This guide covers the 8 frontend modules included with JoomHelpDesk. These modules provide sidebar widgets, content blocks, and interactive elements that extend the helpdesk beyond the main component pages.
All modules are site-side (frontend) modules designed for Joomla 5.x. They can be assigned to any module position defined by your template.
Table of Contents
- Installing Modules
- Support Summary Module
- Announcements Module
- Advanced Search Module
- FAQs Module
- KB Articles Module
- KB Product Info Module
- Category Products Module
- Testimonials Module
- Module Configuration Tips
Installing Modules
All 8 modules are installed automatically when you install the JoomHelpDesk package (pkg_joomhelpdesk). There is no need to install them individually.
After installation, the modules are available but unpublished. To use a module:
- Go to System > Site Modules in the Joomla administrator.
- Click New and select the desired JoomHelpDesk module from the list.
- Configure its parameters (described below for each module).
- Assign it to a template position and to the pages where it should appear.
- Set the status to Published.
You can create multiple instances of any module with different configurations. For example, you might place two FAQ modules on different pages, each showing a different FAQ category.
Support Summary Module
Module name: mod_joomhelpdesk_support
Displays a ticket status summary for support handlers (admins) or end users. This is the primary dashboard widget for anyone involved in ticket management.
For handlers, it shows a list of ticket statuses with counts that link directly to filtered ticket views. For users, it shows their own ticket summary. It can also display moderation queues when the logged-in user has moderator permissions.
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| List Type | Radio (Handler Summary / User Summary) | Handler Summary | Choose whether the module displays handler (admin) information or user information. Handler Summary shows all tickets organized by status; User Summary shows only the current user's tickets. |
| Hide Support Tickets | Yes/No | No | Hides the support tickets section entirely. Useful if you only want to show the moderation section. |
| Hide Moderate | Yes/No | No | Hides the moderation queue section. Only relevant for users with moderator permissions. |
| Handler's Tickets Only | Yes/No | No | When enabled, only shows tickets assigned to the current handler rather than all tickets. |
| Show Closed Ticket Status | Yes/No | No | Include closed-status tickets in the summary counts. |
| Show Archived Ticket Status | Yes/No | No | Include archived-status tickets in the summary counts. |
| Show My Tickets | Yes/No | No | Displays a "My Tickets" dropdown button with quick links to the handler's own tickets, CC'd tickets, and assigned tickets. Admin only. |
| Show Open Ticket | Yes/No | No | Shows an "Open New Ticket" button that lets the current user create a ticket for themselves. |
| Show Open Ticket (Registered) | Yes/No | No | Shows a button to create a ticket on behalf of another registered user. Admin only. |
| Show Open Ticket (Unregistered) | Yes/No | No | Shows a button to create a ticket on behalf of an unregistered user. Admin only. |
| Module Class Suffix | Text | (empty) | CSS class suffix appended to the module container for custom styling. |
Placement Recommendations
- Place in a sidebar position (e.g.,
sidebar-right) on the helpdesk support pages. - For handlers, use the Handler Summary list type so they see all ticket statuses at a glance.
- For customer-facing pages, use the User Summary list type.
- Enable "Show Open Ticket" to give users a convenient way to submit new tickets from the sidebar.
Announcements Module
Module name: mod_joomhelpdesk_announce
Displays helpdesk announcements on the frontend. Announcements can be shown in full or limited to the most recent entries. When a maximum height is set, the content auto-scrolls vertically.
Each announcement shows its title, subtitle, date, time, author name, and body content. Clicking an announcement can link to its full detail page.
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Which Announcements | Radio (All Published / Most Recent) | Most Recent | Choose whether to display all published announcements or only the most recent ones. |
| Number of Recent Announcements | Text (number) | 3 | How many announcements to display when in "Most Recent" mode. Ignored when set to "All Published". |
| Maximum Height | Text (pixels) | 0 | Maximum height in pixels for the announcements container. When content exceeds this height, it auto-scrolls. Use 0 for auto height (no scrolling). |
| Click for More Details | Yes/No | Yes | When enabled, each announcement title links to its full detail page. |
| Show More Announcements Button | Yes/No | Yes | Displays a "Show All Announcements" link at the bottom of the module in "Most Recent" mode. |
| Module Class Suffix | Text | (empty) | CSS class suffix for custom styling. |
Placement Recommendations
- Place on the helpdesk landing page or in a sidebar to keep users informed of service updates.
- Use "Most Recent" mode with 3-5 announcements for a clean sidebar widget.
- Set a maximum height (e.g., 200-300px) if space is limited, so announcements scroll automatically.
