Breaking News: Joomla 4.0 Beta is here! - For testing ONLY

[anibal_sanchez]

The Joomla Project is pleased to announce the availability of Joomla 4.0 Beta for download.

https://www.joomla.org/announcements/re ... beta1.html
https://github.com/joomla/joomla-cms/re ... 4.0.0-beta

UPDATE

What’s new in Joomla 4.0 so far?

• Removal of deprecated functions from Joomla 3.x
• Reworked installer for a quicker and more intuitive user experience
• New templates using Bootstrap 4
• Reworked Application for Consoles
• Integration of Joomla Framework packages

This release includes most of the Joomla Core library changes that will be included with version 4.0.0. Some of these changes will require small changes to extensions.

For a complete list of known backward compatibility issues for version 4.0, please see Potential backward compatibility issues in Joomla 4.0 in the documentation site.

Potential backward compatibility issues: https://docs.joomla.org/Special:MyLangu ... n_Joomla_4

What is this release for?

There is one goal for this release: to allow advance testing of custom extensions so that extension developers can report any problems well before the final release.

This release includes most of the Joomla Core library changes that will be included with version 4.0.0. Some of these changes will require small changes to extensions.

For a complete list of known backward compatibility issues for version 4.0, please see Potential backward compatibility issues in Joomla 4.0 in the documentation site.

Potential backward compatibility issues: https://docs.joomla.org/Special:MyLangu ... n_Joomla_4

Joomla 4.0 is known to not be mobile compatible nor upgradable from Joomla 3.9 at this point.

What is this release NOT for?

This beta version of Joomla 4.0 is not suitable for production sites. It is for testing ONLY.

When is the final release due?

At this moment, Joomla 4 is still being actively developed. We are working towards a timeline with regular beta releases on a roughly monthly basis.

Please note that the date of releases depends on the availability of volunteers and circumstances beyond our control. You can join the testing and reporting to help ensure a solid, timely delivery (see “How can you help…” below).

Should I plan to upgrade to Joomla 4.0?

Joomla 4.0 will be Joomla’s new major version. Joomla 3.10 will be released alongside Joomla 4 as the last minor release of Joomla 3. Joomla 3.10 will continue to be supported for 2 years giving you plenty of time to plan your migration to Joomla 4 and update your extensions to Joomla 4 compatible versions.

How do I upgrade to Joomla 4.0?

Depending on the extensions you have installed, it may not be possible to update your site from 3.x to 4.0 until your extensions have version 4.0-compatible updates available.

In Joomla 3.10 you can view the compatibility information of your extensions in the Joomla Update interface. More information on that will be available before 3.10 is released.

You will need to have your Joomla Site on the latest 3.x version before upgrading to Joomla 4.

Related information

If you are an extension developer, please make sure you subscribe to the general developer mailing list. This is a place where you can discuss extension development. News that may affect custom development will be posted here from time to time.

Following is a list of sites of interest:

• The Joomla Issue Tracker. https://issues.joomla.org/
• General developer mailing list. https://groups.google.com/group/joomla-dev-general
• Joomla Developer Network. https://developer.joomla.org/
• Joomla Roadmap. https://developer.joomla.org/roadmap.html

How can you help Joomla development?

The great news is you don’t have to be a developer to help build Joomla. The Joomla Bug Squad (https://volunteers.joomla.org/teams/bug-squad) is one of the most active teams in the Joomla development process and is always looking for people (not just developers) that can help with sorting bug reports, coding patches and testing solutions. It’s a great way of increasing your working knowledge of Joomla, and also a great way to meet new people from all around the world.

You can also help Joomla development by thanking those involved in the many areas of the process. In the past year, for example, hundreds of bugs have been fixed by the Bug Squad.

The project also wants to thank all of the people that have taken the time to prepare and submit work to be included in Joomla 4.0, and to those that have worked very hard on the Joomla Platform project.

Join the Joomla! Volunteer community and contribute your skills and time to help Joomla! grow even more.

• Bugs and Fun @home. The Production Department is pleased to announce Bugs and Fun @home. A weekly online meet up where you can help make Joomla better, share and learn. https://developer.joomla.org/news/812-b ... -home.html
• Become a tester - no special skills required, but able to install test releases and follow reporting instructions.
• Help us translate - for those who speak English and any other language. https://volunteers.joomla.org/teams/com ... ation-team
• Document new features - for those who can write tutorials and technical documentation. https://volunteers.joomla.org/teams/doc ... king-group
• Other areas - find one that fits your skills and interests. https://volunteers.joomla.org/help-wanted

Stay updated on the latest project news and important announcements by subscribing to the Joomla Newsletter as well as the Developer Newsletter.

