Easy Related Articles lets editors choose the related articles and the order visitors see.

Live demo: demo.joomlax.com/demo/utilities/easy-related-articles

The package installs two extensions:

• Content - Easy Related Articles: a Related articles tab on each article, plus an optional block under the article.
• Module - Easy Related Articles: the same list in a module position on a single article page.

Highlights

• Search, add, and reorder related articles on the article edit screen
• When that list is empty, shared tags are used, then newer articles in the same category
• Twelve layouts on one stylesheet: cards, grid, list, compact, numbered, media, overlay, magazine, minimal, sidebar, read next, and carousel
• Colors, columns, image ratio, and zoom on hover are set in the plugin or the module
• Joomla 4, 5, and 6. Native JavaScript, no jQuery

The package runs on Joomla 4, 5, and 6 with PHP 8 or newer.

• PHP: 8.1 or newer
• Access: Super User, or an administrator who can install extensions
• Articles: related links are com_content articles

Not required

• A component
• jQuery
• A template override

Install the package from your download, then clear the site cache.

Step 1: Download

After purchase, download EasyRelatedArticles_UNZIP.zip from your email or the Downloads section. Use the same email address you used when purchasing.

Step 2: Unzip on your computer

1. Extract EasyRelatedArticles_UNZIP.zip.
2. Inside you should see:
   • pkg_easyrelatedarticles_1.0.0.zip (install this one)
   • ReadMe.txt

Step 3: Install in Joomla

1. System > Install > Extensions
2. Upload pkg_easyrelatedarticles_1.0.0.zip
3. System > Maintenance > Clear Cache

What the package installs

• Content - Easy Related Articles (enabled on a new install)
• Module - Easy Related Articles (not published until you create one)

Show after the article stays off, so other articles are unchanged until you turn that switch on or publish a module.

Assign related articles on one article, then choose whether the plugin or a module prints the list.

1. Confirm System > Plugins shows Content - Easy Related Articles as Enabled.
2. Edit an article. Open the Related articles tab. Search by title or id, add the articles, and set the order with the up and down buttons.
3. Save the article.
4. To print the list under every article, open the plugin and turn Show after the article on. Leave it off if you only want a module.
5. Or go to Content > Site Modules > New > Easy Related Articles, pick a position and a menu item that is a single article, and publish it.
6. Clear cache. Open that article logged out and confirm the list.

Open any article and use the Related articles tab to search, add, and reorder links.

• Search matches a title or an article id. Add a result to the list.
• The order in that list is the order visitors see. Drag is not required: use Up and Down.
• An article cannot be related to itself. Saving the same pair twice keeps one row.
• The field stays on the article even when Show after the article is off, so a module can still use the list.
• Unpublished, trashed, or out-of-date articles can stay in the editor list. Visitors do not see them, and those gaps are not filled with other articles.

A short list stays short. If you assign two articles and the limit is four, visitors see two.

The content plugin prints the list under the article only when Show after the article is on.

Open System > Plugins > Content - Easy Related Articles. The Display tab holds the visitor-facing options. The Style tab holds columns and colors.

• Show after the article: off by default. When on, the block is appended on a single article view, not on a category blog.
• Heading and Heading element (h2, h3, or div). Clear the heading to hide it.
• When nothing is assigned: Shared tags, then same category, or Show nothing.
• Layout and Maximum articles (1 to 24, default 4). Read next always shows one article.
• Show or hide the image, title, category, author, date, excerpt, tags, hits, and read more link.

Keep the plugin enabled even when Show after the article is off. The article field and the module both need it.

The module prints the same list in a module position on a single article page.

Content > Site Modules > New > Easy Related Articles.

• The module reads the article that is open. On a blog, a category, or the home page it prints nothing.
• Assign the module to the menu items where a single article is shown, and pick a position such as a sidebar or below the component.
• Display and Style match the plugin: heading, fill, layout, limit, fields, columns, and colors.
• You can publish more than one module, for example cards in the content area and a compact list in the sidebar. Each module has its own settings.

Joomla module caching is not used. Do not turn on the module Cache field if your template exposes it. The list updates when the article is saved, and otherwise within about 15 minutes.

Twelve layouts share one stylesheet, so colors and spacing stay yours to set.

• Cards: image and text in a card grid. Default.
• Grid: tighter image tiles.
• List: stacked rows without images.
• Compact: a short list for sidebars.
• Numbered: an ordered list.
• Media: image beside the text.
• Overlay: title over the image.
• Magazine: a larger lead treatment.
• Minimal: titles only.
• Sidebar: a narrow stack.
• Read next: one article. The limit is forced to 1.
• Carousel: one row with previous and next controls. Visitors who prefer reduced motion see a grid instead, and no script runs.

Image layouts can zoom slightly on hover. Turn Zoom image on hover off when images are shown if the template already animates images. The switch is hidden when images are hidden.

The editor list always wins, and fill runs only when that list has nothing a visitor can see.

• Shared tags, then same category: articles that share the most tags come first, then newer publish dates. If there are no shared tags, newer articles in the same category are used.
• Show nothing: an empty assignment stays empty. No tags and no category fill.

A visitor only sees an article when all of these are true:

• Published, and inside the start and finish publishing window
• Allowed for the visitor's access level
• The current language, or All, when multilingual is on
• Not the article they are already reading

Fill does not top up a partial list. Two assigned articles stay two, even if the limit is higher.

Colors, columns, and spacing are set on the Style tab of the plugin and of each module.

• Desktop, tablet, and mobile columns (defaults 3, 2, and 1)
• Gap, alignment, image ratio, image radius
• Card background, border, radius, shadow, and padding
• Title size, meta size, title color, meta color, accent color

Leave a color or size empty to inherit the template. A size can be 1.25rem, 16px, or 0.

CSS class adds a class on this block only. Extra CSS is prefixed so the rules stay inside the block. Expressions, imports, and script URLs are stripped.

The block keeps its own spacing, including space under the list, so a template margin collapse does not pull the next module up against it.

Most missing lists come from the plugin being disabled, Show after the article being off, or the module sitting on a blog page.

• Nothing under the article

  • Enable Content - Easy Related Articles. Turn Show after the article on if you are not using a module. Confirm you are on a single article, not a category blog. Clear cache.

• Module position is empty

  • The module only renders on a com_content article view. Assign it to that menu item. A blog or featured view stays blank on purpose.

• Fewer articles than the limit

  • Assigned lists are not padded. Unpublished, expired, wrong-language, or restricted articles are skipped and not replaced.

• Expected tag or category articles are missing

  • Fill runs only when the editor list has no eligible articles. Set When nothing is assigned to Shared tags, then same category. Save the article again, or wait for the short cache.

• Search on the article tab finds nothing

  • You need permission to edit articles. Search by title or numeric id. Trashed articles are excluded.

• Old layout after a settings change

  • Clear the Joomla cache and hard-refresh the browser. Carousel and zoom changes are in the stylesheet and script.

• Zoom does not run

  • Images must be shown, and Zoom image on hover must be on. Browsers that prefer reduced motion keep the image still.

Open a ticket when these tabs do not solve the problem.

Use support.joomlax.com.

Include your Joomla version, PHP version, whether the list is the plugin block or a module, the layout name, and the page URL.