How to check what component is being used on current page?

Question

I want to set up my template so it will display different layout depending on what component is being used on current page. How to check for this?

Answer 1

For Joomla 3.x

While the code from the other answer will work, JRequest is deprecated, therefore you should use the following:

$jinput = JFactory::getApplication()->input;
echo $jinput->get('option');

For example, if you are displaying an Article and use the above code, it will output com_content

Answer 2

For Joomla 2.5

We can check by getting the URL parameters, using the JRequest::getVar() method and check for the option parameter.

jimport( 'joomla.environment.request' );
echo JRequest::getVar('option', '')

JRequest API Documentation

Answer 3

Another approach is through the JRouter object:

JFactory::getApplication()->getRouter()->getVars()["option"]

Unsure if there is ever a practical difference between the JRouter value and the value returned through JInput.

Answer 4

Why not use this?

basename(JPATH_COMPONENT);