mod_lotto

mod_lotto (AKA LottoPredict) is a module for Joomla 2.5 onwards. It fulfils a range of functions including the display of recent results.

This documentation details how to configure the module to suit your needs

  

mod_lotto currently supports the following functionalitymod_lotto Screenshot

  • Display Latest Lotto Results
  • Generate a Lotto Lucky Dip
  • Allow a user to generate up to 10 lucky dips
  • List all Lotto results for a given month (defaults to current month)
  • Allow user to select which month to view results for
  • Check user specified numbers against last 6 months of draws (6 months being the limit for claims)
  • Display latest Thunderball results

In the future, mod_lotto will also support

  • Checking of Thunderball numbers
  • Generation of Thunderball Lucky Dip
  • Listing historic draws
  • All of the above for Euromillions
  • Possible support for other UK National Lottery games (Daily Play etc.)

 

Naming

The module is actually called mod_lotto but is often referred to as LottoPredict. This is because the module relies on the LottoPredict API in order to fulfil a number of its core functions.

Demo and Purchase

 A demonstration of mod_lotto can be viewed on the mod_lotto section of the demo site. The module can be purchased here.

Installation

Installation of the module is via the normal route: use Joomla's extensions manager and upload the relevant file.

 

Configuration

To be of any use, the module needs to be configured to display on the relevant page. Log into the Joomla back-end and select Extensions -> Module Manager.

A default module called 'LottoPredict' will have been created, but will be unpublished. Assign this module to pages as you see fit (don't forget to hit publish!).

 

Configuration Options

mod_lotto supports a range of configuration options, all accessible through the panes on the right when configuring the module.

Basic Options

Icon Size: Configures the size of the ball icon used when displaying numbers. 'Normal' is 64x64, 'Small' is 32x32 and x-small is 16x16.

Ball Style: The colouring of the balls. When Colourful is selected each number will be rendered over one of 6 coloured balls. When Plain is selected all balls will be the same colour.

Display Purchase Link: Should the system display a link to the National Lottery

Purchase URL: The URL to link to when displaying a purchase link. Most users won't need to change this, but those with an affiliate ID may wish to do so.

Lotto

Display Latest Lotto Results: Should the results of the last draw be displayed?

Display latest results for: Select the draw day (i.e. Sat). Useful if you don't want to display Wednesday draws. Set to   Any to display results from most recent draw.

Automatically Generate A Lucky Dip: Set to Yes if you want users to be provided with a lucky dip when the page loads

Display Lucky Dip Form: Set to Yes to display a form allowing the user to generate up to 10 lucky dips at a time

Display Lotto Results for current month: Set to Yes to display a table containing details of all Lotto draws for the current month (Note: this will look somewhat empty if no draws have occurred yet this month!)

Allow User to Select Month for results: Set to Yes to display a form allowing users to select which month the above feature displays results for

Check User Numbers: Set to Yes to display a form allowing users to enter their Lotto Numbers for checking against the last 6 months. Results will only be returned if they have matched 3 or more numbers per draw, and the table will include how many they matched.

Div Size: Enter the size (pixels) that should be used for the red div surrounding the User check form.

Thunderball

Display Latest Thunderball Results: Set to Yes to show results for the most recent Thunderball draw

Display Latest Results For: Select the draw day to show results for (i.e. Sat). Set to 'Any' to show results for the most recent draw.

LottoPredict API

Configuration options in this section relate to how the module interacts with the LottoPredict API.

API Key: Defaults to the publicly available API key. If you have a personal key it's recommended you update this field to use that key instead.

Use Lucky Dip API: You can set this to Yes to use the LottoPredict API when generating LuckyDips. Doing so may effect page load times and can put an un-necessary strain on the API server. 

Caching

In order to improve page load times, some results are cached. Others, by their nature, can't feasibly be cached (such as Lucky Dips, Number checks etc). Options within this section can be used to control the caching.

 Ordinary Results: Enter the cache time in hours. Affects results which are subject to change (e.g. latest Lotto, Thunderball results etc.)

Historic Results: Enter the cache time in hours. Only affects historic results (such as retrieving lotto results from Dec 2011).

Polite Note: The system will allow you to set either value to 0 which will allow you to disable the cache. This is useful for troubleshooting issues, but should not be considered a production value! Users who persistently use a cache-value of 0 are likely to have access to the API revoked!

 

Changelog

Date Entry