Easy Directory 1.0.0 is a comprehensive business directory and city guide extension suite for Joomla 4.4+, 5, and 6. It empowers site owners, tourism boards, city portals, and local commerce networks to publish fast, searchable, and responsive listings for businesses, restaurants, landmarks, beaches, and attractions.

Unlike basic map markers or heavy classified systems, Easy Directory gives every listing its own search-engine-optimized detail page featuring photo galleries, structured weekly opening hours, contact action buttons (Call, WhatsApp, Email, Website, Directions), and automated Schema.org JSON-LD structured data.

Key capabilities

• Dual Map Engine: Choose OpenStreetMap Leaflet tiles out of the box with zero API keys, or switch to Google Maps JavaScript API.
• Interactive Near Me Geolocation: Browser-based HTML5 geolocation calculates distances and filters places within configurable radii.
• Flexible Layouts: Classic Split List + Map, Faceted Grid with left filter sidebar (No Map), Category Hubs, and Destination Area Hubs.
• Rich Custom Fields & Badges: Create custom attributes scoped to specific categories, plus highlight entries with curated badges.
• Smart Search Ready: Includes native Finder plugin (plg_finder_easydirectory) for seamless Joomla Smart Search indexing.

Explore the live interactive demo at demo.joomlax.com/demo/utilities/easy-directory.

Always required

• Joomla: 4.4+, 5.0+, 5.1+, 5.2+, or 6.0+
• PHP: 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, or 8.4
• Database: MySQL 5.7+ / 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.4+
• Privileges: Administrator or Super User to install extensions

Map Providers

• OpenStreetMap (Default): Ready immediately with no API key or credit card needed. Bundled Leaflet map engine.
• Google Maps (Optional): Requires Google Cloud project with Maps JavaScript API enabled and a valid API key with HTTP referrer restrictions.

Browser Geolocation

• HTML5 Near Me geolocation requires a secure HTTPS connection on modern browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge).

1. Download EasyDirectory_UNZIP.zip from your JoomlaX account or purchase confirmation email.
2. Extract the archive on your local computer to access pkg_easydirectory_1.0.0.zip and ReadMe.txt.
3. Important: Do not upload the outer UNZIP file to Joomla. Install the inner package zip.
4. In Joomla Administrator, navigate to System > Install > Extensions > Upload Package File.
5. Select pkg_easydirectory_1.0.0.zip and wait for the green success confirmation.
6. Navigate to Components > Easy Directory to open the Dashboard.
7. Go to System > Maintenance > Clear Cache to refresh asset caches.

The package installs and registers both the Component (com_easydirectory) and the Smart Search Plugin (plg_finder_easydirectory).

1. Open Components > Easy Directory > Dashboard.
2. Optionally click Install 60 US Sample Listings on the Dashboard to explore a fully populated demo setup.
3. Create your primary categories under Components > Easy Directory > Categories.
4. Define your geographic destinations under Areas (for example: South Beach, Downtown, Midtown).
5. Create your listing classifications under Listing Types (for example: Business, Tourist Place, Arts).
6. Add listings under Listings > New with photos, opening hours, coordinates, and contact details.
7. Open Configuration to set your default map provider, theme colors, and layout preferences.
8. Publish frontend pages by creating menu items under Menus > Main Menu > New selecting Easy Directory layouts.

Dashboard

Open Components > Easy Directory > Dashboard for high-level statistics and one-click quick actions:

• Live counters for Total Listings, Published, Featured Places, Categories, Areas, Types, Badges, and Custom Fields.
• Quick links to add new listings, manage categories, areas, import/export, and global configuration.
• Sample Data installer: deploy 60 rich US listings with coordinates and photos, or reset all data with a single click.

Listings Management

Open Components > Easy Directory > Listings to view and filter all entries:

• Toolbar: New, Duplicate, Edit, Publish, Unpublish, and Delete.
• Instant Search: Filter across title, address, phone, email, website, description, and custom fields.
• Dropdown Filters: Filter table by Publishing Status, Category, Area, and Listing Type.
• Quick Toggles: Click status or featured icons directly in the table to toggle publication or featured priority.

