• any extension which allows to move beyond the text and title options provided by Joomla’s com_content, and choose your own fields and options.
• any extension which also moved beyond the section/category hierarchy of Joomla 1.5 and 1.5.

Today the Joomla extensions site counts not less then 10 GPL licensed CCK solutions. All of which add advanced content management capabilities to Joomla. In a sense, each of the CCK solutions are mini CMS systems wrapped inside a Joomla extension.

Are CCK’s the answer to innovating Joomla ? I don’t believe so. One of the reasons I choose Mambo for my first web project back in the days was because it was easy to use and easy to extend. As a user I could set it up in 5 min, just running through the installer, and as a developer I could extend it in 5 min, just looking at the code.

The challenge when building a CCK’s is to find a way expose the complex business logic in a simple and straightforward manner to the content editor and site administrator. Because CCK’s are trying to cut the developer from the equation they need to expose a whole range of settings which could otherwise be implemented through code. More settings means more documentation, more code and a higher risk for bugs. Not an ideal scenario.

Let’s not try to make our users think. Instead let’s try to make them accomplish their intended tasks as easily and directly as possible. After all wasn’t that the original vision behind Mambo’s : Power in Simplicity ?

If we want the same simplicity for Joomla we need to go back to focus our user interfaces solely on helping content editors get the job done. No configuration settings, no parameters, …  no setup. No complexity.

How ? By creating a more powerful framework that allows developers to build re-usable extensions for Joomla that can be easily combined together to solve many different business workflows. And by letting developers to what they do best : develop.

For example, most custom Joomla projects we have worked on are essentially com_content clones with some extra fields and a project-specific workflow. That, combined with, taxonomy, versioning, comments and permissions gives you most of the tools you need to build complex solutions quickly. You want a real estate catalog? Check. How about a magazine management system with organized issues and categories and tags? Check. Maybe a business directory. Trivial. An on-line help system? No problem. The list could go on.

Going back to Steve his definition :

Nooku Framework is an extension for Joomla that allows developers to move beyond the text and title options of com_content and content hierarchy of sections/categories. It handles most of the work for you and provides you with a number of re-usable components that you can plug right in. You’ll need only a fraction of the amount of code to glue it all together allowing you to focus on what really matters: your business logic and user experience.

All that makes Nooku Framework a very powerful CCK for developers. Don’t believe me ? Get started today, join our community and find out yourself.

If you are a PHP developer looking to learn how to build better Joomla extensions faster you don’t want to miss this. Nooku Framework is one of the most interesting developments in the Joomlasphere of the last year.

Not only because of the spectacular code reduction (up to 80% in some cases), but also for the many features that were previously unavailable to Joomla developers:

• Near-zero-code MVC
• Domain Driven Design
• Object Relational Mapping
• Out of the box security features
• Extensibility through CoC, DI, …

And not to forget extreme re-usability: already a number of extensions are being built that can be plugged right into your own, such as user, trash and taxonomy (tagging and categories) management.

The Code Jam will take place on the 20th of September at the University of the Philippines from 8:30 until 17:00. To help us cover our cost we ask a small registration fee : 500 PHP for professionals and 250 PHP for students. We have only 45 seats available, so register fast!

What can you expect?

Nooku Code Jams are fun and informal events that focus on developing with the Nooku Framework. The day starts with the grand tour of the framework. What does it do, what are the concepts and philosophies behind it, etc.

Next we will play a little game called the ‘MVC roulette’ and move on to show you how to build a small but fully functional MVC component using only a ridiculously small amount of lines of code.

After lunch, it’s Nooku Workshop time. You get to make your hands dirty ! Depending on your experience with PHP and Joomla, you get to build your own component using what you’ve learned. Or if you’re more experienced you can join the advanced workshop where we dive deep into the Nooku Framework API to learn how to build ultra powerful and extendible extensions.

Can’t make it ?

Don’t worry, we’re planning more Code Jams in the near future. In the mean time, if you want to get your hands dirty you check out our public SVN which is available through the Nooku Developer Portal at http://code.nooku.org For more info on getting started make sure to check out the getting Started information on our wiki.

Organizing your own code jam ?

Organize a Nooku Code Jam yourself? All you need is a venue that can hold about 15 – 25 people (and if possible an extra room for breakout sessions), wifi and a projector.  Get in touch for more information.

Photos from previous code jams.

This release also includes the following fixes :

• Fixed redirection issues in the administrator when switching language after using the items view.
• Fixed problem when trying to delete existing or none-existing tables
• Fixed issue with custom flags not being rendered properly

We also introduced front-end user language support. When trying to determine the preferred language Nooku Content now takes the frontend language setting into account for logged in users. The new sequence is : session -> cookie -> user (only if logged in) -> browser -> primary.

Together with the release of Nooku Content 0.6.8 we are also releasing Nooku Framework 0.6.8 which includes a number of smaller fixes. Nooku Framework is available through our Nooku Developer Portal, for a direct link to the 0.6.8 SVN go here.

Nooku Content is only available to our partners. By supporting us, you helps us to build quality open source software. In return you get a great extension, personalized support, and a voice in the development. If you want to learn more, discover our Partnership Program.

Just like the Joomla 1.5 framework caused a wave of innovative extensions, we believe Nooku Framework is going to cause a shift: It changes how you create and use extensions, how extensions work with each other or with external data, and how you customize extensions.

At J! and Beyond 2010 we, together with some of our Nooku Community Contributors and Partners showed some of the promising Nooku-powered extensions that are being built right now. Check out the video and take a sneak peek into Joomla’s future !

