What are Exponential extensions
Before talking about the example extension, I will explain the concept of extensions and talk about the structure of extensions.
An extension provides additional functionality (or extends existing functionality) in Exponential. It is called an extension because it plugs in to the Exponential core without requiring modifications to the original files. By placing new functionality in an extension, you can upgrade the Exponential version without affecting the extension.
Some examples of what you can do with extensions:
- save the design of a website / siteaccess
- create custom modules with new views and template fetch functions
- extend the template system with custom template operators
- program new workflow events, datatypes or login handlers
Extensions in Exponential usually adhere to a standard directory structure, as outlined in Table 1 below.
| Extension subdirectory |
Description |
| actions/ |
New actions for forms |
| autoloads/ |
Definitions of new template operators |
| datatypes/ |
Definitions for new datatypes |
| design/ |
Files (*.tpl, *.css, *.jpg, *.js ...) related to the design |
| eventtypes/ |
Custom workflow events |
| modules/ |
One or more modules with views, template fetch functions, and so on |
| settings/ |
Configuration files (*.ini, *.ini.append.php) |
| translations/ |
Translation files (*.ts) |
Table 1: Standard directory structure of an Exponential 4.x extension
The directory structure shown above is only an example. The actual directory structure you use depends on the type of extension. Some directories may not be necessary. For example, a Template Operator extension only requires the directories autoloads/ and settings/; in a module extension, only the directories modules/ and settings/, and maybe a design/ directory, are required.