Advanced Search Module
Module name: mod_joomhelpdesk_advsearch
Provides a configurable search form for filtering support tickets. Intended for support handlers (admins) who need to quickly locate tickets by various criteria such as subject, handler, status, product, department, and more.
The form supports multiple layout options and each search field can be individually shown or hidden. Dropdown fields (Handler, Status, Product, Department, Category, Priority, Groups) auto-submit the form when a selection is made.
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Layout | Radio | Vertical | Form layout style. Options: Vertical (stacked fields), Horizontal (inline fields), Labels Above (labels displayed above each field), Labels Side (labels displayed beside each field in a horizontal-form layout). |
| Hide Form on Result | Yes/No | Yes | When enabled, hides the advanced search form after results are displayed, showing only a basic search toggle. |
| Hide Search and Reset Buttons | Yes/No | No | Hides the Search and Reset buttons. Useful when all fields are dropdowns that auto-submit. |
| Show Subject | Yes/No | Yes | Show a text input for searching by ticket subject. |
| Show Reference | Yes/No | No | Show a text input for searching by ticket reference number. |
| Show Username | Yes/No | No | Show a text input for searching by the ticket creator's username. |
| Show User Email | Yes/No | No | Show a text input for searching by the ticket creator's email address. |
| Show User Full Name | Yes/No | No | Show a text input for searching by the ticket creator's full name. |
| Show Handler | Yes/No | Yes | Show a dropdown to filter by assigned handler. Includes quick-filter options: My Tickets, Other Handlers' Tickets, Unassigned, My CC Tickets, My Assigned Tickets. |
| Show Message | Yes/No | No | Show a text input for searching within ticket message content. |
| Show Status | Yes/No | Yes | Show a dropdown to filter by ticket status. Includes individual statuses and groups (All Open, Closed, All). |
| Show Product | Yes/No | Yes | Show a dropdown to filter by product. |
| Show Department | Yes/No | Yes | Show a dropdown to filter by department. |
| Show Category | Yes/No | No | Show a dropdown to filter by ticket category. |
| Show Priority | Yes/No | No | Show a dropdown to filter by priority level. |
| Show Ticket Groups | Yes/No | No | Show a dropdown to filter by ticket group. |
| Module Class Suffix | Text | (empty) | CSS class suffix for custom styling. |
Placement Recommendations
- Place in a sidebar position on the admin support panel pages.
- For a compact sidebar, use the Vertical layout and show only the most-used fields (Subject, Handler, Status).
- For a toolbar-style search above the ticket list, use the Horizontal layout.
- Enable "Hide Form on Result" to save space after a search is performed.
FAQs Module
Module name: mod_joomhelpdesk_faqs
Displays a list of frequently asked questions. Can be filtered to a specific FAQ category or show featured FAQs. Supports three display modes for answers: navigating to a new page, opening in a popup window, or expanding inline with an accordion.
When a maximum height is set, the content auto-scrolls. Pagination is available when using the "FAQs per page" setting.
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Which FAQ Category | Dropdown (SQL) | (all) | Select a specific FAQ category to display, or choose "All FAQs" to show all categories, or "Featured FAQs" to show only featured entries. The dropdown is populated from your configured FAQ categories. |
| Max Number of FAQs | Text (number) | 10 | Maximum number of FAQ entries to display. |
| Maximum Height | Text (pixels) | 0 | Maximum height in pixels for the FAQ container. When content exceeds this height, it auto-scrolls. Use 0 for auto height. |
| Answer Display | List | New Page | How FAQ answers are displayed when a question is clicked. Options: New Page (navigates to the full FAQ page), Popup Window (opens the answer in a modal popup), Accordion (expands the answer inline below the question using Bootstrap collapse). |
| FAQs per Page | List | All | Number of FAQs to show per page. Options: All, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100. When set to a number, pagination controls appear at the bottom. |
| Module Class Suffix | Text | (empty) | CSS class suffix for custom styling. |
Placement Recommendations
- Place on a helpdesk landing page, sidebar, or dedicated FAQ page.
- Use Accordion mode for a self-contained FAQ widget that does not navigate away from the page.
- Use Popup mode when you want users to read answers without leaving the current page but with more space than an accordion provides.
- Set "FAQs per Page" to 5 or 10 for sidebars to avoid overly long lists.
- Create multiple module instances with different categories for different product pages.
KB Articles Module
Module name: mod_joomhelpdesk_kbart
Displays a list of Knowledge Base articles sorted by various criteria. Offers extensive metadata display options, with each metadata element (author, dates, rating, views) configurable for position relative to the article title.
Supports pagination and auto-scrolling when a maximum height is set.
