Connecting a Joomla + VirtueMart store to ILFF

Download the module ilff-virtuemart.zip

The package «ILFF для VirtueMart» (ILFF for VirtueMart) links your store on Joomla with VirtueMart and the ILFF service:

• ILFF shipment methods appear in the cart: courier to the door, a pickup point chosen from the list of points of the city and Russian Post, with the price and delivery time;
• an order with an ILFF shipment method goes to ILFF on its own when it gets the status you chose;
• the tracking number and order status are returned to the store, and the shopper receives the tracking number in the status change email;
• stock, weight and dimensions of products are passed from ILFF to the store;
• cancelling an order in the store cancels the request in ILFF.

The store always starts the exchange: the module itself calls the ILFF service with the API key, and you do not need to open the store to us.

You need:

• Joomla 4 or 5 and VirtueMart 4 (tested on Joomla 5.4.10 and VirtueMart 4.6.4);
• PHP 8.1 or newer with the curl extension;
• the store currency is the Russian rouble, and the country Russia is published in VirtueMart;
• site administrator rights, access to the server cron or the hosting scheduler and to the ILFF client account.

The connection takes 15–20 minutes.

The plugins have English and Russian language files, and their labels are given below as in English. Joomla and VirtueMart menus are named in English. The ILFF client account is in Russian, so its labels are given as they appear on the screen, with a translation in brackets.

Step 1. Connection in the ILFF client account

Client account → the Интеграции (Integrations) tab → expand the Интернет-магазин (Online store) block.

1. Платформа (Platform): choose Joomla (JoomShopping). VirtueMart connects to ILFF as a store on Joomla.
2. Адрес магазина (Store address): the site address, for example shop.ru.
3. The Заказ с несвязанным товаром ждёт привязки (An order with an unlinked product waits for linking) checkbox: we recommend leaving it on (step 5).
4. Press Подключить (Connect).

The Ключ API (API key) is shown at the top of the Интеграции tab. If it is missing, press Сгенерировать (Generate). Do not send it to anyone.

Connect one store per Joomla site to ILFF: VirtueMart or JoomShopping. If both work, their product lists in ILFF replace each other.

Step 2. Installing the package

1. Download the archive ilff-virtuemart.zip from the module page on the ILFF site or get it from your manager. Do not unpack it.
2. In the Joomla admin panel open System → Install → Extensions and upload the archive.

The package installs and enables two plugins:

• System - ILFF for VirtueMart: settings and the exchange of orders, statuses and stock;
• VM Shipment - ILFF: the ILFF shipment method for VirtueMart.

Step 3. Module settings

Open System → Plugins → System - ILFF for VirtueMart.

1. ILFF API key: the key from step 1.
2. ILFF service URL: already filled in, no need to change it.
3. Calculator settings variant: the variant code from the ILFF client account; empty means the default settings.
4. Send order to ILFF in statuses: VirtueMart status codes separated by commas, C (confirmed) by default.
5. Cancel request in statuses: X (cancelled) by default.
6. Order statuses by ILFF statuses: "handed to carrier" (S, shipped, by default), "delivered" (F, completed), "cancelled in ILFF" (X), "returned" (R). Empty means do not change.
7. Cash on delivery: VirtueMart payment method ids separated by commas; empty means the methods with the "Cash on delivery" plugin.
8. Stocks from ILFF, Product weight and dimensions from ILFF, Packed order weight and dimensions: what to receive from ILFF.

Press Save: «ILFF: связь есть» (connected) and the exchange task URL appear at the top (see "The exchange task").

Step 4. Shipment methods and what the shopper sees

VirtueMart → Shop → Shipment Methods → New: choose the plugin VM Shipment - ILFF and in its settings the ILFF delivery kind:

• Courier: the cheapest carrier for the shopper's address;
• Pickup point: the shopper picks a point from the list of points of their city;
• Russian Post: Russian Post to the shopper's address.

Create one method for each kind you need. Do not set a price for the methods: ILFF calculates it.

In the cart the carrier or the point and the delivery time are shown under the ILFF method. Before a point is chosen, the "Pickup point" method shows «Выберите пункт выдачи, от N руб.» (choose a pickup point, from N roubles) and the list of points of the city; after the choice it shows the exact price of the point. An order cannot be placed without a chosen point. A method that does not deliver to the shopper's address is not shown.

Place a test order with an ILFF method, move it to the sending status and make sure the order has arrived in ILFF.

Step 5. Linking products

Once a day the module sends products and child products (variants) to ILFF. In the ILFF client account the Товары магазина (Store products) button shows their link to your products. The link is matched first by barcode (the GTIN field), then by SKU.

After linking, the module resends the waiting orders itself.

The order in the store

The order page in the VirtueMart admin panel shows Доставка ILFF (ILFF delivery) in the shipment block: the carrier or the point, the ILFF request number, the ILFF status, the tracking number, the exchange state and dated exchange notes. When an ILFF status changes the order status, the tracking number is added as a comment to the status change, and the shopper receives it by email.

Order cancellation

Moving an order to a cancellation status cancels the request in ILFF until it has been handed over to the carrier. If the request is already with a carrier that accepts cancellation (Dalli, 5Post), the cancellation is passed to it; otherwise the reply of ILFF appears in the exchange notes: contact your manager.

The exchange task

The task must be run every 5–15 minutes: add the exchange task URL (shown after the settings are saved, of the form https://your-site/index.php?option=com_ajax&group=system&plugin=ilffvm&format=raw&token=…) to the server cron or the hosting scheduler. Do not publish the URL.

The task resends orders that did not go at once, fetches tracking numbers and statuses, updates stock and weight, and once a day sends the product list and reconciles all stock.

If something does not work

The module writes exchange errors to the Joomla log ilffvm.php (the administrator/logs folder), without the API key and shopper data. For other questions contact your ILFF manager.