Button - EDocman Document Shortcode Plugin
Overview
The Button - EDocman Document Shortcode plugin adds a button to the Joomla article editor for inserting document display shortcodes.
Plugin Group: editors-xtd
Purpose: TinyMCE editor button to insert document shortcodes via modal selection
Output: Shortcode processed by Content - EDocman Document plugin
Configuration
No configurable parameters - plugin provides simple modal document selector.
Features
- Visual Document Selection: Modal popup with searchable document list
- Category Filtering: Filter documents by category
- Document Preview: View thumbnail and description before selection
- Quick Insertion: One-click shortcode insertion
- Search Functionality: Find documents by title
How It Works
- Click button in article editor
- Modal opens with document list
- Search or browse to find document
- Select document from list
- Plugin inserts shortcode (format depends on Content plugin)
- Content - EDocman Document plugin processes shortcode
- Full document display appears in article
Usage
Enable Plugin
- Navigate to Extensions → Plugins in Joomla admin
- Search for "Button - EDocman Document Shortcode"
- Enable the plugin
- Save
Ensure Content Plugin Enabled
This button plugin requires the Content - EDocman Document plugin to process shortcodes:
- Go to Extensions → Plugins
- Find "Content - EDocman Document"
- Ensure it's enabled
Insert Document Shortcode in Article
- Edit article in Joomla
- Position cursor where document should display
- Click EDocman Document Shortcode button in editor toolbar
- Modal window opens with document list
- Option A - Browse: Scroll through document list
- Option B - Search: Use search box to find document by title
- Option C - Filter: Select category to filter documents
- Click document to select
- Shortcode automatically inserted at cursor
- Continue editing article
- Save article
Modal Document Selection
The selection modal provides:
- Search Bar: Find documents by title
- Category Filter: Dropdown to narrow document list
- Document List: Scrollable with pagination
- Document Cards: Show thumbnail, title, category, file info
- Select Button: Choose document and insert shortcode
What Gets Displayed
When shortcode is processed on frontend, article shows:
- Document Card/Panel with:
- Document title (linked)
- Thumbnail image
- Full description
- File information (size, type)
- Download button
- View button (if enabled)
- Category badge
- Tags
- Rating (if enabled)
- Metadata (dates, author, hits)
Display matches component theme and layout settings.
Multiple Documents in Article
Insert multiple shortcodes to display several documents:
Example Article:
<h1>Product Resources</h1>
<h2>User Manual</h2>
<p>Complete guide for using our product:</p>
[Document Shortcode for Manual]
<h2>Quick Start Guide</h2>
<p>Get started in 5 minutes:</p>
[Document Shortcode for Quick Start]
<h2>Technical Specifications</h2>
[Document Shortcode for Spec Sheet]
Use Cases
- Resource Libraries: Create curated document collections in articles
- Product Pages: Display product documentation
- Support Articles: Attach relevant files to help content
- Tutorial Content: Embed downloadable materials in tutorials
- Course Materials: Show course documents with descriptions
- Press Releases: Include downloadable assets
Comparison with Other Plugins
vs Button - EDocman Document Link:
- Document Shortcode: Full document display (card/panel with all info)
- Document Link: Simple HTML link only
vs Button - EDocman Category Shortcode:
- Document Shortcode: Single document with full details
- Category Shortcode: All documents from category
vs Content - EDocman Link Plugin:
- Document Shortcode: Full document card display
- Link Plugin: Compact download button
Choose based on how prominently you want to feature documents.
Editor Button Location
Button appears in TinyMCE toolbar with other content insertion buttons.
Button icon: Usually document or file icon
Permission Handling
- Shortcode respects document access permissions
- Users without access see nothing or "Access Denied" message
- Test with different user levels to verify permissions
Troubleshooting
Button Not Appearing:
- Verify plugin is enabled
- Check editor is TinyMCE (Joomla default)
- Clear browser cache (Ctrl+F5)
- Check plugin published status
Shortcode Displays as Text:
- Verify Content - EDocman Document plugin is enabled
- Check shortcode syntax is correct
- Ensure document ID is valid
Modal Not Opening:
- Check JavaScript errors in browser console
- Verify jQuery is loaded
- Test with different browser
- Disable conflicting plugins temporarily
Document Not Displaying:
- Verify document is published
- Check user has view permission
- Review document access level
- Ensure shortcode processed correctly
Layout Issues:
- Check component theme settings
- Review article template compatibility
- Verify custom CSS doesn't conflict
- Test with default template
Tips
- Use for documents you want to highlight prominently
- Add context text around embedded documents
- Test shortcode output before publishing article
- Verify document permissions for target audience
- Use meaningful document titles - they display in cards
- Add descriptions to documents for richer article content
- Keep thumbnail dimensions consistent across embedded documents
- Combine with other shortcodes for comprehensive resource pages
Advanced Usage
With Custom HTML Formatting:
<div class="resource-section">
<h2>Download the Complete Guide</h2>
<p>Everything you need to know in one comprehensive document:</p>
[Document Shortcode]
<p><small>Last updated: January 2026</small></p>
</div>
Multiple Related Documents:
<h2>Related Resources</h2>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-6">
[Document Shortcode 1]
</div>
<div class="col-md-6">
[Document Shortcode 2]
</div>
</div>
Updated: January 2026