Creating a Plugin

This guide walks through creating a basic Chamilo plugin. For additional detail, see the Plugin development wiki page.

Step 1: Create the Plugin Directory

Create a directory in public/plugin/. The directory name should match your plugin's identifier:

public/plugin/MyPlugin/

Step 2: Define the Plugin Class

Create src/MyPluginPlugin.php. The class extends Plugin and follows the singleton pattern:

<?php

class MyPluginPlugin extends Plugin
{
    protected function __construct()
    {
        $settings = [
            'tool_enable' => 'boolean',
            'api_key'     => 'text',
        ];
        parent::__construct('1.0', 'Your Name', $settings);
    }

    public static function create(): static
    {
        static $instance = null;
        return $instance ??= new static();
    }
}

Available Setting Types

Type	Description
boolean	Checkbox on/off
text	Single-line text input
select	Dropdown (provide options array)
wysiwyg	Rich text editor
html	Raw HTML field
checkbox	Checkbox
user	User selector

For select settings:

$settings = [
    'mode' => [
        'type'             => 'select',
        'options'          => ['auto' => 'Automatic', 'manual' => 'Manual'],
        'translate_options' => true,
    ],
];

Access settings at runtime:

$plugin = MyPluginPlugin::create();
$key  = $plugin->get('api_key');       // single value
$all  = $plugin->get_settings();       // all settings

Step 3: Create plugin.php

plugin.php at the plugin root is required. It must assign $plugin_info:

<?php
$plugin_info = MyPluginPlugin::create()->get_info();

Step 4: Create Install and Uninstall Scripts

install.php:

<?php
MyPluginPlugin::create()->install();

uninstall.php:

<?php
MyPluginPlugin::create()->uninstall();

Implement the actual schema creation/deletion inside the class using Doctrine's SchemaTool.

Step 5: Add Translations

Create language files in lang/ using locale codes (e.g., en_US.php, fr_FR.php, es_ES.php). The fallback is en_US.php.

<?php
// lang/en_US.php
$strings['plugin_title']   = 'My Plugin';
$strings['plugin_comment'] = 'Description of what this plugin does.';
$strings['tool_enable']    = 'Enable plugin';
$strings['api_key']        = 'API Key';
$strings['api_key_help']   = 'Enter the API key from your account.';

Access translations via $plugin->get_lang('key').

Step 6: Inject Content via Display Regions

Plugins can inject HTML into 18 predefined regions of the Vue frontend. Override renderRegion() in your class:

public function renderRegion(string $region): string
{
    if ('header_right' !== $region) {
        return '';
    }
    return '<div class="my-plugin-widget">Hello!</div>';
}

Available regions include: content_bottom, content_top, course_tool_plugin, footer_center, footer_left, footer_right, header_center, header_left, header_main, header_right, login_bottom, login_top, main_bottom, main_top, menu_administrator, menu_bottom, menu_top, pre_footer.

Step 7: React to Platform Events (Optional)

Plugins can react to platform events using Symfony event subscribers. Create a file ending in EventSubscriber.php inside src/EventSubscriber/ — it is auto-registered via PluginEventSubscriberPass.

<?php
// src/EventSubscriber/MyPluginEventSubscriber.php

use Chamilo\CoreBundle\Event\Events;
use Symfony\Component\EventDispatcher\EventSubscriberInterface;

class MyPluginEventSubscriber implements EventSubscriberInterface
{
    private MyPluginPlugin $plugin;

    public function __construct()
    {
        // Plugin classes are not Symfony services — use the create() singleton.
        $this->plugin = MyPluginPlugin::create();
    }

    public static function getSubscribedEvents(): array
    {
        return [
            Events::COURSE_CREATED => 'onCourseCreated',
        ];
    }

    public function onCourseCreated($event): void
    {
        if (!$this->plugin->isEnabled()) {
            return;
        }
        // your logic here
    }
}

See src/CoreBundle/Event/Events.php for the full list of available events (user, course, session, LP, exercise, portfolio, authentication, and more).

Step 8: Lifecycle Hooks

Override these methods in your plugin class to respond to platform actions:

Method	Triggered when
install()	Plugin is activated
uninstall()	Plugin is removed
performActionsAfterConfigure()	Admin saves the config form
course_settings_updated(array $values)	Course-level settings change
validateCourseSetting(string $variable)	Course setting saved (return false to reject)
doWhenDeletingUser(int $userId)	A user is deleted
doWhenDeletingCourse(int $courseId)	A course is deleted
doWhenDeletingSession(int $sessionId)	A session is deleted

Step 9: Activate

Log in as administrator, navigate to Manage plugins, find your plugin, and click Activate.

Tips

• Follow existing plugins as examples — public/plugin/HelloWorld/ and public/plugin/TopLinks/ are good simple references

• Use translations — Always use the lang/ system for user-facing text

• Clean up on uninstall — Remove database tables and settings in the uninstall script

• Check enabled state — In event subscribers, always call $this->plugin->isEnabled() before executing logic