An extension skeleton

You build the empty frame of the example extension expexample that the rest of the cookbook fills: the folder, the two metadata files every extension carries, a composer.json for installing it with Composer, and the settings files that tell the kernel where its modules, templates, operators and translations are. At the end the extension is switched on and listed on Setup > Extensions with its version.

Prerequisites: a running Exponential 6 installation, a shell in its root, and an administrator login. As root, every command needs --allow-root-user; better, run them as the site's user.

1. The folder

mkdir -p extension/expexample/settings \
         extension/expexample/classes \
         extension/expexample/design/standard/templates

The folder name is the extension's name: lower case letters, digits and underscores. New code in this project starts with exp; 7x's own extensions use sevenx or exp, and your own extension uses your own prefix (Naming prefixes: sevenx and exp).

2. ezinfo.php

extension/expexample/ezinfo.php is read by Setup > About and Setup > Extensions. The class is named <extension>Info, info() is static, and the keys are quoted strings:

<?php
/**
 * The metadata of the expexample extension, read by Setup > About and Setup > Extensions.
 *
 * @copyright Copyright (C) 2026 Example Company
 * @license GNU General Public License v2.0 (or any later version)
 * @package expexample
 */

class expexampleInfo
{
    public static function info()
    {
        return array(
            'Name'      => "Exponential example extension",
            'Version'   => "0.1.0",
            'Copyright' => "Copyright (C) 2026 Example Company",
            'License'   => "GNU General Public License v2.0 (or any later version)",
            'Info_url'  => "https://github.com/example/expexample"
        );
    }
}

3. extension.xml

extension/expexample/extension.xml is read first when it has <metadata>, so its version must be the same number:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<software>
    <metadata>
        <name>Exponential example extension</name>
        <version>0.1.0</version>
        <copyright>Copyright (C) 2026 Example Company</copyright>
        <license>GNU General Public License v2.0 (or any later version)</license>
        <info_url>https://github.com/example/expexample</info_url>
    </metadata>
    <dependencies>
    </dependencies>
</software>

<dependencies> names the extensions this one needs (<requires><extension name="ezjscore" /></requires>) or builds on (<extends>); with site.ini [ExtensionSettings] ExtensionOrdering=enabled they decide the loading order. Never write //autogentag// or dev-master as a version: write the release number.

4. composer.json

Only needed when the extension is installed with Composer. The package type ezpublish-legacy-extension and the ezpublish-legacy-extension-name make the installer put it in extension/expexample:

{
    "name": "example/expexample",
    "description": "An example extension for Exponential 6",
    "type": "ezpublish-legacy-extension",
    "license": "GPL-2.0-or-later",
    "require": {
        "php": ">=8.0",
        "se7enxweb/exponential": "^6.0",
        "se7enxweb/ezpublish-legacy-installer": "*"
    },
    "extra": {
        "ezpublish-legacy-extension-name": "expexample"
    }
}

5. The settings that say where things are

Each part of an extension is found through one setting, written in the extension's own settings/<file>.ini.append.php. The file is PHP that outputs nothing, with the INI text inside a comment:

extension/expexample/settings/module.ini.append.php (modules, A custom module and view):

<?php /* #?ini charset="utf-8"?

[ModuleSettings]
# Look for modules/<module>/module.php in this extension
ExtensionRepositories[]=expexample
# The known module names: keeps a URL alias from taking over the module's address
ModuleList[]=expexample

*/ ?>

extension/expexample/settings/design.ini.append.php (templates, scripts and style sheets):

<?php /* #?ini charset="utf-8"?

[ExtensionSettings]
# Look for design/<design>/templates/... in this extension
DesignExtensions[]=expexample

[JavaScriptSettings]
# design/standard/javascript/expexample.js, packed and loaded by the pagelayouts of the site designs
FrontendJavaScriptList[]=expexample.js

*/ ?>

extension/expexample/settings/site.ini.append.php (template operators and translations):

<?php /* #?ini charset="utf-8"?

[TemplateSettings]
# Look for autoloads/eztemplateautoload.php in this extension (template operators)
ExtensionAutoloadPath[]=expexample

[RegionalSettings]
# Look for translations/<locale>/translation.ts in this extension
TranslationExtensions[]=expexample

*/ ?>

Add the other files (content.ini.append.php, workflow.ini.append.php, cronjob.ini.append.php, ezjscore.ini.append.php) when you add the part they switch on; the pages for those parts show them. An extension never edits a kernel file in settings/ and never writes to settings/override/.

