Overview
If you installed SP Page Builder and then noticed that Media Manager acts like it only knows about one folder, or that Save and Save and Close disappears after you close the page builder on an article, you are not losing your mind. That is exactly the kind of breakage RCA SPPB Compat exists to address. I merged what used to be three separate RCA plugins into one free Bugfix host so you are not maintaining Article Checkout, Config, and media fixes as three different ZIPs and three different update feeds.
I also need to say the thing that saves us both time on support email: RCA does not ship SP Page Builder. You still buy it, license it, and update it from JoomShaper. Compat sits next to their product on your site. It does not replace their support channel, and it does not absolve anyone of reading their release notes when they ship an update.
What is RCA SPPB Compat?
RCA SPPB Compat is a free system plugin for Joomla 4, 5, and 6. In Extensions it shows up as System - RCA SPPB Compat. The install element is rca_sppb_compat; the package filename is plg_system_rca_sppb_compat. Version 2.0.0 and newer folded the old RCA SPPB Article Checkout and RCA SPPB Config plugins into feature switches inside this one plugin, which is why the separate checkout and config packages were retired and why this documentation is the only live guide for all three former products.
When you enable the plugin and choose your switches, it can help with optional Media Manager disk patches, restoring Save and Save and Close after you use the SP Page Builder editor on an article, loading SP Page Builder Options custom fields in the right place under Global Configuration, keeping empty license fields from writing a broken update site row, and optional diagnostics when you are actively debugging Options-related behavior in the PHP error log.
Is this the part where my SP Page Builder files get edited on disk?
CODE HACK. Only if you turn Media patches On. I am not going to hide that behind friendly marketing words. When Media patches is On, this plugin rewrites up to six SP Page Builder administrator files under com_sppagebuilder, and it writes a sibling .rca-orig backup next to each file it changes so uninstall can restore the vendor copy when those backups exist. That behavior is why this package is distributed outside JED with explicit warnings. If you only want the Save toolbar fix or the Options fixes and you do not want anything touching SP Page Builder files on disk, turn Media patches Off and leave the other switches on. You are the administrator; you get to choose your risk tolerance, but you do not get to pretend you were not told.
Which files are we talking about?
When Media patches is enabled, the plugin may update these paths under administrator/components/com_sppagebuilder/: editor/helpers/SecurityHelper.php, editor/traits/AppConfig.php, editor/traits/Media.php, helpers/media-helper.php, models/media.php, and views/media/tmpl/folders.php. I list them here so “CODE HACK” is a specific list of paths on your server, not a vague badge you can ignore until something breaks after a JoomShaper update.
Do I still need the old Article Checkout or Config plugins?
No, not once Compat 2.0.0 or newer is working the way you need. Their behavior lives as switches in this host. If you still have the old plugins installed, plan to confirm they are disabled after Compat is enabled, then uninstall the old packages so you are not running duplicate logic and wondering which plugin “won.” The Feature switches fieldset in this plugin is where you decide what stays on for this site.
Who should install this?
This is for you if you run Joomla 4 through 6 with SP Page Builder and you want these RCA fixes without juggling three plugins. It is also for you if you are willing to open the plugin settings after install, set the switches on purpose, clear cache, and run one quick test per switch you left enabled — the same way you would not enable a new system plugin and walk away without reading what it does.
It is probably not for you if you do not use SP Page Builder at all, or if you want an install that never asks you to think about Media patches versus toolbar-only mode. I am friendly, but those are not the same thing, and treating them like they are is how people enable disk patches they did not mean to enable.
What should I read next?
If you want the shortest honest path from ZIP to “I checked and it works,” open Quick start and walk through it once without skipping the backup step. If you want to understand every switch before you flip anything, open Configuration and read it like we are on a call, not like a cheat sheet. If you upgraded from the old Article Checkout or Config plugins alone, open How-to guides and use the migration section that matches what you had installed before.
If you updated SP Page Builder and something regressed, skip straight to Troubleshooting. That is where I put the “you updated JoomShaper and now what” steps, because that is when most administrators actually need them — usually right after they assumed Compat would magically fix a vendor overwrite without a re-check.