📦 Packages

🧩 Architecture & Core Logic

📁 File & Code Management

🧠 Code Reuse & Blueprints

🌐 Joomla CMS Integration

🎨 Visual GUI & UX

🌍 Internationalization

📦 Packaging & Distribution

⚙️ Compiler Engine Features

🧱 Custom Code System (Powerful Dual Feature)

🛠 Field Type System

📐 Dynamic GET (Visual SQL Engine)

📁 Snippets, Templates, Layouts, Libraries

📚 Documentation & Metadata

📊 Analytics & Insights

📐 Dynamic GET (Visual SQL Engine)

📁 Snippets, Templates, Layouts, Libraries

Field Reference Mapping Table Output

JCB automatically generates a structured mapping table that documents where each field is used — across views, templates, layout files, code snippets, and even access logic

🔍 What Is the Field Reference Mapping Table?

The Field Reference Mapping Table is a documentation feature within Joomla Component Builder (JCB) that catalogs how each field is used across your component. It creates an internal (and optionally exportable) table of relationships between:

Field definitions (Admin View fields, Config Fields, etc.)
Views and templates that use those fields
Places where the field appears in layout, code snippets, or templates
Whether the field is used for ACL checks, hidden logic, or dynamic visibility
Field rendering types (e.g., modal, subform, list-only, config-only)

It serves as a diagnostic and planning tool — especially useful in large, schema-rich components.

🧠 Why It’s Useful

✅ Instantly know where a field appears and how it behaves
✅ Trace dynamic behavior: visibility, conditional display, subform bindings
✅ Discover accidental orphan fields (defined but unused)
✅ Audit for performance optimizations or view simplification
✅ Understand reusability across multiple components

📂 How to Access It

The Field Reference Mapping Table is:

Auto-generated internally by the compiler
Displayed in component-wide documentation views (like Component Metadata or Build Summary)
Optionally exported in the per-entity README or Markdown output
Accessible via the debug view (if enabled during compilation)

Note: This feature activates automatically — no setup required.

📊 What’s Included in the Table

Example Field Reference Mapping Table:

Field Name	View(s) Used In	Templates / Layouts	Config-only?	Access Logic	Notes
greeting_message	admin: Greetings	edit.php	No	Yes (ACL:view)	Used in modal + list view
user_role	config	config.xml	Yes	No	Static config field
look_id	admin: Looks, Site: LookView	layout_look.php	No	Yes (dynamic)	Subform / modal selector

You may see these tables in the compiler’s output area or in structured Markdown files if README auto-gen is enabled.

📌 Optional Uses

Integrate it into a changelog to track field usage changes over time
Use it to drive automated tests (e.g., “field X must appear in view Y”)
Export to Excel or JSON via custom compiler hook
Provide your team with cross-referenced schema documentation

💡 Tips

Enable detailed build logging to get additional insight into field usage during compilation
Combine this with line tracking and custom code mapping for full introspection

✅ Benefits

✅ Improves schema documentation and developer understanding
✅ Helps debug missing or misbehaving fields in UI
✅ Supports safe component refactoring and optimization
✅ Enhances component onboarding for new developers

🔗 Related Features

📄 Auto-generated per-entity README
🧩 Admin View & Field Type metadata
🔁 Field reuse and shared field types
🧠 Conditional Field Visibility

📍 Conclusion

The Field Reference Mapping Table is one of JCB’s quietly powerful features — giving you a centralized, transparent view into how your fields are used across your component. Especially in complex applications, this audit trail becomes indispensable for maintaining structure, clarity, and scalability.