What Is TYPO3 Extension? An Introduction Guide

A TYPO3 extension is a piece of functionality code that is integrated into the TYPO3 website to perform a specific task that your default TYPO3 system lacks. These TYPO3 extension extends the functionality of your TYPO3 website and adds new functionality or boosts the feature to your TYPO3 website that is needed.

These TYPO3 extensions are written in the PHP programming language and configured in such a way to achieve various functionalities like accessibility, design, SEO, TYPO3 shop, and much more.

Let’s talk about how AI is changing TYPO3 and how our T3AI Extension can help your TYPO3 website.

For example, if you want to make your content more engaging, instead of spending hours writing and brainstorming, you can use AI-powered features in our T3AI Extension to auto-generate high-quality content for your TYPO3 website.

Or, let’s say you need image suggestions for your articles. Our T3AI Extension can recommend images based on your content, saving you time and making your site visually appealing. Some features may not show up on the frontend but work smartly in the backend, such as automatically organizing your content or suggesting SEO improvements to rank your TYPO3 site higher.

Or if you’re managing a multilingual TYPO3 website and need to translate your content, instead of doing it manually or hiring a translator, you can use our T3AI Extension’s translation feature. It automatically translates your content into different languages, making it faster and easier to reach a global audience.

With the T3AI Extension, you can skip the manual work and enjoy the benefits of AI to make your TYPO3 website more efficient and engaging.

These TYPO3 extensions can really make big differences to your TYPO3 website.  Let me explain how, say, for example, if you want to add a TYPO3 slider to your blank TYPO3 website, then you just need to choose and install your desired TYPO3 slider extension to your TYPO3 website instead of writing manual code to develop the functionality you need. 

Or, if you want to add minor features like the Instagram feed to your TYPO3 website, then you can! Some TYPO3 extensions don’t reflect their functionalities in the front-end but they work very well at TYPO3 backend. For example, to improve your TYPO3 website’s performance, you may have your TYPO3 extensions working in the backend.

Working with the TYPO3 Plugin is very simple. Basically, to start using TYPO3 extensions on your TYPO3 website, you’ll need to:

• Find a relevant TYPO3 Plugin that you’re interested in and most suits your feature requirement
• Install that TYPO3 Plugin on your TYPO3 website following instructions from documentation guide
• Configure the TYPO3 Plugin inside your TYPO3 Backend according to your needs

Well, you can find TYPO3 extensions easily, depending on whether you want a free or premium TYPO3 extension.

With the free TYPO3 extension, you can install and use the extension for free, though sometimes some features are limited and you need to purchase the PRO version for the extra functionalities.

On the other hand, premium TYPO3 extensions, obviously, cost money, but always offer better features as a result.

Here are some of the best places to find TYPO3 extensions:

We try to sort out some amazing best TYPO3 extensions of the specific purpose for your convenience to choose the best ones for your TYPO3 website. Check them out! 

1. Top 10 Popular TYPO3 Extensions For Developers: Series 1
2. 15 Best TYPO3 Extensions For Integrators: Series 2
3. 10 Awesome TYPO3 Extensions For Editors - Series 3
4. 20+ Essential TYPO3 Blog Tools
5. 7 Best TYPO3 Backup Extensions: How to Backup TYPO3 Site
6. 5 Best TYPO3 FAQ Extensions For 2020
7. Amazing Multipurpose TYPO3 Sliders extensions
8. 8 Best TYPO3 Ecommerce Extensions For Your TYPO3 Shop
9. 5 Free TYPO3 GDPR Extensions for a Compliant Site

TYPO3 being an Open-source CMS, there are many users with various needs that lead to the development of many free and premium TYPO3 plugins for TYPO3 website owners. However, many times the free TYPO3 plugins are available but consist of a lot of problems, are unfinished or abandoned by the developer, lack current as well as future upgrade support.

Premium TYPO3 plugins come at a cost, but that cost provides additional features, top-notch support options, and regular updates. These TYPO3 plugins are fully complete and provide users with advanced functionality and are always maintained for future TYPO3 releases.

At T3Planet all of our Free and Premium TYPO3 plugins offer helpful email and live chat support as well as detailed documentation. In addition, these TYPO3 plugins are constantly updated and improved with new features and are purchased once for life-time use.

For the premium TYPO3 extensions you purchase for your TYPO3 website, the price may range between extensions, but most options fall somewhere between $50 and a few hundred dollars. Additionally, aside from the extension itself, users still need to consider the potential costs for support, installation, and update services.

For example, taking an example of T3 Terminal: All purchases come with free 1-month free support, lifetime updates, 15 days money-back guarantee, and the choice to pay for assisted installation services.

When you are integrating a TYPO3 plugins, you are adding third-party code to your TYPO3 website, and that's why you should be careful about which TYPO3 extensions you need to install.

The wrong TYPO3 plugins could:

• Cause an error on your site
• Open an unintentional vulnerability that affects your TYPO3 website's security
• Slow down your site
• Intentionally introduce malicious code

To avoid these problems:

• Try to use TYPO3 plugins from reputable directories (like TER or T3Terminal)
• Check compatibility with your existing TYPO3 website
• Read documentation
• Make sure bug fixes are updated frequently
• Check downloads and reviews before installing it
• If there are updates to improve security and functionality
• Check for the last time the extension was updated to make sure it’s still maintained

Extensions can slow down the performance of your TYPO3 website, but they don’t have to. 

If your TYPO3 code is organized smoothly, and your installed extension is compatible with other extensions, your website will have functionality without any drawbacks. But if there is a poorly coded TYPO3 plugins or installation conflicts, it can degrade your TYPO3 website performance.

 It’s possible for these compatibility errors to occur between new and old extensions. So it’s always best practice to deactivate or delete not-used TYPO3 plugins for better TYPO3 performance as well as secure your site.

If you’re eager to develop a TYPO3 extension on your own and contribute to the amazing TYPO3 community, we highly appreciate your efforts. 

If you are a newbie with TYPO3 extension development, we highly recommend you to read this simplified TYPO3 extension development guide.

For the TYPO3 extension, you develop or use for your TYPO3 website, having its in-depth documentation is most important. The TYPO3 extension  documentation must have 

• Extension overview
• Front-end screens
• Back-end screens
• Installation instructions with screenshots
• Extension configuration instructions
• Important notes and instructions to take care of while using the extension, if any
• Contact details

Check out this TYPO3 Documentation guide. This contains conventions, coding guidelines, and best practices for TYPO3 documentation. For instance, you can refer to T3Planet’s documentation. It follows standard documentation practices.