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New to Jamroom? Start Here

The Jamroom Network » Documentation » Developer Guide » New to Jamroom? Start Here
Applies to: Jamroom 7.0+ Last verified: 2026-10-24

Table of Contents:


For developers hired to work on a Jamroom site
Where things go
Getting started

  • For developers hired to work on a Jamroom site

    Jamroom is a PHP CMS built entirely of modules (code) and skins (templates). Some rules make your work survive the site's updates:

    • Never change a module's or skin's files that you didn't write. Updates replace them. Put your code in your own module, and change templates in a cloned skin.
    • Hook in, don't patch. Modules change each other's behavior through events, registered features and template overrides. See Events and Listeners and The _init() Function.
    • Work on a copy of the site, not the live one.

  • Where things go

    You need to... Do it in
    Change how a page looks A cloned skin: templates, CSS. See Cloning a Skin.
    Change a module's page A skin override, (module)_(template).tpl. See Changing a Module's Template.
    Add a field to a form The Form Designer, or a form_display listener. See Adding a Field to Another Module's Form.
    Add a feature Your own module. See Creating a Module.
    Store data Your module's DataStore. See DataStores.
    List data in a template {jrCore_list}. See {jrCore_list}.

  • Getting started

    1. Read Creating a Module and Module File Structure.
    2. Read How a Request Is Handled, to see how a URL reaches code.
    3. Look at a bundled module of the kind you're building. Blog (jrBlog) is small and uses most features.

    Use the xx prefix for a module that's only for this site. Questions go to the Jamroom forum.

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