Chapter 4. Generating Extensions

In this chapter, we will create a skeleton for our extension. Later, it will be adjusted to better fit our needs. After completing this chapter, the reader should be able to generate new extensions easily.

Why Generation?

TYPO3 extensions can be created manually. We already know which files are needed and which functions should be called to add Frontend plugins or Backend modules. So, why should we generate an extension instead of simply typing it out?

Although typing is perfectly valid, it is slow. It requires one to concentrate on the content. Typing errors are likely unless the extension developer uses a modern PHP IDE (such as Zend Studio). It is easy to forget something if an extension has several modules and tables.

Extension generation has several other advantages over the manual creation of extensions. Firstly, a developer can really concentrate on the extension details, not on putting these details into various files. Secondly, generation process ensures...