We have read Jisse Reitsma's latest book, Programming Joomla! Plugins, first edition (Academic Store, Netherlands, released October 2014) and we certainly recommend it!
Why is this book important?
It’s a 100% eye-opener book because the author is not only a veteran in Joomla! plugin programming, but he also talks exclusively about them in this book. Most books on the matter include information on extensions components, modules and even templates.
A few words on the author?Jisses' history with Joomla! goes way back, since it's Mambo days, hence its vast experience (he has been with Joomla! from the beginning just like us). Co-founder and developer at Yireo, Jisse is best known for its Magento-Joomla! bridge extension, called MageBridge. Oh yeah, he is also the developer for about 60 Joomla!/Magento extensions (if not more). So it’s a great source of knowledge from someone who is actually a considerable contributor to the Joomla! extension base.
Not another Joomla! bookThere are quite a few authors out there that have expressed their interest in the Joomla! topic. Many topics have been addressed, but there was little focus on Joomla! plugins. Most of them revolve around components. If you are serious about Joomla! development in general, then this book is a good place to start.
Everything plugin related is coveredWith the help of plugins you can extend your Joomla! CMS functionality so it can fit your precise needs. This book has 368 pages (structured in 15 chapters) and focuses on plugins.
In the beginning of the book you find out what types of plugins exist and how they can be optimally used, how object oriented programming leads to creating a plugin class, how to create a plugin skeleton, what events are and how you can use a plugin to react on that event.
Then you learn how to structure and build a basic plugin. The whole book is seasoned with examples. It focuses on programming, step-by-step, with tips and tricks here and there, so you can create and modify plugins with desired features easily, while getting a solid grip on Joomla! developement.
Is it for you ?Loved the “why create plugins” argument: “...because core hacks are evil!”
Ask yourself these questions: Are you PHP savvy? Are you familiar with the Model View Controller design pattern? Are you familiar with Object Oriented Programming? If the answer is yes, to all of them, then you can go through the book without a problem. The book is scattered with numerous examples and code snippets, each explained in great detail. All samples can be downloaded from Github.
Get the bookIf you have been playing around with Joomla! and have written plugins before, I can tell you for sure that you will still learn a thing or two. We certainly did! Get the book and find out for yourself.