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Which Articles | List | Most Recently Modified | Determines the sort order for articles. Options: Most Recently Modified, Most Recently Created, Most Viewed, Highest Rated, Random. |
| Product | Dropdown (SQL) | (all) | Filter articles by product. Select "All Products" to show articles from every product, or choose a specific product. |
| Category | Dropdown (SQL) | (all) | Filter articles by KB category. Select "All Categories" to show articles from every category, or choose a specific category. |
| Number of Articles | Text (number) | 10 | Maximum number of articles to display. |
| Maximum Height | Text (pixels) | 0 | Maximum height in pixels. When content exceeds this, it auto-scrolls. Use 0 for auto height. |
| Show Author | List | No | Display the article author. Position options: No (hidden), Right, Left, Below Left, Below Center, Below Right. |
| Show Date Modified | List | No | Display the last-modified date. Same position options as Show Author. |
| Show Date Created | List | No | Display the creation date. Same position options as Show Author. |
| Show Rating | List | No | Display the article rating. Same position options as Show Author. |
| Show Views | List | No | Display the article view count. Same position options as Show Author. |
| Show Intro (num chars) | Text (number) | 0 | Number of characters from the article introduction to display below the title. Use 0 to hide the intro entirely. |
| Date Format | List | Short Date | Format for displaying dates. Options: Short Date, Medium Date, Long Date, Short Date Time, Medium Date Time, Long Date Time. |
| Articles per Page | List | All | Number of articles to show per page. Options: All, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100. When set to a number, pagination controls appear. |
| Module Class Suffix | Text | (empty) | CSS class suffix for custom styling. |
Placement Recommendations
- Place on the helpdesk landing page or in a sidebar to highlight popular or recent KB content.
- Use "Most Viewed" or "Highest Rated" for a "Popular Articles" widget.
- Use "Most Recently Created" for a "What's New" widget.
- Enable "Show Intro" with 100-200 characters to give users a preview of each article.
- Filter by product on product-specific pages for contextual help content.
KB Product Info Module
Module name: mod_joomhelpdesk_kbprodinfo
Displays the extra text/description associated with a Knowledge Base product. This module is context-aware and automatically shows the relevant product's information based on the current KB page being viewed.
The module renders the "extra text" field from the product configuration, which can contain any HTML content such as descriptions, links, images, or download resources.
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show on Category Page | Yes/No | Yes | Display the module when the user is on a KB category listing page (no specific category selected yet). |
| Show on Article List Page | Yes/No | Yes | Display the module when a product and category have been selected and articles are being listed. |
| Show on Article Page | Yes/No | Yes | Display the module when viewing an individual KB article. |
| Module Class Suffix | Text | (empty) | CSS class suffix for custom styling. |
Placement Recommendations
- Place in a sidebar position on KB pages to show product-specific information alongside articles.
- This module is most useful when you have multiple products in your Knowledge Base, as it dynamically shows information relevant to the product being browsed.
- Use the visibility toggles to control on which KB page types the product info appears.
Category Products Module
Module name: mod_joomhelpdesk_catprods
Displays a navigation list of FAQ categories, KB products, or KB categories. This is a navigation-oriented module that helps users browse the helpdesk content structure.
The module uses separate template layouts for each list type: faqcat.php for FAQ categories, kbprod.php for KB products, and kbcats.php for KB categories.
Parameters
Basic Parameters:
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| List Type | Radio | FAQ Categories | What to list. Options: FAQ Categories (lists all published FAQ categories), KB Products (lists all published products marked for Knowledge Base), KB Categories (lists published KB categories). |
KB Categories/Products Parameters:
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product (for KB Categories) | Dropdown (SQL) | (all) | When list type is KB Categories, filter categories by product. Options: "All Products" (show all categories), "Use current context" (auto-detect from the current page), or a specific product. |
General Parameters:
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show Images | Yes/No | Yes | Display images/icons next to category or product headings. |
| Module Class Suffix | Text | (empty) | CSS class suffix for custom styling. |
Placement Recommendations
- Place in a sidebar on FAQ or KB pages to provide category/product navigation.
- Use "FAQ Categories" list type on FAQ pages and "KB Products" or "KB Categories" on Knowledge Base pages.
- Set "Product" to "Use current context" for KB Categories so the module automatically adapts to whichever product the user is currently browsing.
Testimonials Module
Module name: mod_joomhelpdesk_test
Displays customer testimonials associated with your products. Supports auto-scrolling with configurable speed, optional looping, and character truncation. Users can view more testimonials or submit their own directly from the module.
