Joomla! Programming

Mark Dexter · Louis Landry

Mar 2012 · Addison-Wesley

About this eBook

When you master Joomla! programming, you can customize websites in ways that simply aren’t possible by tweaking parameters or installing someone else’s extensions. Now, there’s an authoritative, “soup-to-nuts” programming guide for every Joomla! user: from beginners with no Joomla! development experience to long-time coders seeking a quick start with Joomla!’s powerful new versions, 1.6, 1.7, and 2.5.

Joomla!TM Programming presents proven best practices for getting the job done right. Written by Mark Dexter and Joomla! design architect Louis Landry (who wrote much of the new Joomla! framework), the text is packed with detailed examples and sample code, in-depth reference-style explanations available nowhere else, and fascinating sidebars revealing why Joomla! works the way it does.

Both a tutorial and reference, this title brings together step-by-step instructions for everything from simple tasks (such as template overrides) to cutting-edge techniques involving components, MVC, and the Joomla! framework. You’ll learn how to

• View Joomla! from a programmer’s perspective
• Extend Joomla! with layout overrides, plugins, and modules
• Take full advantage of Joomla!’s improved new MVC implementation
• Build front-end and back-end components, from start to finish
• Secure your websites with Joomla!’s powerful, flexible new Access Control Lists
• Work with databases and use the new JDatabaseQuery to write complex queries
• Program Joomla! with JavaScript via the lightweight MooTools framework
• Develop custom category structures for your own websites and extensions
• Enable one-click updates for your own custom extensions
• Use the Joomla! platform as an application framework

All example code, updates, and more information on Joomla! programming are available at the companion website, joomlaprogrammingbook.com.

About the author

Mark Dexter has been writing software since the 1970s. He cofounded and ran a commercial software company for 28 years before retiring to do volunteer work in open source software. Mark first started using Joomla! in 2008 and joined the Production Leadership Team in 2009. He has worked extensively in different areas of the project, including the user forums, Google Summer of Code, documentation and help screens, and the Bug Squad. Mark has actively participated in the Joomla! development process since 2009, including fixing bugs, adding features, and coordinating the release of new Joomla! versions. Mark lives in Seattle, Washington.

Louis Landry wrote a large part of the Joomla! framework for version 1.5 and 1.6, and he has been a major design architect for Joomla! for more than five years. His first experience with computers was playing on a 286 with Basic at his father’s office. Louis has programmed in many languages, ranging from low level x86 assembly to managed languages like Java and scripting languages like PHP. He was a founding member of his university’s robotics team. Louis is a car nut, and enjoys working on them in his spare time. He lives in Silicon Valley in California.