Smart Content Filter is a flexible Joomla site module that displays standard Joomla articles in a modern AJAX-powered filter layout. Visitors can browse content by category, search by title, filter by tags, sort results, narrow content by a selected custom field, and load more articles without refreshing the page.

The module is built for native Joomla content. It uses standard com_content articles, categories, tags, featured state, intro images, publish dates, language filtering, access levels, and Joomla custom fields. No custom content table or niche-specific content type is required.

Smart Content Filter is ideal for blogs, news sections, portfolios, product showcases, catalogues, directories, documentation hubs, learning resources, case studies, and any Joomla site that needs a polished article browsing experience.

Key Features

AJAX Article Filtering

• Display Joomla articles as responsive content cards.
• Show selected Joomla categories as frontend filter tabs.
• Add an optional All tab so visitors can return to the full article list.
• Include articles from child categories when needed.
• Load filtered results through Joomla's com_ajax endpoint.
• Keep visitors on the same page while results update dynamically.

Search, Tags and Custom Field Filter

• Enable a frontend search box for quick title filtering.
• Show a Joomla tag dropdown limited to tags used by the module's article pool.
• Expose one Joomla custom field as a frontend text filter.
• Configure the custom field filter by field ID, field name, or field title.
• Add a reset button to clear search, tag, sort, custom field filter, and active category state.
• Display a live result count such as Showing 6 of 24.

Frontend Sorting

Let visitors control how content is ordered:

• Default
• Newest
• Oldest
• Title A-Z
• Title Z-A
• Featured first
• Manual ordering

Frontend sort values are mapped to known server-side options, so arbitrary request input is not trusted.

Load More or Infinite Scroll

• Use a Load More button for controlled progressive loading.
• Use Infinite Scroll for automatic loading as visitors move down the page.
• Set how many articles load per request.
• Update cards, counts, empty states, and controls without a page refresh.

Flexible Article Cards

Card output can include:

• Intro or full article image
• Fallback image when no article image exists
• Category title
• Publish date
• Featured badge
• Article title
• Intro text with character limit
• Selected Joomla custom fields
• Read more link with custom label

The card title heading level can be set to H2, H3, H4, or H5 so the module fits your page's semantic structure.

Custom Field Display

Use Joomla custom fields to make article cards more useful.

Examples:

• Audience
• Level
• Location
• Department
• Resource type
• Product type
• Format
• Any structured metadata stored in Joomla fields

Enter custom field IDs, names, or titles as a comma-separated list to show those values on each card.

Complete Style Control

Style the article grid directly from module settings:

• Card style: Default, Outlined, Flat, or Compact
• Desktop, tablet, and mobile column counts
• Image ratio: 16:10, 4:3, 1:1, or 3:4
• Accent color
• Card radius
• Grid gap
• Shadow strength
• Button style: Filled, Outline, or Text Link
• Optional bundled CSS disable switch
• Module class suffix
• Advanced custom CSS

Custom CSS supports a {module} placeholder so styles can be scoped to the current module instance.

Example:

css {module} .scf-card { border-width: 2px; }

Multiple Instance Support

• Publish multiple Smart Content Filter modules on the same page.
• Each module instance uses its own module ID and saved settings.
• Each instance can have different categories, filters, limits, and styling.
• JavaScript state is scoped per module wrapper.
• CSS variables and custom CSS are scoped per instance.

Modern Joomla Architecture

• Joomla 5 and Joomla 6 ready module structure.
• Namespaced PHP helper.
• Joomla service provider and dispatcher.
• Joomla WebAssetManager for CSS and JavaScript.
• Vanilla JavaScript frontend with no jQuery dependency.
• Language files for frontend and administrator strings.
• Uses Joomla content, category, tag, custom field, access, and language APIs.

