he plg_content_swaggerui plugin is a documentation and testing utility for developers. It integrates Swagger UI—the industry-standard visual interface for REST APIs—directly into Joomla articles.
What this Plugin Does
Joomla 4 and 5 have a powerful built-in Web Services (REST API) layer. However, by default, exploring these APIs requires external tools like Postman or reading raw JSON code.
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Swagger UI Embedding: It uses a shortcode or a specific trigger within a Joomla article to render the interactive Swagger UI dashboard.
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API Schema Parsing: It points to an
openapi.jsonorswagger.jsonfile (often generated by Joomla's web services) and transforms it into a readable, clickable interface. -
Live Testing: It allows developers to "Try it out" directly from the Joomla frontend—sending real API requests to the site and seeing the responses (Headers, Status Codes, JSON body) in real-time.
How to Use the Plugin
1. Configuration
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Install and enable the plugin via System > Manage > Plugins.
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In the plugin settings, you may need to define the Default OpenAPI Spec URL. This is usually your Joomla API path (e.g.,
https://your-site.com/api/v1/openapi.json).
2. Displaying the UI
Depending on how the plugin is coded in your repository, you use it in one of two ways:
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Automatic: Create a menu item or article with a specific alias (e.g., "api-docs").
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Shortcode: In any Joomla article, type a trigger like
{swaggerui}or similar (check theswaggerui.phpfile for the exact string).
3. Interaction
Once you view the article on the frontend:
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You will see a list of all available API endpoints (GET, POST, PATCH, DELETE).
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Click an endpoint to see required parameters and data structures.
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Click "Try it out", fill in the fields, and hit Execute to see how the Joomla API responds.
