Preface

Joomla! is an award winning Content Management System with lots of features. It is useful for almost all types of websites. It has an object-oriented, modular architecture with lots of extensibility features. You can build almost any kind of a website using Joomla!. It has a strong security, authentication, and authorization framework, a content management framework, and a templating system.

There are thousands of Joomla! components, modules, and plugins to extend the functionality of Joomla!. A component for Joomla! can be compared to an application for Joomla!. Similarly, modules are extensions to display the data on Joomla!-based websites. Plugins are also extensions for performing special tasks, such as pre- and post-filtering of content for Joomla!-based websites. With all these features of Joomla! that provide ease of administration and options for customization, sometimes you may think of integrating other technologies, such as Flash, into it. This is because Flash provides great features for animation, which is otherwise not possible using only Joomla!, HTML, or JavaScript.

Flash is unique in creating animated objects, and this adds an extra flavor to your Joomla!-based website. Besides stunning graphics, design, and layout, Flash can definitely add interactivity and value to the website. Some of the features, such as animations, small videos, and interactive games, are only possible through Flash. Considering these unique features of Flash, Joomla! developers have long been trying to use Flash content in Joomla! websites. This book shows you how to use Flash objects with Joomla! content with minimal efforts and maximum output.