Change in support method
Up until now I’ve been happy to provide support by either responding to comments or directly emailing people but have found with that I’m answering some of the same questions numerous times.
So I’ve introduced a forum at http://forum.briask.com. Please post your questions, issues, suggestions on that forum so that I can share information with all that use ImageslideShow for Joomla!
How to publish multiple copies of ImageSlideShow
Have had a numbers of question recently asking how to have multiple copies of ImageSlideShow displaying on one page. To do this follow the instructions below, these would also apply to any other Joomla! module (assuming that the module was written in a manner that allows multiple copies)
1. Install ImageSlideShow (see instructions here)
2. Configure the first instance of ImageSlideShow i.e. set the Title like this.
3. Click on Apply and you have published the first copy.
4. Click on Cancel which will bring you back to the Module Manager
5. To create a second instance, click on New and then select ImageSlideShow.
6. Click on Next and set a different title llke this 
You can also set different parameters for this instance if you wish.
Click on Apply and thats it! You now have multiple instances of ImageslideShow.
Enjoy! and if you have any questions
If you have any questions on ImageSlideShow, please post the question in my ImageSlideShow forum.
How to write a Joomla! 1.5 module.
A Joomla! module is a simple extension to Joomla!. Many modules are display only or have limited interaction with a user. For more complex extensions or interactions then Joomla! plugins or components are more appropriate. In this post I’ll describe the basics of module development as I understand them.
Written in PHP, at their simplest a module only requires two files, one containing configuration information and the other code. In the best tradition of programming I’ll use a “Hello World” example to demonstrate.
Under the root of your Joomla! installation you will see a directory called modules, unsurprisingly this is where modules are installed to. Each module requires a unique name and although it is not required to be adhered to , a naming convention is in place which notes the module name should begin with “mod_” to denote module, components begin with “com_” (in the component directory) but oddly plugins do not seem to have a naming convention.
I’ll call my module “mod_briaskHello”. Joomla! expects the configuration file to be named the same as the name as the module and the configuration file is XML so I’ll create a file called mod_briaskHello.xml. The configurtaion file can also be considered the installation file as it is this file that Joomla! reads when it is installing the module. The module will be installed into the “mod_briaskHello” directory under the main modules directory.
Although any text editor can be used to create the file, I tend to use Notepad++ . The contents of the file should be as follows:
<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”UTF-8″?>
<install type=”module” version=”1.5.0″ >
<name>mod_briaskHello</name>
<author>Briask</author>
<creationDate>May 2008</creationDate>
<copyright></copyright>
<license>GNU GPL</license>
<authorEmail>briask at briask.com</authorEmail>
<authorUrl>http://www.briask.com</authorUrl>
<version>1.0</version>
<description>A HelloWorld example</description>
<files>
<filename module=”mod_briaskHello”>mod_briaskHello.php</filename>
</files>
<params>
<param name=”moduleclass_sfx” type=”text” default=”" label=”Module Class Suffix” description=”PARAMMODULECLASSSUFFIX” />
</params>
</install>
You will need to change the various elements to suit your own details, the following are purely descriptive elements and have no effect on the operation of the module name, author, creationDate, copyright, license, authorEmail, authorUrl, version, description.
The install element and associated attributes type and version detail the type of Joomla! extension (module, component, plugin) and the version of Joomla! that the module is compatible with 1.5.0 meaning J! 1.5 and above
The files element and its child filename elements detail the files that make up the module and will ensure that they are copied to the modules directory. The filename element attribute module indicates the module this file is associated with and the value of the element indicates the actual filename. In the example config file above the module is noted as being “mod_briaskHello” and the file to be installed is called mod_briaskHello.php.
The params element is used to detail the parameters associated with a module, can specify types of parameter, sizes etc. I’ll cover those in a post on more detailed module development. The parameter in the example listed is that for adding the “Module Class Suffix” to a module.
Next we need to create the mod_briaskHello.php file. As a default template the file needs to contain
<?php
/*
* Any comments or copyright(left) or licensing details
*/
defined(’_JEXEC’) or die (’Direct Access is not allowed’);
?>
The defined(’_JEXEC’) or die (”Direct Access is not allowed’); line should be included as the first line of code to be executed in all modules as it helps to ensure that the module will only be called by Joomla! and not bay any nasty hacker type code.
Now for the exciting part! Add the line ” echo JText::_(’Hello World!’);” after the “defined” statement. When executed that line will output Hello World . The _ method of JText hooks into the translation services that can be installed with J!.
Now that the code is written, it needs to be installed into Joomla! To this we need to create a ZIP file that the Joomla! extension manager can read and use to install the module. Use your favourite compression tool to create the zip file and ensure it is named the same as the module, in this case the file would be named mod_briaskHello.zip. Now just follow the usual steps in Joomla! for installing a module and you’ve written/installed your first Joomla! module. You should see that the module appears in the list of modules and that on the filesystem of your server a new subdirectory of the modules directory has been created for this new module.
Have fun!
How to : Add Module Class Suffix to a Joomla! 1.5 module
This field can contain a suffix that will be applied to the CSS classes for the Module styles of this page. This allows individual Modules styling with relative ease. For example, if the suffix .foo is entered here, all CSS code elements in the CSS file within the Template for Modules will have .foo added to them. Separate entries would then need to be added in the CSS file of the Template, for each corresponding difference.
What you need to do is add the following to the module XML file and thats it!
<param name=”moduleclass_sfx” type=”text” default=”" label=”Module Class Suffix” description=”PARAMMODULECLASSSUFFIX” />
Expect to see this in the next update so you’ll be able to add all the CSS styling you could ever want to the SlideShow.
Image Slide Show for Joomla! 1.5.x, the first major update.
Some had noticed that the demo site has been “offline” for a few days. Reason being I was running this updated version of ImageSlideShow through some tests. Based on those tests I’m releasing the following version of the module.
The update to the Image Slide Show module contains the following updates :
- Ability to have multiple copies of ImageSlideShow on one page.
- Ability to have the ImageSlideShow link to another URL, URL can be set to open in same window or a new window.
- Ability to choose between various Sorting / random options.
You can download the module from the following location Image SlideShow
I’ve added detail on how to configure this module over on this configuration post. Hopefuly this will answer any questions about configuration of the module and make it easier for you to integrate into your website.
If you have any questions on how this module works or how to develop modules for Joomla using PHP & Javascript please do note them in the comments or drop me an email at this address.
Briask- How to edit a Joomla template to publish a module in a new position.
- End of life announced for Joomla 1.0.x
- Interesting point from xkcd
- Change in support method
- How to publish multiple copies of ImageSlideShow
- Minor update to ImageSlideShow
- OK Computer! Just start already…
- What a to-do about what to do!
- Final Fantasy - take a listen.
- Return from Vacation!