Are you new to the Astroid Framework? Maybe even a little intimidated by Git Hub? The multiple Astroid releases with multiple file types and often seemingly cryptic file names? Not to mention how on earth do these “Assets” link up to your specific version of Joomla. Because not every one is running on the latest and greatest version of the Joomla CMS. You want to get get cracking but just don't know where to start? When push comes to shove the Astroid install is in and of itself is pretty straight forward but there are a couple of things to look out for before making the jump.

First however I need to address the elephant in the room. I started working on this article and related video tutorial over a month ago in late December 2023. At which point there were four assets available for any given release version of Astroid 3.x or 2.x. Two of which were interesting with respect to getting up and running with an absolute no frills Astroid Install. Specifically the “astroid-framework” and “astroid-package-Framework-Template" assets! And then in the middle of doing a screen recording for the mechanics of an Astroid install… Astroid 3.0.9 dropped. Just like that. Literally over night the four Assets suddenly became five. There was now something called an “astroid-quickstart” asset. This took me by surprise but after inquiring in the discussions section, it looks as if this new 5th asset is going to also include a "Boilerplate Website." With some typical examples of basic pages and functions pre installed. Which is obviously awesome for some people just starting out!

I decided to cut my losses and spin my original one off Articles/Video Tutorials into two +. This one here. Which has been modified and is now called “Astroid Unleashed: How to Get Up and Running the Traditional Way” and at least one more in the works which will be called something like “Astroid Unleashed: How to Get Up and Running the Quickstart Way”.

Attempting to break things down with respect to the new kid on the block, the “astroid-quickstart” asset. On the one hand I think it is fair to assume that the “astroid-quickstart” approach will work in combination with Astroid 3.0.9 or higher and in combination with Joomla 4 or higher. It is after all included only in the 3.0.9 release to date… But will presumable become a regular in the Astroid Release Cycle from here on in. On the other hand I think that it's fair to assume that the “astroid-quickstart” approach will NOT work in combination with Astroid 2 which you will need to install if you are working with Joomla 3. At this point in the “time space continuum" I am betting that many of the methods mentioned here will still be relevant for some time to come.

Even if my assumption above is not 100% correct, some people will want to start with a blank piece of paper rather than a “Boiler Plate Template” pproach. In which case what I am calling the “Traditional Method” outlined here is and will also continue to be very relevant for the foreseeable future. Finally I hope that some of the background information included in this Tutorial will dovetail nicely into “Astroid Unleashed: How to Get Up and Running the Quickstart Way” and vice versa. If you want to do this the tried and tested way then this article and related video tutorial is for you. If you want to have a little head start and have portions of your site build for you on install then hang in there for the follow up tutorial. I guess in many ways it is horses for courses.  Find Out More About Astroid HERE.