Chapter 8. Handling Extensions

Now we have reached a critical point in our book. In the previous chapters a core framework was created, but it did not actually make a significant website. Content is so varied that it makes good sense to follow the approach of creating a minimal framework to support user facing functions. But now we need to take the big step of adding real functionality. If we take this step to be a question of extending the minimal framework, it's logical to call our additions extensions. Flexibility in implementing our CMS suggests that it should be easy to install extensions into the basic framework.

This means two things. One is an issue of principle a sound architecture is needed for building extensions. The other is a practical one a simple and effective mechanism is needed for installing extensions, preferably using a web interface.

Extensions will be divided into four types, which represent the different ways in which they operate, and their individual purposes. The...