The bridge strives to provide either loose or tight integration between the Joomla 1.5 CMS and the Simple Machines Forum. Loose integration means that the forum is effectively wrapped within Joomla. Tight integration means that core features such as user integration, login, and logout are automatically synchronized between the two systems.

In addition to wrapping the forum within Joomla, the bridge also integrates core user functionality. Please note that as of J2SMF Beta 2, these features are still under development.

• Integration of user login and logout, as well as session verification;
• Auto-generation of Joomla User account when a user has registered under SMF, and vice-versa;
• Possibility to wrap different SMF installations within a single Joomla site.

To see the bridge in action, visit the GMITC Support Forum.

Screenshots

Administative Configuration Configuring J2SMF is very straight foward - just indicate where the SMF forum software has been installed.

The current version of Joomla 2 Simple Machines Forum Bridge works with recent versions of the Joomla 1.5 framework. It will not work with either Joomla 1.0 or any of the Mambo distributions.

J2SMF also requires PHP 5 and the MySQL Improvied ( MySQLi ) core library. Joomla must be configured to connect to the database using the MySQLi driver and not the older MySQL driver. The PHP MbString extension is also highly recommended.

Joomla to Simple Machines Forum Bridge

Please note that this bridge is not being developed at this time.

Download the J2SMF Bridge.

There is a support forum on the GMITC Support Forum, but J2SMF is not officially supported. Nor are we offering consulting services for J2SMF. We are simply giving people our code to use and enjoy.

What is J2SMF?

The Joomla to Simple Machines Forum component allows you to wrap the Simple Machines Forum (SMF) software into your Joomla website. The Simple Machines Forum is an independent application with excellent forum capabilities.

Will J2SMF Work with Joomla 1.0?

No. The component only works with the new Joomla 1.5 system.

Will J2SMF Work with Joomla 1.5?

Yes, the component is a native Joomla 1.5 extension.

What Is Inside?

The J2SMF component is a single install package that you can install using Joomla's Extension Manager.

How Much Does J2SMF Cost?

Nothing, it is free.

Does SMF Support J2SMF?

No, they no longer support Joomla. We are offering this bridge because many Joomla sites already use SMF and need a bridge. In fact the good people at SMF would often complain that Joomla users are the most frequent violators of their license, so if you do ask for support from them please be courteous.

Although J2SMF is licensed under the GPL and LGPL, there is some debate about whether or not GPL code can mix with non-GPL code. In 2007, the Joomla Project reinterpreted the GPL and raised concerns that non-GPL code may not be legally complient with GPL code. As a result Simple Machines dropped support for the Joomla CMS.

We sincerely believe that most Open and Free Source Software, or FOSS, can interpolate. We respect both interpretations of the GPL and can find no legal precedent indicating that these two great systems cannot work together. To accommodate the different interpretations, J2SMF is distributed with a default and advanced integration script. The default script provides a clean seperation between the Joomla CMS and the SMF software. Additionally, the code that calls the integration script is licensed under the LGPL, a license which is more tolerant of these issues.

If you wish to use tight integration between Joomla and SMF using the advanced integration script, GMITC assumes no responsibilities, expressed or implied, that interpolation between different FOSS licenses are legal. Only the courts can decide this. We do wish for you to be aware of this issue however.