Programmatically: How to create custom Magento modules

Step 1: Create a new folder for your module

Create a new folder in the app/code/local directory (or app/code/community if you want to share your module with the community) with the name of your module. For example, MyCompany_MyModule.

Step 2: Create the module declaration file

Inside the MyCompany_MyModule folder, create a new file named etc/module.xml. This file will declare your module and its dependencies. Here's an example:

	
	
    
        
            1.0.0
        
    
		
	

Step 3: Create the module configuration file

Create a new file named etc/config.xml inside the MyCompany_MyModule folder. This file will contain configuration settings for your module. Here's an example:

	?xml version="1.0"?>
	
    
        
         
         
         
         MyCompany_MyModule
         
         
         
        
    
	
	

Step 4: Create the controller

Create a new folder named controllers inside the MyCompany_MyModule folder and create a new PHP file named MyController.php. This file will contain the logic for your controller.

	

class MyCompany_MyModule_Controller_MyController extends Mage_Core_Controller_Varien_Action
{
    public function indexAction()
    {
        // Your controller logic goes here
        echo 'Hello World!';
    }
}
	

Step 5: Create the layout XML

Create a new file named layout/MyCompany_MyModule.xml inside the MyCompany_MyModule folder. This file will define the layout for your module.

	?xml version="1.0"?>
	
    
       
        
         
         
         
         
       
    
	
	

Step 6: Create the block

Create a new folder named Block inside the MyCompany_MyModule folder and create a new PHP file named MyBlock.php. This file will contain the logic for your block.

	

class MyCompany_MyModule_Block_MyBlock extends Mage_Core_Block_Template
{
    public function _prepareLayout()
    {
        // Your block logic goes here
    }
}
	

Step 7: Create the template

Create a new folder named frontend inside the MyCompany_MyModule folder and create a new PHP file named mytemplate.phtml. This file will contain the HTML template for your block.

	
Hello World!
	

To use your module, go to System > Configuration > Advanced > Disable Modules Output and select "Yes" next to "Disable Module Output". Then, go to System > Cache Management and refresh the cache.

You can now access your module by going to [your-magento-site]/mycontroller/index.

This is just a basic example, but you can extend and customize your module as needed to fit your specific requirements.

	
	
    
        
        true
        local
        
    
	
	

This will enable your module in Magento.