Working With Mambo
Add-Ons (Components)

Components are Add-Ons that extend the functionality of Mambo. Some examples would be to add easy database import/export for administrators, or a file upload repository. These parts will usually appear in the Components menu as a new entry. From there you can further configure the component. There are many different component Add-Ons available from MamboPortal and MamboForge.

Installing A Component

NOTE: Before you begin, you will need to realize that this method does not work on Active Web Hosting's servers due to php's Safe Mode being set. While a Safe Mode Patch has been tried with Mambo, this was also not found to work. You'll need to develop your web site offline first and upload your files and import your database to install all your components into the Mambo system. The instructions here are given for those who are developing on Linux-based systems. If you are using Windows, you will need to use a different method to set write permissions for files and directories.

Before you install a component, be sure that the following directories have write permissions set (CHMOD 777):

media/
administrator/components/
components/
images/stories/


Go to Components -> Install/Uninstall. Here you'll see a list of installed components. If you have installed the Safe Mode Patch, then you can you can upload a .zip file from your hard drive containing the module you want to install. Click on the box next to Use FTP Assist and enter your CGI Server username and password (note that this is not your normal FTP password). Click the browse button next to the Upload Package File text box. Then click the Upload File & Install button.

Uninstalling or Removing A Component

Go to Components -> Install/Uninstall. Click on the radio button next to the component you wish to uninstall. Then click the Uninstall icon in the upper right of the page. If the site is hosted on Active Web Hosting's servers, you'll also need to manually remove the component directory from the /administrator/components/ and /components/ directories using your FTP program.

Using Components

Components are active the moment you install them. To see them and their options and settings, click on the Components menu at the top of the page and find the name of the component. Some may have more options and will give you another menu when hovered over the component name. These components may add more functionality to your page, or give you more administrative features.