The Joomla! Extensions Directory ™

Sometimes the extensions that look the least promising turn out to be the best and this is one of those.

I wanted a fairly comprehensive contact form that looks good and will render well with mobile devices. This one includes a Google map, a business card and an email form so I had doubts but decided to try it regardless.

It installed perfectly and the few user setting required were easily completed. As with most extensions I had to do some 'code tweaking' to make it show the address in UK format and I tidied up the appearance to suit my needs - such is the beauty of open source.

I had a couple of questions for Support and I got helpful and honest answers back very quickly the same day. They even advised me that it was not designed to work with mobile websites but I believe there is no reason why it shouldn't with some judicious tweaking.

From this point of view I have to score this extension top stars for quality and support.

There are a couple of things that would be useful and having mentioned them to the vendor I believe they could be in the next upgrade version. One is to permit the user to enter map co-ordinates rather than trust Google to set the location based on address - not often accurately. The other is to permit the user to set the zoom factor for the map although this is easily done by changing a number in the php code.

Apart from that, the 'Miscellaneous Description' field sets the width of the whole contact screen so if you leave it blank, or use only a few words, the form will not span the screen width. The fluid page width has great merit but there should be a means to override it because if you use a smaller screen width, the Info Bubble on the Google map will be wider than the map which looks very untidy.

These are just minor niggles and for anyone with a little php or html experience, it is totally configurable - which is perfect for my application.

It also has huge potential and has been nicely thought-out so for that reason I recommend it and declare it well worth the $5 it costs to download.

Like another reviewer I really wanted to like this extension. It promised exactly what was required but didn't deliver.

It is very untidy where non-recurring payments are selected and requires the user to open a PayPal account. It then takes a payment, sends an email to tell the user and admin that a recurring payment has been set up then immediately cancels it and sends another email to say that it has.
For the user this must be alarming and it would put me off dealing with a website that uses it.

Also, if the passwords don't match on the entry form, it exits unhelpfully to the Joomla default error page with 500 Error. Once again, this would put me off using the website.

Not least of all, the vendor's website offers a 'support ticket' option but this just brings up a 'Internal Server Error' so I had to use the normal Contact form. No acknowledgement and no support so far but there's a 10 day money-back guarantee?

I hate writing bad reviews but having paid for a commercial extension I expect something more than unfinished software and no support.

I wanted something simple and affordable that would allow a registered JomSocial user to make a token payment using PayPal. The main reason is to verfy that the member is an adult with access to a credit/debit card plus a valid email address.

This extension does it admirably and is worth the £13 it cost just for the simplicity, convenience and extensive customisation. I love the Translate feature that permits the wording to be amended and the excellent support available through the Forum. Highly recommended!

So simple to install and configure. It does what it says and no fuss. Five stars!

This extension took some time and effort in order to get the best from it but it really is worth the effort.

Once I worked out how the various settings work and the numbers that relate to them, the module did exactly what I wanted. The ability to add a background image is also useful and the amount of control is impressive.

However, the very basic instructions are helpful to get started but they don't offer much help with the finer points which is a pity - a brief manual would make it much more appealing.

For instance, the INI file holding titles, descriptions and links must be in the same folder as the images - there are no instruictions for this. Similarly the speed is set between 0 and 0.3 whereas the numbers relating to offset and radius are in (?) pixels so you need to keep this in mind when positioning the carousel since they default to 0 for automatic setting.

This extension has huge potential and it is good to have such an extension that doesn't use Flash, especially now that websites are starting to leant towards handheld devices - Android etc.

I give this full marks because it does exactly what it claims and it works :-)

I'm not sure why this extension is described as a 'menu' when it is much more than just that. Equally I cannot understand why it hasn't been reviewed previously!

Having used it for considerably more than a year, it has proved itself to be stable and reliable. It provides an excellent interactive showcase for products (or anything else you choose) and permits you to link them to whatever you wish. In a way I suppose it is a 'menu' but it could also be a showcase for a photo gallery or a collection - imagination seems to be the only constraint.

