Packaging
Overview
It is possible to install a component manually by copying the files using an SFTP client and modifying the database tables. It is more efficient to create a package file in the form on a composer.json document that will allow the Installer to do this for you. This package file resides in the top-level of your component's directory and contains a variety of information:
- basic descriptive details about your component (i.e. name), and optionally, a description, copyright and license information.
- the extension type (component, module, plugin, template)
- optionally, a destined install directory
Structure
Packaging a component for distribution is relatively easy. The file and directory structure is exactly as it would be after installation. Here's what a typical package will look like:
/com_{componentname}
{componentname}.xml
composer.json
/site
{componentname}.php
controller.php
/views
/{viewname}
/tmpl
default.php
/models
{modelname}.php
/controllers
{controllername}.php
/admin
{componentname}.php
controller.php
/views
/{viewname}
/tmpl
default.php
/models
{modelname}.php
/controllers
{controllername}.php