The Joomla! Extensions Directory ™

I wanted a good, solid events calendar for my Jomsocial installation that was simple, not bloated, and aesthetically pleasing. After looking through all the usual suspects, I found this per a recommendation from GavickPro blog.

This fully GPL solution cost a whopping $8.00 (yes, you read that right... eight lousy US bucks - which won't even by two combo meals at your average fast food joint). However, it installs and works like a dream.

Major plus points:

JQUERY - Not only is it backed by the power of jQuery, but even comes with the option of disabling jQuery/ jQuery UI embedding (very useful for those like me who use plugins like SC Query or JBLibrary).

THEMING - This calendar uses jQuery UI. You have the option of using the predefined themes (and most them are readily selectable within this module) OR go roll your own at the Themeroller lab - yep, this extension can take your custom themes too. And as a BONUS... if you use SC Query (a free plugin also available here at the JED), you can simply have SC Query load jQuery UI, then select your theme from the options provided in the module.

DOCUMENTATION - This is a HUGE plus, as many extensions suffer from EXTREMELY poor docs, if any are provided at all. READ the doc enclosed, and it explains pretty much everything.

SUPPORT - The developer is very responsive and concerned that you like his work. I found Andrew very approachable and eager to help.

But you want a calendar COMPONENT, you say?

Just download the free and amazing M2C (module to component) extension (also listed here at the JED), put your JS Events Calendar module in a unique template module position (I created one called "calendar"), and then assign that position when you add M2C to your menu items. You now have an instant Jomsocial calendar "component" that looks amazing and a lot more expensive than what it is.

There are only a handful of extensions I've ever been this pleased with (especially commercial, as that lot has proven particularly disappointing overall). This is definitely one of them. Kudos to the developer. Most highly recommended.

First, this module does not claim to integrate the Blueimp chat with Joomla. It only does what it says, which is to show who is currently chatting. And I must say it does this pretty well.

There are a few code hitches - for example, there is a variable that isn't properly initialized, and, when it has no value, PHP throws a warning notice. This was an easy enough fix, however, as the module is fairly simple to modify.

One thing that the module doesn't do, at least not from what I can see, is it doesn't seem to "flush" or clear idle chat users, so sometimes people show up as being in chat who really aren't. This is more of an issue when users simply close their chat windows and don't bother to log out properly. Plus, there is no ajax or real-time "polling" of the chat, so this is to be expected.

Overall, good effort, runs well, and has never caused a problem with my site.

FYI, there is a free, open source version of the Blueimp Joomla integration package. I cannot put links here per JED rules, but if you ask on the forums, I'm pretty sure someone will post it for you. :)

Flexicontent is solidly good... too bad Flexiaccess is its ACL component.

The strength of Flexicontent prompted me to buy this extension. Sorry, this thing is not ready for prime time. Bugs (such as groups created DO NOT show in the back end), absolutely poor documentation - not even tool tips for such things as ACO, AXO, etc. (which few if any people should be expected to know off the top of their heads).

Frankly, it is shocking to ask the public to pay money for something that fails so abysmally. This extension should have been more extensively beta tested FOR FREE to provide the developer with valuable feedback. Instead, you have to pay just to download - only to find out that you have wasted your money for nothing.

The lack of good ACL for Flexicontent seriously jeopardizes its usefulness in my projects. Sorry, K2 currently is far and away the champion in this area.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS EXTENSION until the documentation is provided, and serious bugs are worked out. A pity, as Flexicontent is very promising and definitely on my Top Three finalists for CCK. I truly do hope the developer takes the complaints about this extension seriously and fixes these issues, so that Flexiaccess can finally perform at its potential.

Mootools, jQuery and Ajax all in the frontend can be (and often is) a nightmare.

I had used another plugin with partial success, but a show-stopper problem occurred with an extension due to a Mootools / jQuery conflict I thought had been resolved.

Out of desperation, I downloaded, installed, and enabled. No more conflicts. Done and done!

Simple. Perfect. Simply perfect.

First, you must understand, I am someone who is completely disappointed with most so-called "commercial" extensions. I have spent $$$ on several, that are now littering my hard drive because they are poorly coded and/or poorly supported (if the developers are even still around).

That is NOT the case with EasyBlog. It installs quickly, is not bloated, intuitive to use with all the features a blogger could want. Even my "newbie" beta testers figured out how to use it with no help from me - and THAT is really the sign of well-thought-out software. It is completely Open Source, and its use of MVC means changing the appearance is not a brain burn. But it comes with some relatively attractive templates out of the box (again a RARITY for extensions) so I just picked one and ran with it - saving me even more time.

Stack Ideas, the producers of EasyBlog, are amazing. Not only is the product top-notch (just go use the demo - and yes, developers, your demo IS your sales pitch), but the support is even better.

Let me tell you how great this team is:

My site runs Mootools (have to, due to Joomla core), jQuery and Ajax. That combination is stomach-churning as any Joomla person well knows. And my case was no exception. In fact, EasyBlog ran into some serious issues in my frontend due to this unholy trio.

I shouldn't have worried - Sam was on the case. He literally troubleshot my site off and on over the last WEEK to pin-point the issue. Turns out the problems were due to a couple of plugins. One I can live without until a replacement comes along. The second actually loaded jQuery in my frontend, so that HAD to get replaced (as for some reason it didn't properly resolve my Mootools and jQuery conflicts. Fortunately, there is the SC Query plugin (right here for free at the JED) that when installed completely resolved all such issues.

Because of Stack Ideas, my beta testers are happy and my site will launch on time.

I cannot speak highly enough of this product or its team. Go. Buy. NOW. You will NOT be disappointed.