the output from a plugin in Joomla! content, such as an article, each plugin will use its own syntax, but typically it will be expressed as a statment inside curly braces. For example;

The plugin will then be evaluated and the output will appear accordingly.