Front EndWhat is Component Architect?
Component Architect is a Joomla extension that allows for the automated code generation of other Joomla extensions (components, modules and plugins) for Joomla! 2.5 and Joomla! 3.x websites - and will be updated for all future releases of Joomla!.
We believe in the Open Source community so:
- Component Architect is a downloaded Joomla component (no encryption, host links or host files)
- Component Architect is Open Source (GPL 3.0)
- Code templates are all Open Source (GPL 3.0)
- All components and extensions generated from supplied code templates are required to comply with the GPL 3.0 licence
Unlike many other extension/component builders, generators or creators Component Architect provides you with complete control by being a donwloaded open soruce component and providing modifiable code templates as the basis for component generation.
The code templates contain the basic files and code required for a component/extension, or a set of extensions, and this code is 'marked-up' using the Component Architect mark-up syntax. Each component/extension to be generated is defined in the definition tables of Component Architect together with the objects/tables, fieldsets, fields and field values required . The generation process applies a defined component/extension against a selected code template to produce a fully working Joomla component/extension or set of extensions (e.g. a component with associated modules and plugins).
The following gives more information on components definitions, code templates and component generation and further information can be found be clicking on the headings below or the menu items.
Component Definitions
In Component Architect you enter the details of each component/extension your wish to generate in a Component Definition. This Component Definition consists of records in four main tables:
Code Templates
Code templates provide the 'skeleton' from which Component Architect can generate Joomla components. Each code template consists of folders and files which are used as the basis for multiple components. By the use of specific naming standards for folders and files combined with an extensive code mark-up language, within the code templates, Component Architect is able to provide the flexibility to use component generation for the widest possible range of applications.
Component Generation
In Component Architect, component generation is where your component definition is merged with a code template to create your installable Joomla component.
You can select before generation whether you want to create a installable zip file of your generated component, the location where your generated files will be stored and whether you wish to create a log file of the generation (useful if errors have previously been detected as it helps to identify the cause of problems).
