ext_emconf.php

The ext_emconf.php is used in classic installations not based on Composer to supply information about an extension in the Admin Tools > Extensions module. In these installations the ordering of installed extensions and their dependencies are loaded from this file as well.

The name of the extension in English.

Short and precise description in English of what the extension does and for whom it might be useful.

Version of the extension. Automatically managed by extension manager / TER. Format is [int].[int].[int]

Which category the extension belongs to:

be

Backend (Generally backend-oriented, but not a module)

module

Backend modules (When something is a module or connects with one)

fe

Frontend (Generally frontend oriented, but not a "true" plugin)

plugin

Frontend plugins (Plugins inserted as a "Insert Plugin" content element)

misc

Miscellaneous stuff (Where not easily placed elsewhere)

services

Contains TYPO3 services

templates

Contains website templates

example

Example extension (Which serves as examples etc.)

doc

Documentation (e.g. tutorials, FAQ's etc.)

distribution

Distribution, an extension kick starting a full site

List of requirements, suggestions or conflicts with other extensions or TYPO3 or PHP version. Here is how a typical setup might look:

<?php

$EM_CONF[$_EXTKEY] = [
    'title' => 'Extension title',
    // ...
    'constraints' => [
        'depends' => [
            'typo3' => '13.4.0-13.4.99',
            'php' => '8.2.0-8.4.99',
        ],
        'conflicts' => [
            'tt_news' => '',
        ],
        'suggests' => [
            'news' => '12.1.0-12.99.99',
        ],
    ],
];

depends

List of extensions that this extension depends on. Extensions defined here will be loaded before the current extension.

conflicts

List of extensions which will not work with this extension.

suggests

List of suggestions of extensions that work together or enhance this extension. Extensions defined here will be loaded before the current extension. Dependencies take precedence over suggestions. Loading order especially matters when overriding TCA or SQL of another extension.

The above example indicates that the extension depends on a version of TYPO3 between 13.4 and 13.4.x (as only bug and security fixes are integrated into TYPO3 when the last digit of the version changes, it is safe to assume it will be compatible with any upcoming version of the corresponding branch, thus .99). Also the extension has been tested and is known to work properly with PHP 8.2. to 8.4 It will conflict with "tt_news" (any version) and it is suggested that it might be worth installing "news" (version at least 12.1.0). Be aware that you should add at least the TYPO3 and PHP version constraints to this file to make sure everything is working properly.

For legacy installations, the ext_emconf.php file is the source of truth for required dependencies and the loading order of active extensions.

Which state is the extension in

alpha

Alpha state is used for very initial work, basically the extension is during the very process of creating its foundation.

beta

Under current development. Beta extensions are functional, but not complete in functionality.

stable

Stable extensions are complete, mature and ready for production environment. Authors of stable extensions carry a responsibility to maintain and improve them.

experimental

Experimental state is useful for anything experimental - of course. Nobody knows if this is going anywhere yet... Maybe still just an idea.

test

Test extension, demonstrates concepts, etc.

obsolete

The extension is obsolete or deprecated. This can be due to other extensions solving the same problem but in a better way or if the extension is not being maintained anymore.

excludeFromUpdates

This state makes it impossible to update the extension through the Extension Manager (neither by the update mechanism, nor by uploading a newer version to the installation). This is very useful if you made local changes to an extension for a specific installation and do not want any administrator to overwrite them.

Author name

Author email address

Author company

To get better class loading support for websites in legacy mode the following information can be provided.

Extensions using namespaces and following PSR 4

If the extension has namespaced classes following the PSR-4 standard, then you can add the following to your ext_emconf.php file:

<?php

$EM_CONF[$_EXTKEY] = [
    'title' => 'Extension title',
    // ...
    'autoload' => [
        'psr-4' => [
            // The prefix must end with a backslash
            'Vendor\\ExtName\\' => 'Classes',
        ],
    ],
];

Extensions having one folder with classes or single files

It is not recommended but possible to use different name space schemes or no namespace at all.

Considering you have an extension where all classes and interfaces reside in a Classes folder or single classes you can add the following to your ext_emconf.php file:

<?php

$EM_CONF[$_EXTKEY] = [
    'title' => 'Extension title',
    // ...
    'autoload' => [
        'classmap' => [
            'Classes',
            'a-class.php',
        ],
    ],
];

Same as the configuration "autoload" but it is only used if the ApplicationContext is set to Testing.