6. Switch it on

Add the extension to site.ini [ExtensionSettings] ActiveExtensions[] of the installation. The exp:ini command writes the line into settings/override/site.ini.append.php and keeps a backup:

./console exp:ini add 'site.ini/ExtensionSettings/ActiveExtensions[]' expexample global --dry-run --allow-root-user
./console exp:ini add 'site.ini/ExtensionSettings/ActiveExtensions[]' expexample global --allow-root-user

Or press Activate on its card on Setup > Extensions. For one siteaccess only, use the scope siteaccess:<name> and ActiveAccessExtensions[].

Then make the kernel see its classes and settings:

php bin/php/ezpgenerateautoloads.php -e
php bin/php/ezcache.php --clear-all --allow-root-user

ezpgenerateautoloads.php -e scans the classes/ (and every other PHP) directory of the active extensions and writes var/autoload/ezp_extension.php; run it again after adding or renaming a class. Under PHP-FPM or Velocity, the running workers see new classes only after a reload: see Deploying with Velocity.

7. Check it

php -l extension/expexample/ezinfo.php
xmllint --noout extension/expexample/extension.xml
./console exp:ini where site.ini/ExtensionSettings/ActiveExtensions --allow-root-user

Expected: No syntax errors detected, no output from xmllint, and expexample among the active extensions. Setup > Extensions lists Exponential example extension with version 0.1.0, license and website.

Checked for this page (2026-10-18): php -l on ezinfo.php and the four settings files, xmllint --noout on extension.xml, composer.json parsed as JSON.

8. Releasing a version

When you publish the extension, the version in ezinfo.php and in extension.xml (and version in composer.json, if you keep one) is set to the release number in a commit before the tag. Choose the number from the tags that exist (git tag -l 'v*' --sort=version:refname), never from memory, and never move a tag that was pushed. The whole procedure is in Extensions, section 7.

Common mistakes

Symptom	Cause
The extension list shows a dash as version	`ezinfo.php` or `extension.xml` is missing or does not parse; or the two disagree
`Class '...' not found`	the autoload array was not regenerated, or PHP-FPM or Velocity still runs the old one
A setting of the extension has no effect	the extension is not active, or another extension loaded earlier, or `settings/override/`, sets the same variable: `./console exp:ini where <file>/<Block>/<Variable>`
A new template is not used	the template override cache: `php bin/php/ezcache.php --clear-id=template-override --allow-root-user`

Derived from

extension/expservices/ezinfo.php, extension/expservices/extension.xml (bundled extension metadata)
extension/ezjscore/settings/site.ini.append.php, extension/ezjscore/settings/module.ini.append.php
settings/module.ini (ExtensionRepositories[], ModuleList[]), settings/design.ini ([JavaScriptSettings])
lib/eztemplate/classes/eztemplate.php (ExtensionAutoloadPath), lib/ezi18n/classes/eztstranslator.php (TranslationExtensions)
doc/eng-us/guides/extensions.md, doc/eng-us/specifications/6.0/extension-metadata.md

Cookbook and Examples
Extensions: find, install, configure, build and release
Extension metadata, Extension loading order, Settings override placements
RAD tools: a wizard that writes this skeleton for you
INI settings and extension points
The coding rules and the pattern catalogue: the standards
Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve.

An extension skeleton

An extension skeleton

1. The folder

2. ezinfo.php

3. extension.xml

4. composer.json

5. The settings that say where things are

6. Switch it on

7. Check it

8. Releasing a version

Common mistakes

Derived from

Documentation license

Cookies on this website

An extension skeleton #

1. The folder #

2. ezinfo.php #

3. extension.xml #

4. composer.json #

5. The settings that say where things are #

6. Switch it on #

7. Check it #

8. Releasing a version #

Common mistakes #

Derived from #

Related pages #

Documentation license

An extension skeleton

1. The folder

2. ezinfo.php

3. extension.xml

4. composer.json

5. The settings that say where things are

6. Switch it on

7. Check it

8. Releasing a version

Common mistakes

Derived from

Related pages