The public release of Nooku Framework, now almost a year ago, was no different. Some people were very excited while others welcomed the framework with some reservations.

A few days ago Torkil Johnsen, Nooku Community Contributor, wrote an excellent blog post titled : “What is this Nooku Framework thing really ? And why should I care ?”

In his post Torkil does a great job explaining what Nooku Framework is all about, how it differs from the Joomla Framework and why he thinks you should care.

What is a framework ?

Torkil starts with defining the term framework and the benefits of using a framework in general :

• Saves time. By eliminating the need to code repetitive tasks. You can focus on what’s important: Finishing the application and making sure it meets the requirements.
• Less bugs. The parts handled by the framework have been used and tested earlier. The more framework code you use, the less bugs you will experience.

Which frameworks for Joomla exist ?

He then moves on to explain the difference between extension frameworks, like Nooku and template frameworks, like Gantry.

“Nooku and Joomla try to accomplish the same thing: To make developing Joomla components, plugins and modules easier. This is primarily stuff happening under the hood you might say. Gantry however is a framework made by Rockettheme to make developing Joomla templates easier.”

In recent months many different template frameworks have emerged, Morph, Wrap5, Motif, Rumi, JA T3, … to name a few.

To date however, Nooku Framework is the only community driven open source framework for Joomla extension development. Something we are very proud of !

Why choosing for Nooku Framework ?

Finally Torkil explains why he prefers Nooku Framework over the Joomla Framework.

• It’s reduces code. It reduces the amount of code I need to write by something close to 80%.
• It makes me better. Nooku reuses solutions to common problems (design patterns) to a greater extent, and unlike Joomla it forces me to adhere to conventions and standards.
• It’s Joomla compatible. Any Joomla website that needs custom functionality can start using Nooku to build that functionality, today. It installs like any other extension, and does not interfere with Joomla or your installed extensions.
• It’s the second generation. Yes, literally the second generation. Both the Joomla and Nooku Frameworks were built by Johan Janssens. Today, Johan is still considered to be the largest contributor to the Joomla codebase
• It’s got a developer community. Unlike Joomla, development at the framework level is moving forward at a rapid pace, there is lots of activity, and developers are sharing and contributing code between themselves.
• It’s cheaper. I know; too obvious. Less time spent programming + Less bugs = Lower development and maintenance costs.

Torkil’s concludes : “If you’re a programmer yourself, go check it out at http://www.nooku.org/framework.html. If not, you should talk to whoever does the programming for you and make sure that they do.”

I couldn’t agree more !

• Module translation improvements. We have further optimized the way Nooku Content deals with syncing of module translations and improved Nooku Content’s module translation workflow. Modules are no longer listed in the items overview and are also no longer taken into account for the statistics.
• Improved compatibility with K2. We have done extensive testing with K2 and fixed a number of smaller issues related to translating a K2 powered Joomla site. We are happy to announce that we now fully support K2.

Together with the release of Nooku Content 0.6.7 we are also releasing Nooku Framework 0.6.7 which includes a number of smaller fixes. Nooku Framework is available through our Nooku Developer Portal, for a direct link to the 0.6.7 SVN go here.

Nooku Content is only available to our partners. By supporting us, you helps us to build quality open source software. In return you get a great extension, personalized support, and a voice in the development. If you want to learn more, discover our Partnership Program.

While Stian was working on the alpha version of Ninjaboard, he started submitting patches to the Nooku Framework, and especially to the javascripts parts. We liked it so much we decided to hire him for one day a week.

Daniel Chapman, Ninjaforge CEO, said: ”

For us this collaboration is working out great: several of our products are based on Nooku Framework, so having Stian work with the Nooku team for 20% of his time, is very beneficial for Ninjaboard, Ninja Content, Ninja Video Gallery, and Ninja Journal.”

Gergo and Stian at J! And Beyond. Photo by David Deutsch

Gergő Erdősi

Gergő Erdősi, from Hungary, has been working with us for a while now, but we never properly introduced him. He’s definitely no stranger to the Joomla community. Gergő got involved with the Joomla Sites and Infrastructure Team in 2007. He participated in the Google Summer of Code, and wrote an advanced Joomla survey extension for that. He moved up to the Joomla Bug Squad and the Joomla 1.6 Development Team.

Always on the lookout for interesting developments, Gergő joined the Nooku Mailing List very early on, and displayed an amazing hunger for knowledge and capacity for learning quickly. We flew him over to Belgium to train him for a week, and got him started on building a Scientific Reference management application for our customer, the Italian Institute of Technology. As Gergő wrote on Twitter:

“One of my best decisions was to leave the Joomla core team and join the Nooku community.”

Strong Team

We’re very happy to have Stian and Gergő on board, as we need the manpower to build our new Joomla- and Nooku-based multisite platform for the Belgian Police. The team is now nine people strong, and ready for even bigger challenges!

We talked about the growing Nooku Community and the origins of Nooku Content and Nooku Framework. In the middle it gets a bit technical, but hold on, after that there’s some fun stuff about the Joomlasphere’s obsession with Swahili names.

The interview was taped by Zohar Babin. He was at J! And Beyond in his role as Director of Developer Relations and Community for Kaltura, the open source video platform, as they were sponsoring the event. Zohar decided to take the opportunity to learn more about Joomla, by interviewing a number of people in the community. I’m proud to have been one of them. Check out his technology blog for more interviews here and here.

Jack Bremer, the interviewer, runs 3B Digital in London, a full-service digital marketing agency who specialise in Joomla projects, SEO and social media.

Do you have the stomach to play the MVC Roulette?