Quick Start

1. Install the Smart Content Filter module package.
2. Go to Content > Site Modules.
3. Open Smart Content Filter.
4. Set the module status to Published.
5. Choose one or more Joomla article categories.
6. Enable child categories if your content is nested.
7. Set Items Per Load to the number of cards shown initially.
8. Choose Load More Button or Infinite Scroll.
9. Configure search, tags, sorting, and custom fields as needed.
10. Choose a visible template position and assign the module to menu items.
11. Save and check the frontend.

Perfect For

• Blogs
• News portals
• Magazine sections
• Portfolio grids
• Product showcases
• Resource libraries
• Documentation hubs
• Learning resources
• Case study pages
• Content directories
• Article catalogues
• Multi-category landing pages

Configuration Overview

Basic Settings

• Categories
• Include child categories
• Items per load
• Show All filter
• Loading style: Load More Button or Infinite Scroll

Filters

• Enable search
• Enable tag filter
• Enable sorting
• Frontend custom field filter
• Custom field filter label
• Reset button
• Results count

Ordering

• Default ordering by publish date, created date, modified date, title, or Joomla ordering.
• Ascending or descending direction.
• Show all articles, hide featured articles, or show only featured articles.

Display

• Responsive column counts
• Card style
• Image ratio
• Accent color
• Radius, gap, and shadow
• Button style
• Image and fallback image
• Intro text and intro limit
• Category, date, and featured badge visibility
• Custom fields shown on cards
• Heading level
• Read more label

Advanced

• Alternative layout
• Disable bundled CSS
• Module class suffix
• Custom CSS
• Joomla module caching
• Cache time

Usage Examples

Blog Filter

Use categories such as News, Tutorials, Opinion, and Updates. Enable the All tab, search, tag filter, and Load More button.

Portfolio Grid

Use project categories and article intro images. Enable custom fields such as Client, Industry, or Service Type. Use a 3-column desktop layout and featured badges for highlighted work.

Documentation Hub

Use categories such as Getting Started, Guides, Reference, and FAQs. Enable search, tag filtering, and custom field display for level or audience.

Product Showcase

Use Joomla articles as product-style content cards. Show images, category labels, custom fields, and a custom read more label such as View Details.

Technical Features

Native Joomla Content

• Works with com_content articles.
• Uses Joomla categories as filter tabs.
• Supports Joomla tags.
• Supports Joomla custom fields.
• Respects published state, access level, language, publish up, and publish down dates.
• Supports Joomla featured articles.

AJAX and Frontend Behavior

• Uses Joomla com_ajax.
• Sends the module ID with each request.
• Loads results from the correct module instance settings.
• Supports category switching, search, tags, sorting, custom field filtering, pagination, and reset.
• Uses live status messages for loading, errors, and result counts.

Responsive and Accessible

• Responsive grid controls for desktop, tablet, and mobile.
• Keyboard-friendly category tabs.
• ARIA-aware filter controls and status messages.
• Visible focus states.
• Button-based load and reset controls.
• No jQuery runtime dependency.

Support

• Website: https://joomlax.com
• Support Portal: https://support.joomlax.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Updates: Joomla update server support included
• Documentation: Complete documentation included with the extension

Why Choose Smart Content Filter?

Built for Joomla Articles - Use the content your site already has instead of managing a separate custom content system.

Fast Browsing Experience - AJAX filtering keeps visitors engaged without full page reloads.

Flexible for Many Content Types - Use it for blogs, portfolios, catalogues, directories, documentation, learning resources, and more.

Strong Editor Control - Configure categories, filters, sorting, display options, custom fields, loading behavior, and styling from module settings.

Multiple Instances - Publish different filtered article grids on the same page or across different pages with independent settings.

Modern and Lightweight - Built with Joomla's current module structure, WebAssetManager, and vanilla JavaScript.

Design Friendly - Responsive columns, card presets, image ratio, color, spacing, shadows, buttons, fallback images, and custom CSS are all configurable.

Smart Content Filter turns standard Joomla articles into a polished, searchable, filterable, and responsive content browsing experience.