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evoLeadGate: requirements and installation

Requirements

  • Joomla 5 or 6. [PENDIENTE: exact minimum Joomla version; the manifest does not declare one]. The development test site runs Joomla 6.
  • YOOtheme Pro 5. The element has been verified with YOOtheme Pro 5.0.50. [PENDIENTE: confirm the minimum YOOtheme Pro version; 5.0.31 has not been tested].
  • PHP 8.1 or later. The installer stops on an older version.
  • MySQL or MariaDB. The tables are created with the utf8mb4 character set.
  • Outgoing mail configured in Joomla (System → Global Configuration → Server). Without it, leads are still saved, but the visitor does not get the link and you do not get the notification.
  • A web server that applies the .htaccess of the private folder (Apache or compatible). On Nginx you need your own rule, described below.

A licence is not needed for the extension to work. Without a Download ID you receive no updates, but the form keeps running.

What the package installs

pkg_evoleadgate installs six extensions:

Extension What it does
com_evoleadgate Component: receives submissions, serves downloads and holds the lead panel and the options.
evoleadgate system plugin Registers the "Lead magnet" element in the YOOtheme builder and loads its script and styles.
evoleadgate task plugin Scheduled task for data retention.
evoleadgate privacy plugin Exports and deletes one person's data from Joomla's privacy tool.
evoleadgate web services plugin Read routes for Joomla's REST API.
evoleadgate evomcp plugin Optional tools for evoMCP. It does nothing if evoMCP is not installed.

On a first install, the package enables the five plugins. On updates it leaves their state alone.

Install the package

  1. Download pkg_evoleadgate-<version>.zip. [PENDIENTE: where the ZIP is downloaded from on the sales site, and the exact file name].
  2. In Joomla, open System → Install → Extensions and upload the ZIP.
  3. Delete the file administrator/cache/autoload_psr4.php from the site. Joomla rebuilds it on the next request; if you keep it, Joomla may not find the new plugin classes.
  4. Check that the folder images/evoleadgate-privado/ exists. The installer creates it with three files: .htaccess (denies all direct access), index.html and evoleadgate-probe.txt, a test file used by the protection check.

[PENDIENTE: screenshot of the install screen with the package uploaded]

Set up the site after installing

Follow these in order. The first three are the ones people forget.

  1. Component options. Open Components → evoLeadGate → Options. Set the default notification email and review the retention periods. Every setting is described in Settings.
  2. Check protection. On the Privacy tab, click Check protection. The check requests the test file of the private folder over HTTP. A 403 (or 401, or 404) means the server blocks direct access. Any other code is reported as "NOT protected".
  3. Create the retention task. Go to System → Scheduled Tasks → New and choose "evoLeadGate: data retention". Run it daily. The package does not create it. Without this task, IP addresses are not cleared by age and expired leads are not deleted.
  4. Outgoing mail. Set up SMTP in System → Global Configuration → Server. With port 587 use STARTTLS; with 465 use SSL/TLS. A wrong combination makes sending fail, and the lead's email status is stored as failed.
  5. Reverse proxy or load balancer. If the site sits behind one, turn on Global Configuration → Server → Behind Load Balancer. Otherwise the anti-spam limit and the stored IP are the proxy's, not the visitor's. The same applies to an Nginx in front of Apache without mod_remoteip.
  6. $live_site in production. Set $live_site in configuration.php. The links in the emails are built from the domain of the request, and $live_site stops them pointing at the wrong domain.
  7. Nginx or Plesk. If the server serves static files directly (in Plesk, the option "Serve static files directly by nginx"), the .htaccess is not applied to pdf, txt, zip and similar files. Add a rule that denies access to /images/evoleadgate-privado/, or turn that option off for the site, then click Check protection again. [PENDIENTE: verified Nginx rule to publish].

Download ID and updates

The package ships with its own Joomla update site, named "evoLeadGate". To receive updates:

  1. Copy the Download ID from your customer area (format EVO-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX).
  2. Open System → Update Sites, find the evoLeadGate row and paste the Download ID into the "Download Key" field.
  3. The extension validates the key and activates the domain. The status shows on the License tab of the options.

More in Licences and updates.

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