FAQs

What are the requirements for Form2Content products?

Form2Content works on any server which meets the default Joomla 1.5.2 and up installation requirements. In order to upload (and resize) images using F2C the GD Library is required. Check your Joomla System info or contact your hosting provider to check if the GD library is installed.

Does Form2Content alter (HACK) any Joomla Core files?

NO, F2C is completely independent of the Joomla core files and requires no hacks or alterations.

When should I use Form2Content?

The Form2Content Component is ideal for content of similar structure and layout. Think of blogs, (product) descriptions, FAQs or any other situation in which you like to have your content in the same layout. Since Form2Content can use dynamic templating, fields which aren't used in the form won't be displayed in your content. Of course this depends on how well you design your template but the possibilities are endless.

Can I test Form2Content on Localhost

Yes you can. Do make sure that your hosting environment is setup correctly though.

Always a topic for questions and rightly so! Hopefully the questions and answers below will help you. We like to be transparent about everything so should something not be clear please let us know.

Why is there a license per domain for the Form2Content PRO component?

In order to be able to keep developing Form2Content, Open Source Design has a domain license. As web designers using Form2Content we know that the time saved by using F2C is much greater that the low license fee. We thus feel that it is reasonable to ask the fee. We also kept the source code Open so we depend on the community to be honest in additional licenses.

Can I upgrade from Joomla 1.5 domain license to Joomla 1.7 domain license?

Sadly the answer is no. Upgrading from J1.5 to J1.7 is actually a migration, there are too many changes in Joomla for using 1 component natively. That's why we have had to build Form2Content (and the extensions) almost completely again which bring us to the license issue. We are selling separate licenses for Joomla 1.5 and Joomla 1.7 because of the huge amount of work (and support) we have to do. The J1.6 version will be compatible with Joomla 1.7. Please read our posts about it:
http://www.form2content.com/f2c-blog/132-f2c-pro-for-joomla-16-is-out
http://www.form2content.com/f2c-blog/136-form2content-for-joomla-17
I hope you understand our predicament.

How long is the license valid?

The license is for an unlimited time also known as life-time.

Do I get free upgrades?

YES. All our components are in development, new features are added constantly. All upgrades will be backwards compatible and use the Joomla native extension installer. The upgardes are either for Joomla 1.5 or Joomla 1.6 version, depending on your license.

Can I get a refund when the component doesn't suit my needs?

We do not provide refunds unless there is a proven BUG or failure in a component which is beyond your control and cannot be resolved. A refund for requirement is obsolete since Form2Content and its related components can be tested on our DEMO site. There is documentation and if still in doubt feel free to contact us about the use of our components.

Is the source code encrypted?

NO! The source code of all the Open Source Design components and modules is 100% Open Source! Our licensing is checked without the need for encryption.

All the Form2Content extensions can be upgraded using the upgrade installer package. These installers are part of the downloaded .zip package. The installer package will upgrade from any previous version as indicated by the (for example)  x.x.x to 2.6.0.

NOTE: Do not uninstall Form2Content. This will remove the F2C files and database tables. Of course the Joomla articles created by F2C will be left!

How can I upgrade Form2Content LITE to PRO (or new versions)?

All our upgrades can be done using the upgrade installers included in your download. NEVER uninstall Form2Content as this will remove all your data (including the database tables). Simply run the upgrade installer through the normal Joomla Installer.

Do plugins (mambots) work if inserted in the F2C Template?

YES. F2C combines the information from a form (fields in the database) with the layout (patTemplate) from a template. The generated HTML is inserted in to the Joomla Article content field. When there are Plugin codes in your template file(s) these will be parsed into the Articles and thus work as usual.

What happens if I edit articles generated by F2C in the Joomla Article Editor?

F2C is a one way system and replaces the Joomla Article editor for the content which is generated by Form2Content. It rewrites the Joomla Article content every time the Article is parsed through the F2C Article Manager. Any changes made in those articles using the Joomla Editor will be lost when Form2Content updates (parses) those articles.

Is the published/unpublished status the same as in Joomla?

YES it is. If an article is published or unpublished in the F2C Form Manager it is also changed in the Joomla database.

Form2Content has very little compatibility and security issues since "all we do" is generate Joomla articles.

At the moment there is one known issue with the patTemplate engine in combination with the | symbol. When rendering the | symbol in combination with a template parameter this can conflict and create textual layout differences.