I am kind of confussed as to why I would need or require a joomla plugin. What does it do? whats its function? I am in need of only protecting (3)pages of content and my SMF forums (have the plugin for this already). the login box is to be on all pages, the sign up page shall stay as is thru amember (link from my signup/pricing page) the databases will be diff (joomla and amember/smf) is this going to be a problem. godaddy shared hosting account with ssl cert.
You only need Joomla plugin if you want to register aMember customers as users in Joomla database. http://www.amember.com/p/Integration
@dmiciotta Your new members/subscribers will register through aMember. aMem will add these members to your Joomla tables as registered users and remove them when their memberships expire/unpaid. The Joomla plug-in comes with a log-in module that looks like the standard Joomla log-in module. When a user logs in, they actually log in to aMem which logs them in to Joomla; this way they can view Joomla pages marked for regisered only and review thier aMem billing info. I believe aMem has a seperate SMF plug-in. I don't use it so I won't speculate on it. But you may want to look at the Fireboard forum component and skip SMF. Fireboard is still in beta (but seems pretty stable), it's built on Joomlaboard (which we use), and is a native Joomla component (no bridges). SMF is great but will require ongoing skill to keep it running smoothly with Joomla. If you are new to Joomla and/or PHP, SMF integration may prove to be above your skill level. Good Luck.
123 thanks, another question. if i have smf (plugin) joomla (plugin) and amember. why would i need a bridge? wouldnt amember basically be the bridge? joomla-amemeber-smf I understand there are problems with the bridge for joomla-smf. but i fig. that with amember in the middle i would not have any problems is this thought process correct?
@dmiciotta We don't use SMF, so like I said b4, my advice is limited. I believe you are partially correct that aMem will simultaneously log in users to Joomla and SMF. But most setups I've come across have SMF bridged with Joomla, but again this is without aMem. SMF is a stand alone, full featured forum. I personally think it's a great alternative to vBulletin if you really require these features. I believe most admins like to have it bridged so they can take advantage of Joomla's Comunity Builder and other Joomla items. For you, you first need to decide what you require in a forum and then find the easiest solution for your particular needs. Hopefully, someone with experience with SMF will post some advice for you. Just keep in mind everyone has an opinion, and different skill levels; you should consider your skill level, requirements, how critical having things run smoothly is, can you take some time and "learn" your way through and over the hurdles, etc. Besides, biting off a little more than you can chew may be the best way to learn something new and improve your existing skills. Joomla and SMF are free, so all you have to lose is time and frustration (and the $40 for each aMember plug-in). You can always go with an easier solution later.