Auto Archive links Joomla article states to categories

Auto Archive moves an article into a chosen category when an editor archives it, and archives an article when it is saved or batch-moved into that category.

This situation exists because Joomla treats an article's state and its category as separate things. Core Joomla already provides Published, Unpublished, Archived and Trashed states, along with category management, batch operations and archived-content menu options. It does not, by itself, make moving an article to a particular category equivalent to archiving it, or make the Archive toolbar action move the article to that category. According to the listing, Auto Archive adds that two-way link through the Joomla article model. It also claims optional 301 handling when the category forms part of the article URL, using 4SEO or Joomla's Redirects component.

The likely audience is a site team that treats categories as visible filing cabinets: a shop marking discontinued products, an events site moving past events, or an editorial team maintaining a public archive while keeping the Archived state meaningful. Sites that use Joomla's standard article states without category-based filing, or that do not need old URLs redirected, have little reason to add it. A template override can change how archived content appears, but it cannot provide this state-and-category automation; teams otherwise need editorial procedures or custom code.

The listing marks Auto Archive as a free download from WebG.it in the directory's archive section, under the GNU GPL v2 or later. The directory shows two other extensions from the developer, but no review history for this extension. Before installing, check category permissions, menu associations, reverse moves, URL edge cases and backup procedures. The listing does not explain those behaviours or provide independent test results.

Listed on the Joomla Extensions Directory.