Joomla Integration Basics

I see much information in this forum regarding Joomla Integration, but most of it is way beyond my comprehension. But I do have some basic questions the answers to which might help me choose the best way to go.

I am currently running aMember Pro 3.1.8 on a non-CMS web site. A web site designer is in the process of constructing a Joomla site for me, but he is unfamiliar with aMember. I am NOT interested in using the aMember Joomla plugin, as it appears to me to only interact with the Joomla CommunityBuilder module, but does nothing to help process PayPal payment and then forward paid members to protected portions of the web site.

In very broad terms, how does aMember protect a Joomla driven web site? As far as I can tell, Joomla does not create separate directories on the web site. Is it necessary to create directories for aMember to function correctly, or is there a different way that aMemeber can interact with a Joomla driven web site in order to protect selected content?

Secondarily, if this is a more complex issue than I am capable of handling myself, how do I go about finding someone that would be able to do it for me once the web site is ready to go online?

Thank you in advance for any help offered.
Bob

Hi Bob,

Basically aMember creates the Joomla user and specific groups based on what product was ordered. You then protect different areas based on group membership.

Thank you for your reply. I am new to Joomla. When you say "Joomla user and groups" is that some sort of protection scheme that is offered through the Joomla CMS?

If so, is that what the aMember Joomla plugin is for - to handle the interaction between aMember and the Joomla protection scheme?

If so, does aMember take care of the payment processing portion and then forward content access permission information to the Joomla protection scheme?

Can anyone point me towards other resources that might help explain the process a bit better? A flow diagram would be great!

Thank you for any help - I'd really like to get a handle on this.

Bob

Hi Bob, I've implemented 3 Joomla/Amember websites so I understand your confusion about this. I hope that you are using Joomla 1.6 or 1.7 for your new site, as the Joomla 1.5 is being deprecated. Joomla 1.6/1.7 has a (wonderful!) built-in user access scheme that Amember utilizes to control access to content, whereas Joomla 1.5 does not have as sophisticated a scheme.

I'm assuming that you're building membership levels into your site. Joomla 1.6/1.7 has some User/Access Groups built-in (go to the Users Menu | Groups option to see them). You can use those existing levels or build in your own (which is what I usually do). Then you create the content in the form of articles and modules, and you can tie each of those to the User Group/Access level.

When you install and configure Amember you also purchase and install the Joomla plugin. This plugin will detect your existing Membership Levels/User Groups and you can tie your Amember memberships TO those groups. Amember provides the signup page and sends your buyer to whatever payment system you're using (PayPal, 1ShoppingCart, etc). After payment is complete, Amember and Joomla together allow your new member to log in, and Joomla allows your member to move about the site, viewing content tied to that level. When/if the membership lapses, Amember cuts off access to the site until payment is received again.

If you'd like further help with your site, feel free to send me a private message about it on this forum.

Thanks,
Toolie