Got a Joomla category with 100+ articles? Your visitors are stuck clicking through pages. Today I'm introducing the Cybersalt 0-9 and A-Z Menu โ a
Joomla 5/6 module that drops an A-Z and 0-9 browse bar on category pages and filters the list to articles starting with that letter.
But first, the embarrassing part: I built this module months ago and it NEVER WORKED. Not "buggy" โ it fataled on every single click. In this episode I show you why, and the Joomla 5 detail that fixed it.
โญ THE GOTCHA
Joomla 5's category page does NOT build the CategoryModel. It builds the ArticlesModel. I spent ages overriding a class the category page never
even creates. If you've ever tried to filter a Joomla category listing, this one will save you hours.
WHAT THE MODULE DOES
โข A-Z + 0-9 browse bar on com_content category pages
โข Filters the listing to articles whose title starts with that character
โข Filters at the QUERY level โ so pagination counts stay correct and your
template/page-builder layout keeps working
โข Only appears on category pages; pick exactly which categories
โข Full styling control (colours, size, spacing, alignment, custom CSS)
โข Joomla 5 + 6 ยท PHP 8.1+
00:00:00 - Intro & New 0-9/A-Z Joomla Menu Module
00:08:13 - Sponsor & CS09 A-Z Menu Filter Extension
00:10:11 - Installing & Configuring the Module
00:14:27 - Troubleshooting Display & Menu Conflicts
00:20:54 - Cloudflare Cache & A-Z Filtering
00:27:15 - Claude Development & Bug Fixes
00:34:19 - Claude Opus 5.5 & Joomla Template Updates
00:39:59 - Claude Code Auto Mode & Versioning
00:44:17 - Button Styling, Colors & Child Categories
01:00:38 - 0-9 Buttons, Swatches & Light/Dark Mode
01:14:15 - Template Cleanup, Changelog & Security Review
01:25:00 - AI Translations & Claude Login Bug
01:34:56 - Security Fixes & Version 1.2.0 Testing
01:40:08 - Member Area, Licenses & Version 1.2.0 Release
01:43:13 - Wrap-Up, Daylight Saving & Outro
Summary :
1. Introductions & Guest โ Tim Davis opens with sponsor MySites.guru, welcomes returning guest Mark Devra, and greets the live chat.
2. Use Case: Simple Payments โ Mark explains the challenge: sometimes you need easy payments (like for rentals) without a full e-commerce shop.
3. Tools of Choice โ He demonstrates using Convert Forms (trusted for years) together with Smile Pack (PayPal module from Tassos).
4. Demo Setup โ Shows how to configure Smile Packโs PayPal module, blur sensitive data, and combine it with Convert Forms for dynamic payment details.
5. Sandbox Testing & Redirects โ Walks through test payments, passing data via URL, configuring Convert Forms to redirect (better via menu item), and Smile Pack to read dynamic fields.
6. Tips & Flexibility โ Covers module display in page builders, menu/article setup, local payment method support, and handling payment feedback.
7. Extra Demos โ Bonus examples include Convert Forms + N8N automation, and front-end article submission via Convert Forms.
8. Joomla Roadmap Discussion โ Talks about Joomla 4 end-of-life, testing Joomla 5 compatibility, and looking forward to Joomla 6 features like auto-updates.
9. Pro Tips & Community News โ Notes Convert Forms caching improvements, showcases Janice Christuluโs new site, and Tim shares his AI-developed Joomla extensions plus a UserBack feedback tool demo.
10. Wrap-Up โ Thanks guest Mark Devra, acknowledges viewers, and closes the livestream.
Would you like me to also create a short โkey takeawaysโ list (like 5 main lessons/tools) that a viewer could apply immediately?
Please send any feedback or bug reports or queries to;
Contact Tim Davis โบ
Joomla Training Cohort โบ https://cybersalt.com/jtc
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