When creating or editing a listing under Components > Easy Directory > Listings, fields are organized into tabs:

• General Details: Title, Alias, Category, Area, Listing Type, Price Range (€ to €€€€), Badges, Verified Place badge toggle, Main Photo with media picker, Image Caption, Short Summary, and Rich Text Full Description.
• Location & Coordinates: Street Address, Latitude, Longitude, and an Interactive Map Coordinate Picker where you can click or drag to pinpoint exact locations.
• Contact Information: Phone Number, Email, Website URL, Contact Manager name, WhatsApp direct number/link, and dynamic Social Media Profiles (Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and more).
• Opening Hours: Structured weekly opening and closing hours for Monday through Sunday, including Open/Closed toggles and split shifts.
• Image Gallery: Reorderable gallery photos via Joomla Media Manager or auto-populate from an images directory.
• Custom Fields: Dynamic custom field inputs scoped to the listing category (for example: Cuisine, Atmosphere, Valet Parking, Wi-Fi, Accessibility).
• Connected Joomla Articles: Connect related articles or display recent stories from an article category.
• SEO & Social Meta: Custom Meta Title, Meta Description, Keywords, and Schema.org overrides.

Categories

Open Components > Easy Directory > Categories to manage Joomla core categories under com_easydirectory:

• Organize places hierarchically (for example: Restaurants > Fine Dining, Beaches > Surf Beaches).
• Assign category images and descriptions used on Category Hub menu layouts.
• Filter custom fields so attributes only appear for relevant categories.

Areas (Destinations)

Open Components > Easy Directory > Areas to define geographic zones and towns:

• Create locations such as South Beach Miami, Manhattan NYC, Downtown Austin, French Quarter New Orleans, and Santa Monica Pier.
• Areas act as interactive facet filters in both split-view and faceted-grid layouts.
• Set center coordinates and zoom levels for dedicated Destination Area Hub views.

Listing Types

Open Components > Easy Directory > Listing Types (for example: Business & Services, Tourist Attraction, Arts & Culture, Outdoor & Recreation):

• Assign distinct FontAwesome icons and color tags to each type.
• Allows visitors to quickly distinguish commercial businesses from public landmarks or natural attractions.

Badges

Open Components > Easy Directory > Badges to manage promotional and editorial ribbons:

• Create badges like Top Pick, Michelin Guide, Locals Choice, Historic Landmark, Ocean View, and Must Visit.
• Customize background color, text color, and border style.
• Badges appear prominently on listing cards and hero banners.

Open Components > Easy Directory > Custom Fields to create structured attributes:

• Field Types: Text, Dropdown Select, or Checkbox.
• Category Scoping: Assign fields to all categories or restrict them to specific ones (for example, assign Cuisine only to Restaurants and Valet Parking to Hotels/Restaurants).
• Search & Filter: Flag fields as filterable to display them automatically in frontend faceted filter bars.
• Icons & Tags: Choose FontAwesome icons and badge colors for amenities displayed on listing detail pages.

Open Components > Easy Directory > Import & Export for bulk data management:

Export Directory to CSV

• Download all current listings with titles, categories, areas, coordinates, contact info, and custom field data in a clean UTF-8 CSV file.
• Ideal for full backups or bulk spreadsheet editing in Excel / Google Sheets.

Import Listings from CSV

• Download the sample CSV template to ensure header alignment.
• Upload your CSV file to import hundreds of listings in seconds. Existing records matching aliases are automatically updated.

Batch Geocoding

• Automatically resolve missing coordinates for listings that only have street addresses.
• Uses your configured Geocoding Service (Google Geocoding or OpenStreetMap Nominatim).

Open Components > Easy Directory > Configuration and review the styling tabs:

Appearance

• Theme Skin: Classic Modern, Editorial Clean, or Minimal Flat.
• Next-Gen WebP Images: Enable automated WebP image delivery for faster load times.
• Split View Catalog Height: 550px, 650px, 720px, 800px, or Full Viewport calculations.
• Time Format & Timezone: Choose 24 Hour or 12 Hour AM/PM format, and select directory timezone for accurate Open Now status badges.

