This article briefly describes the functionality present in the following versions of groja.com:

• Version 1, launched in 2002, can draw an image but has no navigation, no database, and is strictly PHP/HTML (no CSS)
• Version 2, launched in 2006, is integrated with PHP Nuke, which includes site navigation and a MySql database
• Version 3, launched in 2008, is integrated with joomla!, which includes navigation, a database, and regular security updates

For screenshots and details about each of these versions, click on the Read more... link below.

This article describes the core classes written for previous versions of groja.com.

All of these classes have names beginning with "C," and almost all of them operate independently of joomla! framework. The exceptions are CGrojaUser, which depends on joomla's JUser class, and CFunctionsDatabase, which enables some of these classes to access the database outside the joomla! framework.

The code in version 3 of the site utilizes the new features of version 5 of PHP. Specifically, these classes:

• use PHP5's access modifiers (all data members and methods are now private, protected, or public),
• contain comments that conform to the PHPdoc format, and
• declare constructors in the PHP 5 format.

Additionally, every effort was made to ensure these classes generate valid, well-formed HTML that conforms to modern standards. For more information about these classes, click on the Read more... link below.

What is Mootools?

The mootools javascript library makes it easy to design a web page that responds to user actions without reloading the page. The best way to get a feel for what it can do is to run the demos. Personally, I like the demos for version 1.11 better.

Joomla! uses the mootools library in the back end to put groups of parameters into panels. Only one panel is visible at a time, making it easier to set the parameters. Because it is bundled with joomla!, mootools is available for components to use in the front end.

For information about how groja.com uses mootools, click on the Read more... link below.

We have designed the groja quiz to give those who take it a result similar - but not identical - to that given by other questionnaires based on Carl Jung's General Description of the Types.

Although the scores are in the familiar four-letter format, and the quiz measures the same qualities as questionnaires such as the MBTI ®, the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, and the Jung tests at similarminds.com, it does not necessarily give the same results.

For information about the source of the groja quiz questions, click on the Read more... link below.

The functionality of groja.com's Draw option is an original joomla! component named com_groja. The design of this component is based on joomla's Model-View-Controller (MVC) Application Programming Interface (API).

Joomla's MVC API gives developers a framework for developing complex applications.

• Models are specialized classes that know how to do something, such as store and retrieve data from cookies or a database.
• Views are classes that know how to display something, such as groups of forms that allow users to send data to the server in a request.
• Controllers are classes that know how to accomplish a task, such as validating and storing data from a form.

This article describes how groja.com uses joomla's MVC API.

This article makes no effort to describe concepts such as the MVC design pattern and object oriented design (OOD). There is already a great deal of information about MVC and OOD on the web; google and the wikipedia are good places to start.

This is a long and fairly technical article. If you are still interested in all this, click on the "Read more..." link below to see class diagrams that illustrate how groja.com uses this API.

The purpose of this site is two-fold:

• To enable us to see the invisible
• To promote harmony between opposites

This article describes how to enter a profile based on a four-letter type where the Strengths of the Preferences are expressed as single percentages. For example, a score in this format is available for free from humanmetrics.com.

Overview of process:

1. Click on Draw
2. Click on Add Your Profile Based on Percentages
3. For each pair of opposites:
   1. Divide the "Strength of Preference" percentage from humanmentrics.com by 2
   2. Add this to 50
      For example, if the Strength of the Preference is 68, add 34 plus 50 to get 84%
   3. Use the corresponding slider to set the score to this value
4. After doing this for all four values, click on Save to save a new profile

Following is a list of the new features in this version of groja.com: 

• It is now built on joomla!, making the site more secure and easier to update.
  • The code uses joomla's API to implement the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern.
  • The site takes advantage of four user levels (unregistered, registered, author, and editor) each of which has increasing capabilities.
  • Using the mootools javascript framework (packaged with joomla) it condenses about 10-15 pages down to two!  The mootools panes to allow presentation of multiple lists, forms, inforamtion, and option groups on a single page.
  • Now getting regular updates to joomla! automatically via the gentoo operating system's portage software management tool.
• Visitors don't have to be logged in to see an image of their personality - this version uses cookies to emulate storage of profiles and images in a database.
• Advanced users can post images to the site's content area.
• The quiz now contains 88 questions and contains a versioning mechanism that allows for changes down the road.
• It includes the ability to add a score based on percentages, using sliders based on the mootools framework.
• It uses a new template and component that allows users to customize how the site looks.  Click on the More... option to try it!
• It displays google's adsense ads - so maybe we will see a return on this investment!

Finally, this version includes a gallery component, that will be enabled once there are enough images to put into one or more of them.