Extensions in more than one folder #

This page is for developers and administrators who want to keep their own project extensions apart from the extensions they install. Until 2026 every extension had to live in extension/. That folder is also where community extensions land, so your project code and the code you merely use sat side by side, and a clean checkout of a vendor extension could overwrite your changes. Since 26 July 2026 (commit 17e7c11e71) you can declare extra extension folders. A typical split:

extension/        extensions you install (community, vendor)
extension_src/    extensions you write for this project or this customer

Moving an extension between the folders is a plain copy: no manifest, no composer dump-autoload.

Set it up #

1. Declare the extra folder in settings/override/site.ini.append.php:

   [ExtensionSettings]
   AdditionalExtensionDirectories[]
   AdditionalExtensionDirectories[]=extension_src
   ActiveExtensions[]=acme_customer_extension

2. Create the folder, move or copy an extension in, and refresh the autoload array:

   mkdir extension_src
   cp -r extension/acme_customer_extension extension_src/acme_customer_extension
   php bin/php/ezpgenerateautoloads.php -e
   php bin/php/ezcache.php --clear-all --allow-root-user

3. Open Setup > Extensions: the extension is listed and active, whichever root holds it.

Extensions are still switched on with ActiveExtensions[] and ActiveAccessExtensions[]; the kernel finds each one in whichever root holds it.

When two roots hold the same extension #

The root listed later wins completely for that extension: there is no merge, file by file. The autoload generator prints a warning for each such collision, so a shadowing copy is never a surprise. This makes it safe to update a vendor extension in extension/ while a modified copy in extension_src/ stays active.

Names and case #

The extension name in ActiveExtensions[], module.ini [ModuleSettings] ExtensionRepositories[] and design.ini [ExtensionSettings] DesignExtensions[] may differ in letter case from the folder (adminaid for AdminAid). eZExtension::extensionName( $name ) returns the real folder name, so the setting works on case sensitive file systems (19 July, c99f395fb5). On case insensitive systems (macOS, Windows) the real case is also returned and case tests are skipped (15 August, c52c58c533).

For developers #

Never build 'extension/' . $name. Use:

About 40 files that used to hard code extension/ now use these calls: design and template lookup, modules, settings editing, the autoload generator, datatypes, workflow types, notification handlers, shop managers, translations and the command line tools (bin/php/ezpgenerateautoloads.php, eztc.php, ezimportdbafile.php, ezwebincommon.php, runcronjobs.php).

The complete reference, with the load order of settings and the site extension pattern, is in Additional Extension Directories.

Limits #

• Roots are relative to the installation directory unless you write an absolute path.
• Run php bin/php/ezpgenerateautoloads.php -e after moving an extension between roots.

Related pages #

• Additional Extension Directories (reference)
• Extension list and downloads (lists and downloads extensions from every root), extension loading order, extension module override
• Per-site settings inside extensions, INI override directories and placements
• Icon themes in extensions, extension metadata
• Behaviour changes of the legacy extensions (September and October 2026)
• 6.0.15 changelog
• History: July 2026, August 2026, January 2026, October 2024, September 2024, January 2024, second half