FW Real Estate – Documentation

Installing FW Real Estate

FW Real Estate installs as a single package — pkg_fwrealestate.zip. Upload it through System → Install → Extensions → Upload Package File, exactly as you would any Joomla extension.

What the Package Contains

The package bundles two extensions that install, update and uninstall together as one unit:

• com_fwrealestate — the component itself: every admin screen and every front-end view.
• mod_fwre_link — a small administrator module that places FW Real Estate in the Joomla admin menu with a notification badge. The badge counts unread inbox messages plus any pending component update, so you can see at a glance from anywhere in the admin that something needs attention.

Keeping both extensions in one package means there is never a version mismatch between them — installing or removing the package handles everything in one step.

What Installation Does

When the package installs — whether for the first time or as an update — it performs the same sequence of safe operations:

• Creates or updates the database schema. Tables and columns that are missing are added; nothing is ever dropped, retyped or overwritten. This means an upgrade and a fresh install end in exactly the same place.
• Seeds default content — the inquiry-email templates and the currency list — only where those values are still unset. Any edits you have made are never touched.
• Registers the bundled design and, for every module add-on that is currently enabled, installs the matching Joomla site module so it appears under Content → Site Modules like any other module.

Every manifest in the package uses method="upgrade", which means re-installing the package over an existing installation is a normal update — not a clean wipe. Your data, settings and add-ons remain intact.

Where Files Live

Backups

When backing up, include media/com_fwrealestate/addons/ and images/fwre/ alongside the database. Those three together represent everything that cannot be restored simply by reinstalling the package.