Joomla Component Step by Step Tutorial

Why Build a Custom Joomla Component?

Most Joomla projects eventually outgrow what modules and plugins can handle alone. Components give you full control over routing, data storage, and the admin interface. They sit at the core of Joomla’s architecture and power the main content area of every page.

This pack collects the key articles you need to go from zero to a working component. You will start with a minimal “Hello” page, then connect that page to the front end through Joomla’s menu system, and finally learn how the Model-View-Controller pattern ties everything together.

What You Will Build

By the end of this pack you will have a component that:

• Registers itself in the Joomla admin panel
• Displays a simple front-end page through its own menu link
• Follows MVC conventions so it is easy to extend later

The goal is not a production-ready extension. It is a clear foundation you can build on for real projects.

Walkthrough

Step 1 - Create the Hello Page

Start with the first article in the list. It walks through the minimum set of files a component needs: an entry point PHP file, an XML manifest, and a basic view. You will install the component by dropping files into the correct directory and registering it.

A common mistake at this stage is forgetting the XML manifest. Without it Joomla will not recognize your component. Make sure the filename matches the component name exactly.

Step 2 - Link the Component to the Front End

Having a working component in the admin panel is only half the story. Visitors need a menu item that routes to your component’s view. The second article covers creating that link, setting up the router entry, and verifying the URL resolves correctly.

Pay attention to the SEF (Search Engine Friendly) URL settings. If you have SEF turned on but your component does not supply a router, you will get 404 errors. Keep SEF off while testing, then add the router file once everything works.

Step 3 - Understand MVC in Joomla

Joomla enforces a specific folder structure for models, views, and controllers. The third article explains where each file lives and how Joomla’s dispatcher finds them. Understanding this pattern early saves hours of debugging later.

Key points to remember:

• Controllers handle input and decide which model and view to load
• Models talk to the database and return data
• Views receive data from the model and render HTML through a template file

If you place a file in the wrong directory, Joomla silently falls back to a default. That can make problems very hard to diagnose.

Common Pitfalls

Wrong folder structure. Joomla expects components under administrator/components/com_yourname/ and components/com_yourname/. Case matters on Linux servers.

Missing install manifest. The XML file must list every file and folder. If a file is present on disk but absent from the manifest, Joomla’s installer will skip it.

Hardcoded paths. Use JPATH_COMPONENT and JPATH_COMPONENT_ADMINISTRATOR constants. Hardcoded paths break when the site moves to a different server or directory.

FAQ

Do I need to know MVC before starting?
Not deeply. The first article works without any MVC knowledge. By the time you reach the third article, you will have enough hands-on experience to understand the pattern naturally.

Can I test this on a local server?
Yes. XAMPP, MAMP, or any local PHP environment with MySQL will work. Install Joomla locally, then follow the articles in order.

What Joomla version do these articles target?
The concepts apply to Joomla 1.5 through 3.x. Joomla 4 changed the MVC layer significantly, but the core ideas - manifest files, folder structure, and routing - remain the same.

How do I add database tables to my component?
The install manifest supports SQL files that run during installation. Define your table schema in a .sql file and reference it in the XML. Joomla will execute it automatically.

What if my component page shows a blank screen?
Enable Joomla’s debug mode in Global Configuration. Check the error log at administrator/logs/. Nine times out of ten it is a typo in a class name or a missing file.