Plugin Development Introduction

Plugins extend Vvveb CMS by adding new features, modifying existing behavior, or integrating external services. Each plugin lives in its own directory under plugins/my-plugin-name. When distributing a plugin as a ZIP file, the archive must contain a single top‑level folder matching the plugin’s slug (e.g., my-plugin-name/).

A valid plugin must include at least one file:

plugins/my-plugin-name/plugin.php

This file contains the plugin metadata header and the main plugin class.

Plugin Folder Structure

Plugins follow a structure similar to the CMS itself, allowing them to provide controllers, templates, SQL files, components, public assets, and optional installation scripts.

Not all folders are required; a plugin may include only what it needs.

A full plugin structure looks like this:

my-plugin-name/
├── plugin.php                 # Main plugin file (required)
├── plugin.svg                 # Plugin thumbnail (optional)
│
├── app/                       # Frontend functionality
│   ├── controller/
│   │   └── index.php          # Optional frontend controller
│   ├── template/
│   │   ├── common.tpl         # Shared template
│   │   └── index.tpl          # Frontend page template
│   └── validate/
│       └── plugin-form.php    # Optional validation rules
│
├── admin/                     # Admin-side functionality
│   ├── controller/
│   │   └── index.php          # Admin controller (settings, tools)
│   ├── template/
│   │   └── settings.tpl       # Admin settings page template
│   └── validate/
│       └── plugin-form.php    # Optional validation rules
│
├── public/                    # Public assets
│   ├── admin/
│   │   └── settings.html      # HTML for admin settings UI
│   ├── app/
│   │   └── index.html         # HTML for frontend UI
│   ├── js/
│   │   └── plugin.js          # Optional JavaScript
│   └── css/
│       └── plugin.css         # Optional CSS
│
├── install/                   # Optional installation scripts
│   └── sql/
│       ├── mysql/plugin.sql   # MySQL schema
│       ├── pgsql/plugin.sql   # PostgreSQL schema
│       └── sqlite/plugin.sql  # SQLite schema
│
├── sql/                       # Runtime SQL queries
│   ├── mysql/plugin.sql
│   ├── pgsql/plugin.sql
│   └── sqlite/plugin.sql
│
├── component/
│   └── mycomponent.php        # Custom component provided by plugin
│
├── system/
│   ├── plugin.php             # Custom libraries or helpers
│   └── library.php            # Additional system utilities
│
└── vendor/                    # Third‑party libraries (optional)

Plugins are one of the most powerful parts of Vvveb’s architecture.