How to Guides
Widgets
A widget is the main unit in RCA MasonryWall. Each widget picks one data source (Joomla articles, custom items, images folder, RSS, and others), applies layout and filter rules, and renders a masonry or grid wall on the site. You publish that widget with a menu item or the RCA MasonryWall site module.
Create a new widget from start to finish
1. Open Components → RCA MasonryWall → Widgets and click New.
2. On the layout type step, confirm Masonry (the default widget type) and continue.
3. On the data source screen, click Select on the source you need. If the tile shows Enable, open that link first and publish the matching content plugin under System → Plugins, then return and select the source again.
4. On the General tab, enter a clear Name (admin-only label) and an optional Description. Set Status to Published when you are ready for the site to use this widget.
5. Open the Data source tab and complete every field for your source (for example categories for Joomla articles, or an items group for custom items). Save once so you do not lose source settings.
6. Work through the masonry tabs in order: Layout (grid preset or custom grid, columns, gutter, layout mode), Images & Videos, Detail box, Hover box, Pagination, Filters, Effects, and Responsive. Each tab only affects presentation; it does not change which articles or items are loaded.
7. Click Save & Close. In the widgets list, note the widget ID in the ID column. You need that number for menu items and modules.
Layout tab essentials
On Layout, choose a Grid preset for standard patterns, or pick the custom grid option and select a grid you built under Custom Grids. Set Columns, Gutter, and Layout mode (masonry packery vs fit rows) to match your template width. Optional class suffix and page title switches apply on the front end only.
Publish a widget on the site
Menu item: Create a new menu item, choose RCA MasonryWall → Masonry (or the masonry view your menu type list shows), and set the Widget parameter to your widget ID. Assign the menu item to a published menu and open it on the front end.
Module: Open Content → Site Modules → RCA MasonryWall Module, click New, set Widget ID to the same ID, choose a template position, set menu assignment, and publish. Clear Joomla cache after the first publish.
Items Groups
Items Groups organize Custom Items. A widget that uses the Custom data source reads from one group at a time. Groups do not appear on the front end by themselves; they are buckets for your hand-built cards.
Create and manage a group
1. Open Components → RCA MasonryWall → Items Groups.
2. Click New, enter a Name (for example “Team bios” or “Download tiles”), and add an optional description for other admins.
3. Set Status to Published and save.
4. To retire a group, unpublish it or move it to archived; custom items inside the group remain in the database until you delete them.
Connect a group to a widget
1. Edit your widget (or create a new one) and select the Custom data source during the wizard.
2. On the Data source tab, choose your group in the Group field.
3. Adjust offset, date range, and ordering fields if you need a subset of items. Save the widget and preview on the site.
Custom Items
Custom Items are manual wall cards: title, rich description, image, optional URLs, tags, and publish windows. Use them when the wall content is not stored in com_content.
Add a custom item step by step
1. Open Components → RCA MasonryWall → Custom Items and click New.
2. Enter a Title and fill Description with the text you want in the detail area of the card.
3. Set Group to the Items Group this item belongs to. Every item must belong to exactly one group.
4. Under Image, pick a media file for the card thumbnail or background, depending on your widget image settings.
5. Under URLs, optionally set links for the title, category label, or author line when your widget layout shows those fields.
6. Add Tags if you use tag-based filters on the widget.
7. Set Publish up and Publish down if the item is time-limited, then set Status to Published and save.
8. Open the widget that points at this item’s group, save again if needed, and refresh the front-end page (clear cache if the item does not appear).
Custom Grids
Custom Grids define irregular cell sizes (small, landscape, portrait, big) across a column matrix. Preset grids cover most sites; custom grids are for art-directed magazine layouts.
Build a custom grid
1. Open Components → RCA MasonryWall → Custom Grids and click New.
2. Enter a Name you will recognize in widget settings.
3. Set Columns for the grid width, then click Update columns so the visual editor matches.
4. In Add new item, choose a size (S, L, P, or B), set height multiplier and column span, and add cells until the pattern matches your design.
5. Drag or adjust cells in the preview if the editor supports repositioning for your version, then save the grid.
Assign a custom grid to a widget
1. Edit the widget and open the Layout tab.
2. In Grid, select the custom grid option (not a numbered preset).
3. In Custom grid, choose the grid you created.
4. Save and preview. If cells overlap or clip, return to the grid editor and reduce column span or height multipliers.
Content source plugins
Each data source is a Content plugin. The widget wizard only offers sources whose plugin is installed and published. Plugin forms appear on the widget Data source tab and sometimes under an extra tab named after the source.
Plugins bundled with pkg_rca_masonrywall
Enable only what you use. Minimum for category walls: Content - RCA MasonryWall Content (element rca_masonrywallcontent).
Joomla articles and categories: Content - RCA MasonryWall Content. Use mode Articles or Categories, pick com_content categories, authors, featured flags, and ordering.
Custom items: Content - RCA MasonryWall Custom. Requires Items Groups and Custom Items in the component.
Folder images: Content - RCA MasonryWall Folder. Points at a media folder.
RSS: Content - RCA MasonryWall RSS. Requires a feed URL.
Videos, Audio, PDF: Content - RCA MasonryWall Videos, Audio, and PDF. Use when wall items come from those media types.
EasyBlog and FAQ Book Pro: Content - RCA MasonryWall EasyBlog and FAQ Book Pro. Only when those third-party components are installed.
VirtueMart and JomSocial: Content - RCA MasonryWall VirtueMart and JomSocial. The wizard hides these until VirtueMart or Community is installed.
Enable a plugin before creating the widget
1. Open System → Plugins.
2. Search for RCA MasonryWall.
3. Open the plugin for your source, set Status to Enabled, and save.
4. Return to Components → RCA MasonryWall → Widgets, create or edit a widget, and pick the source on the data source screen.
If the widget shows “Source plugin is unpublished or does not exist,” the plugin name in the error is the slug you still need to enable (for example content maps to the Content plugin).