Creating a custom module

1. On Module Builder page perform one of the following:
   • If you have not created any modules, the system displays the following in the center of the screen:

     

   • If you have already created one or more modules, the system displays a list all created modules and the following button in the toolbar of Module Builder page:

     

2. Click Create a module.
   The Create a module page appears.
3. In the Name input field, enter the name of the module.
   For example, FAQ.
4. In Description input field, you can enter a description of the module.
   The description is displayed in the backend, in the list of modules on Module Builder page.
5. Click Continue.
6. In Content type (singular) enter the singular name of the content items that the module will store.
   For example, the singular name of the content type of the Events module is Event. For the FAQ module, you can enter, Question.
7. You can change the automatically generated name that is used to refer to the widget in the code.
   To change it, click Change and enter the new name.
8. Add the fields of the content type by clicking Add a field… button and performing procedure Creating a new custom field » Step 4 to Step 13.
   For example, in the FAQ module, the content items can have a short text field Question, a long text field Answer, and you can also classify the questions, using categories.

   NOTE: You must create at least one field that is short text and required.

9. In Which field is the identifier of the content? dropdown box, select which field will be used to represent the content item and to generate its URL.
   You can select only a short text field that is marked as required.

   For example, if you have entered a frequently asked question How to install a module, then in the list of content items this question will be listed as How to install a module and its URL will be how-to-install-a-module.

10. Click Finish.
    The module is defined, but it is not yet created and it cannot be used until you install it.
11. To install the module immediately, click Install this module.

    The module is created and activated. It appears in the list of modules in status Active. The module appears under the Content tab and a widget is created and appears in the Content widget group.

    You can go back to all modules and install the module later by clicking Actions » Install. When not installed, the module appears in the list with all modules in status NotInstalled.

    NOTE: When you install a module, you can activate and deactivate it, but you cannot uninstall it.

Activating and deactivating a module   

In order to use a module, it must be active. If you have created a module that does not appear under the Content tab, it means that you have not activated the module.

To activate or deactivate a module, perform the following:

1. Click Administration » Module Builder.
2. Perform one of the following:
   • Click the Actions link of the module that you want to activate and click Activate or Deactivate respectively.
   • Click the module you want to activate and then click Activate this module or Deactivate this module respectively.

When you activate a module, the module appears under the Content tab and a widget appears under the Content widget group. You use this widget to display the content items created with this module
When you deactivate the module, it is removed from the Content tab and the widget is removed from the Content widget group.

NOTE: You cannot delete an already created module. If you want to remove it from Content tab and Content widget group, deactivate it.