Managing custom programming and integrations for Joomla! CMS

At CNP Integrations the Joomla! CMS is our company’s core focus and key area of expertise. The central power of this open source platform for content management and client solutions is the diverse collection of over 9000 extensions and the vibrant support from a global development community. Joomla is the most popular CMS system in Europe and the second most popular in the US with 2.8% of all web portals in the world using Joomla! CMS. Considering that 70% of the web is still using static web pages, the current trend suggests that dynamic web sites which leverage Joomla! CMS will only grow in popularity. As this need in the marketplace grows for dynamic web portals there too will be a greater need for administrators to adopt effective software management practices if they want to remain cost effective and competitive.  To manage the associated costs or extensibility requirements for maintenance on any dynamic portal you need a solid version control, change logging and data backup strategy.

While the flexibility of the Joomla content management system and platform can allow you to accomplish a lot right out of the box there are often times when you will need custom programming to extend component features, to create custom workflows with UI (User interface) presentations or to integrate your portal with legacy systems and other technology platforms. This is the ery crossroads where you need to be thinking ahead for the long term maintenance of your code base. You are now entering in to the realm of software development management.

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This article reviews approaches to developing custom extensions vs “hacked” code solutions for a Joomla CMS but the principles are more universal in concept.

First let’s explore some of the many definitions of a “code hack”, not to be confused with a commonly known intruder typically known as a “hacker”.  Then we need to define what we are referring to as it relates to developing a quality Joomla CMS portal. Below are some quotes I found on the web related to a code hack that range from an appropriate method for solving a coding problem vs someone with limited skill providing a less than adequate mess of “spaghetti code”. The term “hacker” traces its origins back to making rough furniture with a hatchet and a stump. That seems to fit nicely — a very quick solution that solves a particular problem good enough. This approach would not equate to the fine craftsmanship of a quality piece of furniture nor offer the longevity for a sustainable solution.

A few definitions I found online (I am sure there are more):

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Joomla! CMS project Mistake Number Three: Having bigger ideas than your budget, resources and time will allow or than what is actually needed to provide the intended solution.

Often times we get a client with a relatively small budget and limited web experience that wants us to do all of the work and expects a fully functional Amazon type of ecommerce web portal system. Needless to say this is rather unrealistic. Robust features and capabilities are abundant with few limitations when building a portal system using Joomla! CMS. This platform is built on open source code and you can leverage over 7500+ 3^rd party extensions. However, where you do have limitations is in the skill level and resources available from the principle instigator as it relates to the scope or vision they want to implement.

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Mistake Number Two: Not staying focused on what is important

When a project begins someone usually writes a big laundry list of all the features they want. Most often this has not yet been reviewed in depth by a developer whom can provide detailed specifications for the project tasking. At http://www.cnpintegrations.com/ and most consulting firms like ours, we call this the discovery phase of the project where we go through this list and map it to either business processes or available extensions for the Joomla! CMS.

In this discovery phase we try to bridge the gaps between what is already available or requires custom coding, how the client could alter their business processes to be more effective or reduce costs and to assess the training required for the client’s users and stakeholders to be effective.

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Mistake Number One: The Client Thinking that they do not need to be involved in the process

Joomla! CMS for simple sites with prepared contend and well defined design specs on a site that does not change could be handed off to a team to “just build this” but sites with any type of dynamic and changing content requires a very hands on approach from the client to be effective.

Since the shift from  static web sites through the introduction of the dynamic website revolution there is been a battle between where and when a client should be actively involved in the process of developing their site and where they can or should hand off aspects of the development. This is highly contrasted by the size of the budget and diversity of the stakeholders. The client almost always has superior subject matter expertise on their content while the Joomla! CMS support team has theirs in the framework, project execution and technology. We have found that every project is unique in these areas and there is not a one size fits all that works for any project.

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