Integrate non-download tools alongside jDownloads?

[harryscott]

I'm currently using jDownloads on a Joomla site to manage downloadable files, and it's working great for that purpose 👍

Alongside jDownloads, I'm planning to add a custom interactive tool (not a downloadable file) that processes user input and displays calculated results directly on the page. The tool is independent of jDownloads, but it will live on the same site and potentially within the same menu structure.

Before I go too far, I wanted to ask the community:

Are there any known conflicts or caveats when running custom PHP tools alongside jDownloads?

Is there a recommended way to keep things clean and separated, especially regarding content plugins or system plugins?

Any best practices for ensuring jDownloads updates don't interfere with custom functionality?

I'm not trying to extend jDownloads itself—just making sure I'm following Joomla/jDownloads-friendly patterns.