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Learning Joomla! 1.5 Extension Development
Creating Modules, Components, and Plug-Ins with PHP
A practical tutorial for creating your first Joomla! 1.5 extensions with PHP

Joseph LeBlanc

BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI

Learning Joomla! 1.5 Extension Development
Creating Modules, Components, and Plug-Ins with PHP
Copyright © 2007 Packt PublishingAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews. Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, theinformation contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, Packt Publishing, nor its dealers or distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book. Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all the companies and products mentioned in this book by theappropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

First published: May 2007

Production Reference: 1180507

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd. 32 Lincoln Road Olton Birmingham, B27 6PA, UK. ISBN 978-1-847191-30-4
www.packtpub.com

Cover Image by www.visionwt.com

Credits
Author Joseph LeBlanc Reviewer Riccardo Tacconi Development EditorDouglas Paterson Assistant Development Editor Mithil Kulkarni Technical Editor Akshara Aware Editorial Manager Dipali Chittar Cover Designer Manjiri Nadkarni Project Manager Patricia Weir Project Coordinator Abhijeet Deobhakta Indexer Bhushan Pangaonkar Proofreader Chris Smith Production Coordinator Manjiri Nadkarni Shantanu Zagade

About the Author
Joseph LeBlanc started with computers at avery young age. His independent education gave him the flexibility to experiment and learn computer science. Joseph holds a bachelors degree in Management Information Systems from Oral Roberts University.
Joseph is currently a freelance Joomla! extension developer. He released a component tutorial in May 2004, which was later translated into French, Polish, and Russian. Work samples and open-sourceextensions are available at www.jlleblanc.com. In addition to freelancing, he served as a board member of the inaugural DC PHP Conference. He has also worked as a programmer for a web communications firm in Washington, DC. I would like to thank the following people for making this book possible: Packt Publishing, for giving me the opportunity to author this work. The Joomla! Team, for developingsome of the best software in the world. Keith Casey, Conrad Decker, Jim Johnson, and Robyn Wyrick for their insights and advice on managing software companies. To Steve and Sue Meeks, for their flexibility with my schedule during the writing process and for giving Joomla! a shot. Everyone who has downloaded and used my open-source components. My professors, for taking me on the Journey of a Byteand showing me how to write effectively. Mom and Dad, for teaching me how to learn.

About the Reviewer
Riccardo Tacconi works for an Italian company as a system administrator and web developer using PHP, MySql, and Oracle. He is an MCP and studies IT part-time at the British Open University. His main interests are web development, Windows and Linux administration, Robotics, and Java softwaredevelopment (JMF, motion detection, CV and distributed systems).
He loves Linux and he is a proud member of the local Linux User Group: GROLUG. He tries to innovate ways to substitute Windows based technologies with Linux and open-source alternatives.

Table of Contents
Preface Chapter 1: Joomla! Extension Development: An Overview
Why Extend Joomla! 5 Customization versus Extension 6 How to...