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For comments on the blog "Feedback wanted for Joomla Compatibility Check Feature". The direct link is at:
http://developer.joomla.org/news/546-fe ... ature.html

This is not solving the source of the problem. It is something more a user has to worry about. The problem is that joomla has to be more mature in backwards compatibility in terms of code and UI.

I sure like this new feature and I think it's well designed. Easy enough to understand without even reading documentation but still powerfull enough to match every possible case.

Let's build that in so users don't accidentaly break their site anymore.

Does this mean that when Joomla is updated that if the extension manifest file does not have the correct tag that ... the extension will not be recognised by Joomla. or is it to prevent an extension being installed if it is not the correct version ?

It's meant that when you click the Joomla update button, there will be a warning message which will indicate that specific extensions are not compatible.
If the tags are missing, then it probably means "unknown" or will not be checked at all. But the exact UI itself is not yet decided as far as I understand it.

It's not meant to prevent installation of an extension, however it could probably used for this as well.

Bakual wrote:It's meant that when you click the Joomla update button, there will be a warning message which will indicate that specific extensions are not compatible....

That sounds good ... preventing the update may be a good idea because how many users ignore warnings ?

Not compatible with what ? The version of Joomla that is showing as an available update ?
i.e.
If the Joomla update option is set STS would it alert that an extension was not compatible ... but ... if it was set LTS then the exact same extension show as compatible ?

Webdongle wrote:That sounds good ... preventing the update may be a good idea because how many users ignore warnings ?

Not compatible with what ? The version of Joomla that is showing as an available update ?
i.e.
If the Joomla update option is set STS would it alert that an extension was not compatible ... but ... if it was set LTS then the exact same extension show as compatible ?

As far as I know, the exact UI isn't decided yet. So it may be that the update is blocked or that there is only a warning. Both ways were discussed in the mailing list with pro and cons :-)
But I guess it makes a difference to the user if there is a generic warning "make sure your extensions are compatible" or if there is a specific warning "your installed extension 'foo bar' is not compatible with the new Joomla release, it's strongly recommended to check this extension first". Maybe even with an URL to the page containing infos about compatibility.

The compatibility tags will be checked against the version of Joomla which will be updated to. The choice of STS or LTS doesn't matter. This only decides which updates will be available. The updater always tries to update to the latest available release, and it will now check this release against the new tags of the extensions (if available).

Bravo - much needed. Sounds good as proposed.

Thanks Bakual ... that explains it well.

Anyone interested can already test the first draft we made few weeks ago
https://github.com/nicksavov/joomla-cms


heads up:
To test The compatibility tag for 3rd party extensions in that version , use something like:
You can use it to test the add-on for now.


We are waiting for everyone's input in order to continue and add the proposed tag variation from:
https://github.com/joomla/joomla-cms/issues/598

Hi All,

We'been using a similar approach with sh404SEF and Josetta for some times. I'd suggest the whole <compatibility> tag is further split with a "product" tag like so: This opens the door to further compatibility specifications, without changing the version specification format itself. The most obvious use being for PHP or database version: [EDIT]I realized reasons to include this change may not be obvious, so here is a bit more details. The current RFC is for a "version" check format, or protocol, design.
The current implementation is for checking installed extensions and warning users before upgrading Joomla to a newer version.

Now, this very same version check specification for extensions could also be used unchanged in other areas. Most notably, the Joomla installer could then check if PHP, or the database used is compatible with the current website setup prior to installing or upgrading an extension and thus maybe breaking the site.

We don't have to implement that now, but by adding an intermediary tag below <compatibility>, we ensure the same file format can be used in many other areas.

Note: The same could be achieved using an attribute (<compatiblity item="joomla">) and having multiple <compatiblity> tags, I just find it harder to read and more confusing.

[/EDIT]


Rgds

Thanks for everyone's feedback! The code for RFC-598 has been implemented now, along with other improvements based on the feedback. For more information, please see the announcement at:
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/joomla- ... z1XtgL_IcJ

Kind regards,
Nick