Tutorial · Developers

Build your first plugin

Melis is a developer-first platform. In a few steps, create a front plugin you can drag, drop and configure right inside the back office — no framework gymnastics required.

● Jun 2026MelisCore● 6 min read
Build your first Melis plugin

What you'll build

A drag-and-drop front plugin, end to end

A reusable component with its own controller, view and configuration form — the same pattern Melis uses for everything from carousels to news lists.

4
Steps from empty file to live plugin
1
Controller — your plugin logic in front()
.phtml
View — clean, themeable markup
⚙
Config form — editable in the back office
1Scaffold

Declare the plugin

Register your plugin in the module config and create its controller class extending the Melis plugin base — that's the entry point Melis calls to render it.

class MyPlugin extends
  MelisTemplatingPlugin {
  function front() {
    // return view model
  }
}
2View

Add the template

Create a .phtml view, map it in the config, and output clean markup. It inherits your theme's styles automatically.

<div class="my-plugin">
  <?= $this->title ?>
</div>
3Configure

Make it editable

Declare a properties form so content teams can configure the plugin from the back office — no code change needed to tweak it.

Drag & drop zoneProperties formReusable everywhere
4Ship

Drag, drop, done

Drop your plugin into any page zone, set its options, publish. The same component is now reusable across your whole site.

Live on the pageNo redeploy to reuse

Start building on Melis

Open source and developer-first — install Melis Platform and ship your first plugin today. Need a hand? Talk to our team.

How to installTalk to our team