Package

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Note on the Component Dependent Modules[edit]

Sometimes modules (or plugins and so on) use a component's models and helpers and such. On these occasions it would be nice to be able to package your module in a way that it gets uninstalled when the component itself gets uninstalled. This is called dependency management that has been desired in Joomla but hasn't been done yet. It is suggested that you follow the standards and use a package as described below.

What is a Package?[edit]

A package is a extension that is used to install multiple extensions at one time. Use a package if you have, for example, a component and a module that are dependent upon each other. Combining them in a package will allow the user to install and uninstall both extensions in a single operation. Package extensions can be used with Joomla Joomla 2.5 and higher.

How Do I Create a Package?[edit]

A package extension is created by zipping all .zip files of the extensions together with a .xml manifest file. For example, if you have a package composed of:

  • component helloworld
  • module helloworld
  • library helloworld
  • system plugin helloworld
  • template helloworld

The package should have the following tree in your zip file:

 -- pkg_helloworld.xml
 -- packages <dir>
     |-- com_helloworld.zip
     |-- mod_helloworld.zip
     |-- lib_helloworld.zip
     |-- plg_sys_helloworld.zip
     |-- tpl_helloworld.zip
 -- pkg_script.php

The pkg_helloworld.xml could have the following contents:

 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
 <extension type="package" version="1.6" method="upgrade">
 <name>Hello World Package</name>
 <author>Hello World Package Team</author>
 <creationDate>May 2012</creationDate>
 <packagename>helloworld</packagename>
 <version>1.0.0</version>
 <url>http://www.yoururl.com/</url>
 <packager>Hello World Package Team</packager>
 <packagerurl>http://www.yoururl.com/</packagerurl>
 <description>Example package to combine multiple extensions</description>
 <update>http://www.updateurl.com/update</update>
 <scriptfile>pkg_script.php</scriptfile>
 <files folder="packages">
   <file type="component" id="com_helloworld" >com_helloworld.zip</file>
   <file type="module" id="helloworld" client="site">mod_helloworld.zip</file>
   <file type="library" id="helloworld">lib_helloworld.zip</file>
   <file type="plugin" id="helloworld" group="system">plg_sys_helloworld.zip</file>
   <file type="template" id="helloworld" client="site">tpl_helloworld.zip</file>
 </files>
 </extension>

When you zip this and install it, you will see that all extensions will be installed. The package will be visible in the extension list so that a user might uninstall all extensions contained in the package.

Remember to use the package uninstaller instead of individual subpackage uninstallers to avoid orphan extension entries in the extension manager.

Id = <file id="not_arbitrary">[edit]

The id element in <file ..> tag is not arbitrary! The id= should be set to the value of the element column in the #__extensions table. If they are not set correctly, upon uninstallation of the package, the child file will not be found and uninstalled.

Plugin "group" attribute[edit]

The group attribute is required for the package installer to locate the plugin for uninstall. Group refers to the <folder> name specified in the plugin manifest file.

Manifest Filename and Packagename[edit]

The naming of the manifest file and the ability to uninstall the package file itself are closely related. The manifest file must have a pkg_ prefix. The remainder of the manifest name (without the .xml extension) is to be used as <packagename>. Or, the other way around, a package you want to identify as blurpblurp_J3 gets that as its <packagename> and should be in a manifest file named pkg_blurpblurp_J3.xml. Failure to do so will make it impossible to uninstall the package itself.

An optional <pkg_script.php> which contains a class pkg_<packagename>InstallerScript with public function postflight can be used. (This works in Joomla! 3.6 and later).

Extension Tag[edit]

As of Joomla! 3.4, you should include method="upgrade" in the <extension> tag if you want your package to succeed in updating itself on subsequent installations.

The version attribute of the <extension> tag should be set to the minimum supported version of Joomla for this package. For example, if your package only supports Joomla! 3.2 and above, set this to 3.2.

Note: This version attribute is purely optional. It has no influence on Joomla's installation routine. As of Joomla 4, the version attribute has therefore been removed from all core extensions. See pull request 29960 on github.com

Extension Uninstall Dependency[edit]

As of Joomla! 3.7.0, a package extension can declare that its child elements cannot be uninstalled independently with a <blockChildUninstall>true</blockChildUninstall> element in the package manifest. If your package needs all its extensions to operate effectively, set this to true or 1.