While in the process of developing our new CORE360 Agent real estate web sites one hurdle that we had to overcome was how to let agents add unlimited content and categories through the front end of the site and without having to access the Joomla Admin section. We found the answer by using the CorePHP Wordpress Component.

This component includes various modules that you can also use to integrate the WP functions with Joomla. For example, we use the Categories module as a secondary menu in our sites. So any time an agent adds a new category or sub category it shows up in this module - and we don't have to go in and add links to an existing menu.

The component also includes Sidebars modules that you can use throughout your site and display the standard WordPress widgets (i.e. calendar, archives, etc.).

All of the basic WP functionality is there including ping services, comments, and more. Users that register in Joomla are given a default WP role of your choosing, and you can upgrade their roles in the WP Admin. Speaking of the WP Admin, there is an additional component that you can install to access WP Admin through the front end of your Joomla site!

There are a couple of drawbacks, including the fact that you may have to modify some WP plugins to get them to work properly. But documentation and tech support are very thorough, so you shouldn't have too many problems. I only use Askimet, Sociable, and All In One SEO and those are among the many plugins the CorePHP team has already modified and made available for download.

One thing I also had to take into consideration was the way that  WP outputs various elements in regards to style and positioning. I suppose that one way to do it would be to look at the CSS class names generated by WP, then write the WP CSS template to match my own CSS, But we have a lot of complex CSS elements on our site, and frankly doing it that way seemed like too much work.

Instead, I made changes to to the PHP in the WP code. For example, I made changes in the classes.php file:

Changed this: $class = 'cat-item cat-item-'.$category->term_id;

To this: $class = 'item item'.$category->term_id;

So that the class names used in WP followed what was done in Joomla. I also made other changes in the categories module and the functions.php file to integrate the WP layout with the Joomla layout. While it sounds like it was a pain, it was actually very easy. Especially when you use Firebug to inspect the elements on the page so you know exactly what needs to be modified.

So, what does it cost for CorePHP? They charge $89.00 US for an annual subscription that gives you access to the latest component, modules, and plugins. Overall, it's a great deal. I definitely recommend this product!