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select Product | Dropdown (SQL) | (all) | Filter testimonials by product. Options: "All Products" (all testimonials), "General Testimonials" (not linked to any specific product), or a specific product from your configuration. |
| Which Testimonials | Radio (Most Recent / Random) | Random | Display the most recently submitted testimonials or a random selection. |
| Number of Testimonials | Text (number) | 3 | How many testimonials to display. |
| Maximum Height | Text (pixels) | 0 | Maximum height in pixels. When content exceeds this, the testimonials auto-scroll. Use 0 for auto height (no scrolling). |
| Scroll Speed | Text (number) | 40 | Speed of auto-scrolling. Higher numbers produce faster scrolling. Only applies when Maximum Height is set and content overflows. |
| Show More Testimonials Button | Yes/No | Yes | Display a "Show More Testimonials" link at the bottom that leads to the full testimonials page. |
| Show Add Testimonial Button | Yes/No | Yes | Display an "Add a Testimonial" link that opens the testimonial submission form (shown in a popup by default). Only visible to users who have permission to add testimonials. |
| Loop Scrolling | Yes/No | No | When enabled, testimonials scroll continuously in one direction and loop back to the start. When disabled, scrolling bounces up and down. |
| Maximum Length | Text (number) | 150 | Maximum number of characters to display per testimonial. Longer testimonials are truncated. |
| Read More Link | Text (URL) | (auto) | Custom URL for the "Show More Testimonials" button. Leave blank to auto-detect the main testimonials page. |
| Add Link | Text (URL) | (auto) | Custom URL for the "Add a Testimonial" button. Leave blank to auto-detect the testimonial submission page. |
| Module Class Suffix | Text | (empty) | CSS class suffix for custom styling. |
Placement Recommendations
- Place on the helpdesk landing page or product pages to build credibility with customer feedback.
- Set a Maximum Height (e.g., 250px) and enable scrolling for a compact, animated testimonials widget.
- Use "Random" mode to keep the display fresh on each page load.
- Filter by product on product-specific pages for relevant testimonials.
- Set Maximum Length to 150-200 characters for sidebar placement; use a higher value for wider content areas.
Module Configuration Tips
General Joomla Module Settings
In addition to the module-specific parameters documented above, every module includes standard Joomla module settings:
- Title: The heading displayed above the module. You can choose to show or hide it.
- Position: The template position where the module renders (e.g.,
sidebar-right,sidebar-left,top,bottom). - Status: Published or Unpublished.
- Access Level: Controls which user groups can see the module (Public, Registered, Special, etc.).
- Menu Assignment: Assign the module to all pages, specific pages, or no pages.
- Ordering: Set the display order relative to other modules in the same position.
Choosing the Right Position
- Sidebar positions work well for: Support Summary, Advanced Search, FAQs (accordion mode), Category Products, KB Product Info.
- Content area positions (above or below main content) work well for: Announcements, KB Articles, Testimonials.
- Multiple positions: You can create several instances of the same module type with different settings for different pages.
Page Assignment Strategy
Use Joomla's menu assignment to show modules only where they are relevant:
- Support Summary and Advanced Search: Assign to helpdesk support/admin pages only.
- FAQs Module: Assign to FAQ-related pages or the helpdesk landing page.
- KB Articles and KB Product Info: Assign to Knowledge Base pages.
- Category Products: Assign to FAQ pages (FAQ Categories mode) or KB pages (KB Products/Categories mode).
- Announcements: Assign to the helpdesk landing page or all helpdesk pages.
- Testimonials: Assign to the landing page, product pages, or site-wide.
Access Level Considerations
- The Support Summary and Advanced Search modules are designed for support handlers (administrators). Set their access level to "Special" or a custom group that matches your handler permissions.
- The FAQs, KB Articles, Announcements, Category Products, and Testimonials modules are typically public-facing. Set their access level to "Public" or "Registered" depending on your helpdesk visibility requirements.
- The KB Product Info module follows the access level of the product it displays.
Auto-Scrolling Modules
Several modules support auto-scrolling when a maximum height is set: Announcements, FAQs, KB Articles, and Testimonials. Tips for using this feature:
- Set the Maximum Height to a reasonable value (200-400px) based on your layout.
- Use
0for auto height if you do not want scrolling. - Auto-scrolling pauses on mouse hover (Testimonials module with loop scrolling).
- The Testimonials module has an additional Scroll Speed parameter for fine-tuning.
Module Class Suffix
All modules support the Module Class Suffix advanced parameter. This appends a CSS class to the module's container element, allowing you to apply custom styles without modifying the module templates. For example, setting it to featured adds the class to the module wrapper, which you can target in your template's CSS.