Modules

SilverStripe is designed to be a modular application system - even the CMS is simply a module that plugs into the core framework.

A module is a collection of classes, templates, and other resources that is loaded into a top-level directory such as the framework, cms or mysite folders. The only thing that identifies a folder as a SilverStripe module is the existence of a _config directory or _config.php at the top level of the directory.

mysite/
|
+-- _config/
+-- code/
+-- ..
|
my_custom_module/
|
+-- _config/
+-- ...

SilverStripe will automatically include any PHP classes and templates from within your module when you next flush your cache.

In a default SilverStripe installation, even resources in `framework` and `mysite` are treated in exactly the same as every other module. Order of priority is usually alphabetical unless stated.

Creating a module is a good way to re-use abstract code and templates across multiple projects. SilverStripe already has certain modules included, for example the cms module and core functionality such as commenting and spam protection are also abstracted into modules allowing developers the freedom to choose what they want.

Finding Modules

Installation

Modules should exist in the root folder of your SilverStripe installation.

The root directory is the one containing the *framework* and *mysite* subdirectories. If your site is installed under `/Users/sam.minnee/Sites/website/` your modules will go in the `/Users/sam.minnee/Sites/website/` directory.

After you add or remove modules make sure you rebuild the database by going to http://yoursite.com/dev/build?flush=1

From Composer

Our preferred way to manage module dependencies is through the Composer package manager. It enables you to install modules from specific versions, checking for compatibilities between modules and even allowing to track development branches of them. To install modules using this method, you will first need to setup SilverStripe with Composer.

Each module has a unique identifier, consisting of a vendor prefix and name. For example, the "blog" module has the identifier silverstripe/blog as it is published by silverstripe. To install, use the following command executed in the root folder:

:::bash
composer require "silverstripe/blog" "*@stable"

This will fetch the latest compatible stable version of the module. To install a specific version of the module give the tag name.

:::bash
composer require "silverstripe/blog" "1.1.0"

To lock down to a specific version, branch or commit, read up on [Composer "lock" files](http://getcomposer.org/doc/01-basic-usage.md#composer-lock-the-lock-file).

From an Archive Download

Some modules might not work at all with this approach since they rely on the Composer [autoloader](http://getcomposer.org/doc/01-basic-usage.md#autoloading), additional modules or post-install hooks, so we recommend using Composer.

Alternatively, you can download the archive file from the modules page and extract it to the root folder mentioned above.

The main folder extracted from the archive might contain the version number or additional "container" folders above the actual module codebase. You need to make sure the folder name is the correct name of the module (e.g. "blog/" rather than "silverstripe-blog/"). This folder should contain a `_config/` directory. While the module might register and operate in other structures, paths to static files such as CSS or JavaScript won't work.

Publishing your own SilverStripe module

See the How to Publish a SilverStripe Module for details on how to publish your SilverStripe modules with the community

How to Publish a SilverStripe Module

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