Design System & Tokens

• Theme Colors: Accent Primary, Accent Hover, Surface Card, Canvas Background, Text, Muted Text, and Border colors.
• Corner Style: Choose Rounded (pill shapes and smooth curves) or Squared (sharp crisp rectangles).
• Border Radius Strength: Soft Curves (6px/10px), Rounded Pills (10px/14px/Full), or Extra Round.
• Card Shadow Elevation: None (Flat), Subtle Layered Shadow, or Elevated Strong Shadow.

Map & Geolocation

• Interactive Map Provider: OpenStreetMap (Leaflet, no key required) or Google Maps JavaScript API.
• Google Maps API Key: Enter your key if using Google Maps.
• Default Coordinates & Zoom: Set fallback center latitude, longitude, and default map zoom.
• Directions Link Target: Route Get Directions clicks to Google Maps, Apple Maps, or OpenStreetMap.
• Geocoding Service: Select Google Geocoding or OpenStreetMap Nominatim for address lookups.

Directory Behaviors

• Default Frontend Layout: Classic Split (List Left + Map Right) or Faceted Grid (Left Filter Sidebar, No Map). Dependent fields adjust automatically.
• Interactive Features: Enable/disable Near Me Geolocation, Slide-out Drawer Toggle, Fullscreen Map Mode, and Draggable Split Resizer.
• Faceted Filters: Toggle Category Filter, Listing Type Filter, Area Filter, Category Custom Fields, Open Now Quick Filter, and Active Filters Bar.
• Pagination & Sorting: Choose AJAX Page Numbers, AJAX Load More Button, or Standard Page Reload; configure default sort order and items per page.

Listing Detail Page (Organized in Accordions)

• Hero Accordion: Toggle Hero Badge, Gallery Thumbnails, Verified Badge, Price Range, Tags, Favorite Button, and Contact Action Buttons (Directions, Call, Website, WhatsApp).
• Sidebar Accordion: Configure Location Mini Map, Sidebar Map Height, Opening Hours Widget, Contact Information, and Social Media Profiles.
• Page Sections Accordion: Toggle Gallery Tab, Custom Field Amenities Grid, Connected Joomla Articles Tab, and Similar Places carousel.
• Card Details Accordion: Customize elements displayed on listing cards across directory indexes.

Social Sharing & Schema.org

• Social Sharing Bar: Enable sharing buttons for Facebook, X, WhatsApp, Telegram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, Email, and Copy Link.
• Schema.org JSON-LD: Automatically output rich snippet structured data with default schema types for LocalBusiness and TouristAttraction.

Easy Directory provides frontend menu views under Menus > Main Menu > New > Select > Easy Directory:

• Classic Split (List Left + Map Right): Horizontal listing cards on the left paired with a sticky interactive map on the right. Perfect for local city guides and point-of-interest finders.
• Faceted Grid (Left Filter Sidebar, No Map): Multi-column card grid with a left sidebar for instant AJAX facet filtering by category, area, type, custom fields, and price range.
• Single Listing: Dedicated standalone detail page for featured destinations or flagship partner listings.
• Category Hub: Category overview hero banner, area distribution pills, and filtered place cards.
• Destination / Area Hub: Geographic region overview with map centering and local place recommendations.

Common issues and fast solutions

• Markers not showing on map: Ensure listings have valid Latitude and Longitude values. If addresses were entered without coordinates, run Batch Geocoding under Import & Export.
• Google Maps showing error: Verify that your Google Cloud API key has Maps JavaScript API enabled and that HTTP referrer restrictions match your domain.
• Near Me button not locating: Modern web browsers require a secure HTTPS connection for HTML5 Geolocation API permissions.
• Styles not updating after upgrade: Go to System > Maintenance > Clear Cache in Joomla Administrator and do a hard browser refresh (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R).
• Smart Search not finding directory places: Navigate to Components > Smart Search, verify that Smart Search: Easy Directory plugin is enabled, and click Index to rebuild your search index.

Need assistance, have questions, or want to suggest a new feature? Our support team is ready to help.

Open a support ticket at our official portal: https://support.joomlax.com/

What to include in your ticket

• Your Joomla version (for example: Joomla 5.2.0)
• Your PHP version (for example: PHP 8.3)
• A direct URL to the affected page on your website
• A brief description of the expected versus actual behavior
• Relevant screenshots or error messages if available