Chapter 15. Understanding Modules

PostNuke allows items to be virtually 'bolted on' to its engine. These items, called "modules", add features or functionality to PostNuke. Because it is extremely important to understand how modules function within PostNuke, we will explain how any PostNuke module can be initialized, activated, edited, deactivated, upgraded, and completely removed (deleted!). Any of these actions may be taken on any PostNuke module.

The PostNuke distribution comes with a selection of popular modules already configured for use with your system. The Administrator may choose which modules to use on the site, and disable or even completely remove (delete!) those that will not be used on the site. Additional modules for PostNuke may be downloaded from the official module site at http://mods.postnuke.com/index.php.

From the Administration menu, click "Modules".

To activate a specific module, from your site's Administration menu, select "Modules" then "Regenerate". From the list that appears, select the module that you wish to activate. Click "Initialize" to initialize the module, and then click on "Activate" to turn the module on. Set the permissions (explained later in this document), and the module is ready for use.

To remove a module's functionality, go to the Administration menu's Module link, select "Regenerate", and click "Deactivate" next to the module to be removed. This turns the module off but keeps the module variables and database tables intact. This is all you need to do to make the module inaccessible to your users, unless you wish to completely remove (uninstall) the module from your site. Completely remove modules by deleting their sub-directories from your modules/ directory.

If you wish to completely remove a specific module, click "Remove" to remove the module from your site. The only way to delete the physical files of the module is to remove the directory yourself (for example, "rm modules/<modulename>). If you wish to utilize the module's functionality again in the future, you will need to re-initialize and re-activate the module.

IMPORTANT NOTE: There is no CONFIRMATION SCREEN when you click to "Remove" a deactivated module! Be certain that you wish to delete the module before clicking the "Remove" button.