Structure of Files and Directories

In this document we will walk through a typical tree of files and directories in a Cotonti setup and explain their purpose and standard conventions.

We start with the site root and describe its contents and then go deeper into each of its subfolders. Each significant branch of the tree is expanded consequentially, paths are contained in section titles.

Parts of the paths given in italics are not literal, you may substitute them with appropriate values.

#1. / - site root

There are several standard folders in the site root, they are described below each in its own section. As for the files in the root folder, typical of them are described in this list:

#2. /datas – site configuration and user files

This directory contains “data files” specific to the site and its users. Most of its contents is static files, except for a few configuration scripts.

#3. /images – static images used globally on site

Those are images uploaded by site administrator and used by various site extensions, themes and other parts.

#4. /js – JavaScript libraries

This folder is occupied by standard and third-party JavaScript libraries.

#5. /lang – core language files

Language files are generally organized into “language packs” by 2-character ISO language code. This folder contains common and core language files whereas each extension (module or plugin) usually ships with its own language files in a “lang” subfolder (see below in /modules and /plugins). In the list below you can substitute lang_code with a 2-character ISO code of an actual language.

#6. /lib – third party libraries

These are the open source libraries which have been developed outside of Cotonti project and are used by some part of Cotonti. They are put in /lib folder to make it clear that they can be updated separately from Cotonti itself.

#7. /modules – extensions providing their own locations

Modules and plugins share the same structure and are called together with one wod “extensions”, so it is only described once. Structure of an extension follows the structure of the engine itself, which makes them self-sufficient. Most parts are optional, the only required part for an extension is setup file which informs the engine what it is. Substitute ext_name with an actual module or plugin name in the list below and lang_code with 2-character ISO language code.

#8. /plugins – extensions which plug into other extensions or core

See section above for /modules. Plugins have same structure as modules.

#9. /setup – files used to install or update the system

Cotonti install/update utility uses files and subfolders located in this directory to install and update the core of the system while each extension ships with its own setup information. The description given below is mostly for core developers, other people usually don't need to do anything inside of this folder.

Please remember that for the same step or revision SQL patches are always applied before PHP patches.

#10. /system – core files and APIs

This directory contains core files required for the system to exist. It also contains the basic framework used by extensions and built-in modules which cannot be removed.

#11. /themes – layout themes

Layout themes are stored in this folder. By default Cotonti searches for a template file in a current selected theme. If cannot find the template, it falls back to a file provided in extension’s “tpl” subfolder. Most files in the table below are optional, required files are pointed explicitly.

Frequently Asked Questions

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