Use the module and tailor it to fit any position. The versatility of the settings and options makes it the perfect choice. I used the plugin to introduce it into a front page article.

If you're planning a gallery or even a business website where you want to direct customers to various options such as different products or departments whilst allowing them to glimpse the item of choice, this is well worth spending some time getting to know it.

Support? I've never required it because it works flawlessly and with some trial & error I managed to make it fit my needs perfectly. Highly recommended and full rating for this one.

To the developer, thank you for an excellent extension.

Another very useful and practical extension from this vendor. It does exactly what it says and I recommend it without reservation, hence the 5 stars rating.

Just beware when you install it that there are no parameters to set and nothing to tell you which position it requires. Try 'debug' if it doesn't work after first installation since the position default for most Joomla installations is more likely to be 'left' - which is useless if you don't have a 'left' column. This is not a fault - just a lack of information.

This extension is easy to install and configure to suit whatever contact details you wish to provide. Being a separate component, it does not conflict with the built-in contact feature so you could provide minimal contact for guests whilst having an extended contact page for registered users. The free-text layout gives it flexibility and I love the image based spam filter. I am happy to recommend it and like another reviewer exclaimed, stop reading reviews and just install it with confidence. Thank you for an excellent extension.

I've read the reviews and noted the criticism about this extension (and others like it) being server-resource intensive. With a 'tool' as comprehensive as this, there are bound to be overheads but before you dismiss it as undesirable, consider the advantages and use it for its intended purpose.

JoomlaStats is a tool that will show you detailed visitor information so you can identify their locations, the times of peak activity, which pages they visit and much more. However, it isn't a 'novice' tool so if you don't understand what it does, you really don't need it.

The advantages of using this extension are many but take as an example attempted hits on your Guest Book by people (not just bots) leaving inappropriate comments. the chances are that they are based somewhere like China or Brazil but knowing this for certain will permit you to exclude their country IP address either in cPanel or your .htaccess file.

Once you have a decent overview of website use, you will have the knowledge to target your prospective visitors whilst excluding those whose attention is unwelcome.

Likewise, you will be able to identify those 'bots' that visit your website and deal with them appropriately.

Having achieved a satisfactory compromise and in order to avoid disproportionate loading of the server, you may disable or even uninstall the extension - but don't write it off completely.

My advice would be to use this extension judiciously and for a specific purpose that you define before you install it. It is a first class extension in its class and will do everything it claims to do. Use it wisely and it will help you to manage your website to best effect. Use it unwisely and you will slow down your website for no good reason and probably lose traffic because of it.

I give this extension full marks but advise caution about intensive or extended use, especially on larger websites. It has done the job I asked of it and will remain in my arsenal of 'tools' until I need it again. Well done to the developers and many thanks.

This is so simple to use and does exactly as it says. Don't bother with the manual method - full marks from me.

I downloaded and installed this component and the instruction manual in less than a minute. There were no settings to worry about and after two minutes I had created a 'front end' sitemap plus a very well composed sitemap.xml file. It worked flawlessly and I recommend it for constructing Joomla site maps. The instructions seemed a bit vague about creating the Google (xml) sitemap but it was quickly apparent that the two types of site map must be created separately by selection in the back end. Full marks for this extension!

This extensions claims simplicity and that is exactly what it provides - with a few bells and whistles for those who can use them. Considering it is still in Beta it is rock solid and although I encountered a couple of very minor issues, I am certain that they are related to the template css rather than the extension.

I love the Google Maps feature and the simple front-end layout. I truly hope the developer is encouraged to keep working on this because it has massive potential and with a couple of minor enhancements it could be the best of its kind.

Excellent Extension and many thanks - well worth a donation!

