`OK, so i am building my website and keep hearing the terminology "modules", "plugins".
I have 2 questions:
1) what is the difference between the two.
2) how can i design a site that uses this technique.
Basically i need someone to help me understand the design pattern and the advantages - what actually does it mean?
Thanks.
hm.. do not think there are specific definitions for those things when it comes to websites. I would just take them as 'sets of codes that add a certain feature'.
In my case I build each element that I need in a website seperately. So I might build a slide-show script, which requires either a table & few colums in that table as input to run. Or a feedback form. On each site that you build you can then just copy that 'module' and reuse it.
When you are building just one site for private use, it is less critical, I think. But I am sure other people have other opinions 
So you can maybe define a module that you may build in php just generic functionality that can be reused or plugged-into any other application?
I always relate this to some open source applications such as smf forum when you install a module it seems to make entries in the database and store all modules in a folder. This is good organisation, they use XML files for module information.
I like this kind design and structure im just unsure how to go about buildiung this kind of application design?
Any other help or advice appreciated.
Well.. Generic or very specific. I see a module as further developed than just a function, but I could see that you have a class or module or plugin that takes care of all form validation & variable registration.
How you do the organisation is totally up to you. In my case I have a CMS that just check the folder 'modules' for module folders. Each module folder has subfolders according to a structure, so the CMS knows where to get stylesheets etc. And the modules are built for my CMS, and as such they 'know' how to export their information. As such, I do not do any module admin. I just have in my CMS settings a list of modules that work with that specific verion of the CMS. When i want to add a module to a site, I just copy the module in the right folder on the server and I am done.
Ok, so im alright in assuming that all a module is, is functionlity that is contained in its own right? How it is stored, structured and accessed is irrelevant?
So what is a pluggin? I thought this was the same thing only i keep hearing it refered to as 2 separate techniques.