SmartIcons 2.0

The latest version of the SmartIcons extension is finally here. This new version was made from the ground up to be compatible with Joomla! 3.0.

In this new version I have added a whole new set of features and also streamlining the code.

The features supported by the SmartIcons 2.0 are:

• Full support for Joomla! 3.0
• Quick and simple installation using a script that does all the heavy lifting.
• Make as many shortcuts to internal components and external sites. Makes administering your site easier and quicker.
• Shortcuts can have text, images or icons in any combination.
• Option to use images or Joomla!'s "iconMoon" icons for shortcut image.
• Links can be opened in the same window or new windows or in Joomla!'s modal windows
• Preview of the shortcut is possible before saving it.
• Uses Joomla! ACL system for managing access to both shortcuts and shortcut categories with the possibility of skipping access checks altogether
• Uses the Joomla update system
• Group shortcuts into categories that show up as tabs in the module.
• Custom links can be created for special needs (insertion of the user id or security token)
• Supports two layout types:
• Grid layout - as in the older Joomla! QuickIcon module
• List layout - as in Joomla 3.0
• Support for QuickIcon plugin with different options of displaying the plugin shortcuts.

SmartIcons 1.4

So the new version of SmartIcons is here. It's not a huge update but it's there.

I set out with the following features in mind:

• Make links open in modal windows. This was requested by a customer through a feedback on the JED.
• Add tokens to links. This was also requested by an customer via the contact form.
• Specify a different folder to hold the icon images and let the user. Again, a request from a customer.

Also I had in mind to fix the following bugs:

• The update system was not working
• Multiple clients complained that the SmartIcons extension was not playing nice with the Akeeba Back-up Module.

So this is what I set out to do, now lets see what I actually managed to do feature-wise:

• Open links in modal windows. Status : Done. There are a few more options in the Display options that let you specify that the link will be opened in a modal window and also lets you specify the size of the window.
• Add tokens to link. Status : Done. Also in the Display options there is a new check box that specifies if the token should be inserted. One thing that one needs to take into consideration: Some components check the token by looking in the POST variables and because we are using a link, the token, is transmitted using GET so it will not work for all components.
• Specify a different folder for icon images. Status: So and so. I am using the media component for the picking of images for the icons. In doing so I am working with the Media components 'limitations'. Mainly the media component doesn't look for images outside of the specified image folder. So if I were to move the images out of Joomla!'s image folder I could not use the media field to pick the image. Because I want my component to be as easy as possible to use I didn't want loose the functionality provided by the media field, but I also wanted to give the ability to have images in another folder. So I cheated: I customized the media field so that the text input is no longer read-only and users can manually enter the path to any image as long as it is relative to the Joomla! folder.

As long as bug-fixing is concerned:

• The update system not working. Status : Done. This was a small issue with the directory names and paths which was an easy fix.
• Akeeba Back-up Module not showing. Status : Done. This was another easy fix and was caused by an oversight of mine. Needless to say it is not an issue any more.

Other than what I mentioned above I've rearranged the layout of the editing view and tweaked the code a bit.

The conclusion of all of this is that I am happy that you, the customer, gave me feedback that I could use to improve SmartIcons and I am as keen as ever in hearing from you with any issue you have with the extension. There are a few more things in the works so stay tuned for updates.

Small steps towards the future

It's been a while since I last updated the site so I've decided the following things:

• Less "we" and more "I". Since the beginning i wanted to take a formal approach we discussing with customers. This was mainly a gimmick and i have decided to stop it. I am a single person and i will start considering myself as such. "We" is to corporate for my tastes.
• More extensions. So far I've only published SmartIcons, but I have been working on a few more extensions and I will be publishing them as soon as I test them sufficiently. What i want to continue with is to keep support and functionality at the same standard. 
• SmartIcons update and future. I have received some feature requests from customers and i will be releasing the new version in a short while. Also, Joomla 3.0 is on it's way and so a major re-haul on the extension.

Overall I plan on getting a bit more involved with this site and Joomla extensions in general.

Stay tuned for the next version of SmartIcons, which will be a free update to all who already bought the extension, as usual.