If you're looking for an extension that will provide your own personal 'Tube' without too many 'bells and whistles' then look no further. It is easy to install, comes with an extremely versatile module (which can be copied to provide more functions) and a useful comments plugin. There is a learning curve as you would expect with something like this but it is well worth the effort and patience. Best of all it is inexpensive to upgrade to the 'Pro' version which gives you everything you'll need to get your professional looking 'Tube' online complete with media in a few hours. Just be patient and take the time to learn what it can do then make your judgement based on the look and feel of your website. This is one of the best extensions I've tried and I can recommend it without reservation.

First of all I award this extension 4 stars because having tested it (as far as it would allow me) and made a few changes to suit my template, it really is excellent.

HOWEVER! HOWEVER! HOWEVER!

It is definitely a COMMERCIAL extensions although it describes itself as non-commercial. Sorry guys but if you tell lies you will be found out.

In fact it is a trial version and to make sure it stays that way there is a logo image over the admin buttons so you can't do a great deal with the settings unless you resize the logo image to reveal them.

It isn't cheap either but maybe the support is worth the cost - I don't know because I've uninstalled it and although I'm happy to pay for extensions, it isn't a good sign when they are sold under misleading information.

I like the extension but I don't like being misled or wasting my time with soemthing that isn't as described. Maybe the Joomla people would like to have a peek to see if it conforms to guidelines?

This extension is another of those 'simple' ideas that is worth its weight in gold. It does what it says it will do and turns some excellent components into fantastic ones just by allowing them to be placed effectively without requiring a menu option. Respect to Omar for this superb plugin.

When I initally looked at this extension I wasn't sure why anyone would need it but after brief consideration it became clear that it would be an advantage in a large website to get rid of a menu option and a complex page without upsetting the existing Joomla setup or admin functions. This also makes it so much easier for visitors to navigate.

First of all I installed JumpLink and easily had it working in minutes. Then I disabled the Weblinks menu option so the page became unavailable and simply placed the JumpLink module in those pages where I want to show my Respected Websites. I can still add Weblinks in the usual way via the Admin back end but there is no need for descriptions if you intend to use only this module.

Just one word of caution - if you want the module to fit into a side-bar module position without overflowing, keep your Weblinks titles below the length where they stretch the dropdown box to keep it tidy.

Conclusions - this extension is one of those things that you never imagined you'd need but wonder how you managed without it once you've got one - a bit like a mobile phone. Full marks for a brilliant module.

The extension installs with ease and is easy to configure. It does exactly what it claims and integrates extremely well into the template theme. As it stands it cannot be faulted and in my view merits a full rating as being a quality Joomla extension worth paying for.

It would be useful to have the facility to obtain more information about the inquirer, such as how many guests, their ages and any extra requirements such as mobility aids, infant cots etc. so they get the most appropriate advice or accommodation but also to screen potential guests to avoid parties of youngsters who might spoil the accommodation for other guests. Perhaps something for a future version?

This extension does exactly what it says. It is simply to use and configure so if you want a simple popup with a touch of finesse, this is perfect. What a lovely way to introduce a page with a quote or some relevant, if transient information. It get's attention without being intrusive and it stays on the screen regardless of how far down the page you scroll for as long as you want it to. Excellent extension!

This is exactly what it says it is - a Shoutbox. Simple to install and easily configured to work in any module position using the CSS file. Regard the 'free' version as a trial and don't hesitate to pay for the pro version. At such a small price it's true value and comes with optional addons such as Smileys and BBCode.

The support is second to none and the only problem I had was not caused by the extension but my Joomla setup - fixed by the author within a couple of hours and now working perfectly. Just remember if you want support with the Pro version, let him know the version of Shoutbox and Joomla that you're using and do read the instruction for installation. For what it is, this extension get full marks and I recommend it!

Downloaded it, installed it, spent an age trying out all the settings and features and it works with the worst web browser in the universe (we all know which one I mean). A superb player, versatile and practical, well worth the modest outlay for a professional extension. Recommended!