TruCMS Developer Documentation: Start Here

This is the developer documentation for TruCMS. It explains how the platform is built and how to extend it with plugins, themes, shortcodes, widgets, settings screens and payment gateways, and it includes the reference tables you need while coding.

Recommended learning path

1. Read Introduction to TruCMS Development and TruCMS Architecture Overview to learn the stack and the boot sequence.
2. Set up a working copy with Local Development Setup for TruCMS.
3. Follow Tutorial: Build Your First TruCMS Plugin end to end.
4. Use What Can I Extend in TruCMS? to find the guide for each feature you add.
5. Keep the reference sections open while you work, then finish with testing, packaging and deployment.

What is in this documentation

Getting Started

What TruCMS is, how it is built, where code lives and how to get a working local copy.

• Introduction to TruCMS Development
• TruCMS Architecture Overview
• TruCMS Repository Layout
• Local Development Setup for TruCMS
• TruCMS Coding Conventions and Rules

Platform Tour for Developers

How each part of the product works, with the code areas and permissions behind every screen.

• Admin Panel and Dashboard Internals
• Content System: Pages, Posts, Menus and Widgets
• Page Builder Internals
• Appearance: Themes, Options and Templates
• Users, Roles, Teams and API Tokens
• Settings and System Tools
• Business Modules: Booking, TruCommerce and TruPayments

Plugin Development

The plugin lifecycle, the manifest, the service provider, a complete tutorial and packaging.

• How the TruCMS Plugin System Works
• Plugin Manifest Reference (module.json)
• Plugin Service Provider: register() and boot()
• Tutorial: Build Your First TruCMS Plugin
• Package, Install and Update a Plugin

Extending the Admin and Backend

Add admin menus, settings, permissions, routes, models, events, jobs and schedules.

• What Can I Extend in TruCMS?
• Admin Menu, Breadcrumbs and Dashboard Widgets
• Add Settings Screens to the Admin
• Permissions and Roles for Extensions
• Routes, Controllers and Views
• Models, Migrations and Media
• Events, Jobs, Schedules and Notifications

Extending the Page Builder and Public Site

Page types, shortcodes, data-bound sections, widgets, menus and the template library.

• Page Types, Slugs and Public URLs
• Shortcodes: Create Page-Builder Blocks
• Data-Bound Sections
• Widgets and Widget Areas
• Menus and Navigation Sources
• Template Library and Website Templates
• AI Assistant Integration for Shortcodes

Payments, Localization and Performance

Take payments, add a gateway, translate your extension and keep requests fast.

• Payments and Gateways for Developers
• Localization and Translatable Models
• Caching and Performance

Theme Development

Build, configure and style themes: anatomy, options, the CSS pipeline and assets.

• Creating a TruCMS Theme
• Theme Options and the CSS Pipeline
• Header and Footer Presets, SCSS and Theme Assets

API and Configuration Reference

Facades, helpers, hooks, routes, middleware and Artisan commands.

• Facades and Container Keys
• Global Helper Functions
• Hooks and Extension Index
• Routes and Middleware Reference
• Artisan Commands Reference
• Configuration and Environment Variables

Data and Catalog Reference

Database tables, permission names, built-in blocks, widgets and theme options.

• Database Tables Reference
• Permissions Catalogue
• Built-in Blocks, Widgets and Page Types
• Echo Theme Options Catalogue

Build, Test and Deploy

Run tests, build front-end assets, and ship and update a TruCMS site.

• Testing TruCMS Core and Plugins with Pest
• Build Pipeline and Assets (Vite and Sass)
• Deploy and Update TruCMS

Security and Troubleshooting

Secure extensions, known quirks and fixes for common problems.

• Security Guide for Extension Authors
• Known Quirks and Legacy Areas
• Troubleshooting TruCMS Development Problems