CjForum SDK for Third-Party Developers

Modern, type-safe APIs for integrating CjForum features into your Joomla extensions.

Introduction

The CjForum SDK (version 6.0+) provides a comprehensive set of modern, namespace-based APIs that allow third-party developers to easily integrate CjForum features into their Joomla extensions. Built with Joomla 4/5/6 best practices, the SDK offers:

• ✅ Modern PHP 7.4+ with full type hints
• ✅ Joomla 4/5/6 compatible
• ✅ Dependency Injection ready
• ✅ Simple static facade for quick access
• ✅ Type-safe interfaces for IDE autocomplete
• ✅ Performance optimized with batch operations and caching
• ✅ Comprehensive documentation and examples
• ✅ Backward compatible with legacy API

Available SDKs

The CjForum SDK consists of three main APIs:

1. Profile System API

Access user profiles, avatars, and profile links.

use Joomla\Component\CjForum\Site\CjForum;

$profileApi = CjForum::profile();

// Get user profile
$profile = $profileApi->getProfile($userId);

// Get avatar HTML
echo $profileApi->getAvatar($userId, 64);

// Get profile link
echo $profileApi->getProfileLink($userId);

Learn more: Profile System SDK Quick Start

2. Points System API

Award points, get leaderboards, and manage user points.

use Joomla\Component\CjForum\Site\CjForum;

$pointsApi = CjForum::points();

// Award points
$pointsApi->awardPoints('com_myblog.new_article', $userId, 10);

// Get user points
$total = $pointsApi->getUserPoints($userId);

// Get top users
$topUsers = $pointsApi->getTopUsers(10);

Learn more: Points System SDK Quick Start

3. Activity Stream API

Push activities to the stream, manage likes and comments.

use Joomla\Component\CjForum\Site\CjForum;

$streamApi = CjForum::stream();

// Push activity
$activity = (object) [
    'type' => 'com_myblog.new_article',
    'title' => 'New Article Published',
    'description' => 'User created a new article'
];
$streamApi->push($activity);

// Get stream
$activities = $streamApi->getStream([], 20);

Learn more: Activity Stream SDK Quick Start

Quick Start

Installation

The SDK is automatically available when CjForum 6.0+ is installed. No additional setup needed!

Basic Usage

use Joomla\Component\CjForum\Site\CjForum;

// Check if CjForum is available
if (CjForum::isAvailable()) {
    // Use Profile API
    $avatar = CjForum::profile()->getAvatar($userId, 48);
    
    // Use Points API
    CjForum::points()->awardPoints('com_myext.action', $userId, 10);
    
    // Use Stream API
    $activity = (object) [
        'type' => 'com_myext.new_item',
        'title' => 'New Item Created'
    ];
    CjForum::stream()->push($activity);
}

Integration Methods

The SDK supports three integration methods to suit different development styles:

Method 1: Static Facade (Simplest)

Perfect for quick integrations and simple use cases.

use Joomla\Component\CjForum\Site\CjForum;

$profileApi = CjForum::profile();
$pointsApi = CjForum::points();
$streamApi = CjForum::stream();

Method 2: Dependency Injection (Best Practice)

Recommended for modern components following Joomla best practices.

// In services/provider.php
use Joomla\Component\CjForum\Site\Service\CjForumSdkProvider;

$container->registerServiceProvider(new CjForumSdkProvider());

// In your class
use Joomla\Component\CjForum\Site\Api\ProfileApiInterface;

public function __construct(ProfileApiInterface $profileApi) {
    $this->profileApi = $profileApi;
}

Method 3: Direct Instantiation (Fallback)

When DI container is not available.

use Joomla\Component\CjForum\Site\Api\ProfileApi;
use Joomla\Component\CjForum\Site\Api\PointsApi;
use Joomla\Component\CjForum\Site\Api\StreamApi;

$profileApi = ProfileApi::getInstance();
$pointsApi = PointsApi::getInstance();
$streamApi = StreamApi::getInstance();

Complete Example

Here's a complete example integrating all three APIs in a blog component:

<?php
namespace Joomla\Component\MyBlog\Site\Controller;

use Joomla\CMS\MVC\Controller\FormController;
use Joomla\Component\CjForum\Site\CjForum;

class ArticleController extends FormController
{
    public function save($key = null, $urlVar = null)
    {
        $result = parent::save($key, $urlVar);
        
        if ($result && CjForum::isAvailable())
        {
            $articleId = $this->input->getInt('id');
            $userId = $this->app->getIdentity()->id;
            $title = $this->input->getString('title');
            
            // Award points for creating article
            CjForum::points()->awardPoints(
                'com_myblog.create_article',
                $userId,
                10,
                $articleId  // Prevents duplicate awards
            );
            
            // Push to activity stream
            $activity = (object) [
                'type' => 'com_myblog.new_article',
                'title' => 'New Article Published',
                'description' => $title,
                'item_id' => $articleId
            ];
            CjForum::stream()->push($activity);
        }
        
        return $result;
    }
}

Features Comparison

Feature	Legacy API (5.x)	Modern SDK (6.0+)
Autoloading	Manual require_once	✅ Automatic via namespace
Type Safety	No type hints	✅ Full type hints
IDE Support	Limited	✅ Full autocomplete
DI Support	No	✅ Service providers
Performance	Basic	✅ Optimized with caching
Batch Operations	No	✅ Yes
Documentation	Basic	✅ Comprehensive

Performance Tips

1. Prefetch for Lists

// ❌ Bad - N queries
foreach ($items as $item) {
    $avatar = CjForum::profile()->getAvatar($item->user_id);
}

// ✅ Good - 1 query
$userIds = array_column($items, 'user_id');
CjForum::profile()->prefetchProfiles($userIds);
CjForum::points()->prefetchUserPoints($userIds);

foreach ($items as $item) {
    $avatar = CjForum::profile()->getAvatar($item->user_id);
}

2. Check Availability Once

// ✅ Good - Single check
if (CjForum::isAvailable()) {
    CjForum::profile()->getAvatar($userId);
    CjForum::points()->awardPoints(...);
    CjForum::stream()->push(...);
}

Next Steps

Choose your starting point based on your needs:

1. Profile System SDK - User profiles, avatars, links
2. Points System SDK - Award points, leaderboards, ranks
3. Activity Stream SDK - Activity feeds, likes, comments
4. Complete Integration Guide - Full API reference

Migration from Legacy API

If you're upgrading from CjForum 5.x, see the Migration Guide for step-by-step instructions.

Support

• Documentation: https://docs.shondalai.com/cjforum/overview
• Support Forum: https://shondalai.com/get-support/

Requirements

• CjForum: 6.0.0 or higher
• Joomla: 4.0.0 or higher
• PHP: 7.4 or higher (PHP 8.0+ recommended)

License

GNU General Public License version 2 or later