Are you a journalist, blogger or evangelist?

Please feel free to get in touch with the Joomla! Marketing Team for interviews and other content.

Best Regards,

UPDATE

UPDATE - 2017-11-21

UPDATE - 2018-05-12

UPDATE - 2018-07-22

UPDATE - 2018-11-05

UPDATE - 2018-12-28

UPDATE - 2019-04-18

UPDATE - 2019-08-09

UPDATE - 2019-11-14

UPDATE - 2020-05-31

https://www.joomla.org/announcements/re ... beta1.html
https://github.com/joomla/joomla-cms/re ... 4.0.0-beta

[JTema]

I have downloaded and installed it. The top menu on admin area that we're used to has gone.The nav menu on frontpage seems not to have submenus.It will be improved off course..
This is admin area

1.jpg

This is frontpage: https://prnt.sc/hc8m9m

[anibal_sanchez]

Hi,

Please, report any issue here: The Joomla Issue Tracker. https://issues.joomla.org/

There is one goal for this release: to allow advance testing of custom extensions so that extension developers can report any problems well before the final release.

Best Regards

[SOAMJENA]

Did anything change for component module and plugin code ?

Do we need to recode each and every extension again ?

[anibal_sanchez]

Hi,

Joomla 4 is the next major version. It is coming with new features and improvements. It also includes deprecated classes and user interface changes.

Please, check the following: Potential backward compatibility issues in Joomla 4
https://docs.joomla.org/Potential_backw ... n_Joomla_4

Best Regards,

[SOAMJENA]

Can we have a hello world module, plugin and component 3 different zip, so we can read the code for 4 ?

[anibal_sanchez]

Hi,

You can install and test the same extensions you use today. You have to check list of Potential backward compatibility issues and report if you find other issues here: https://issues.joomla.org/

[SOAMJENA]

WE tried installing the 3.x ones of ours and it works fine.

[anibal_sanchez]

Update Alpha 3 is here: https://github.com/joomla/joomla-cms/re ... 0.0-alpha3

[Vimes]

Joomla 3! Awesome!

I'm teasing.

[anibal_sanchez]

JAjaja This morning, I'm too sleepy

[anibal_sanchez]

Hi,

Joomla 4 is on the horizon …Alpha 5 is now available!

https://developer.joomla.org/news/758-j ... pha-5.html

[gws]

Tried to install it to test and it will not install,just hangs on the "joomla web install " page with the joomla logo just spinning. Strangely when unzipping the zip file on the server the created date of all the files is "yesterday" Odd to say the least.
Edit: [05-Nov-2018 10:47:20 Europe/London] PHP Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 268435456 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 521697576 bytes) in /home/travellingplanet/public_html/libraries/vendor/joomla/database/src/Mysqli/MysqliStatement.php on line 430

250Mb of memory not sufficient?

Edit increased memory and: [05-Nov-2018 10:54:46 Europe/London] PHP Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 1073741824 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 3597333472 bytes) in /home/travellingplanet/public_html/libraries/vendor/joomla/

[anibal_sanchez]

Hi,

It is better if you install J4 from scratch in the same way that you create a new J3 site. This Alpha version is packing mostly new features.

Best Regards,

[gws]

It was a new install on a tried and tested server....
Edit FPA posted.

installation hangs

[05-Nov-2018 13:55:35 Europe/London] PHP Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 1073741824 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 3228025744 bytes) in /home/travellingplanet/public_html/libraries/vendor/joomla/database/src/Mysqli/MysqliStatement.php on line 430

Joomla! Instance :: Joomla! 4.0.0-alpha5-Alpha (Amani) 4-November-2018
Joomla! Configured :: Yes | Writable (644) | Owner: --protected-- . (uid: /gid: ) | Group: --protected-- (gid: ) | Valid For: 4.0
Configuration Options :: Offline: false | SEF: true | SEF Suffix: false | SEF ReWrite: false | .htaccess/web.config: No | GZip: false | Cache: false | CacheTime: 15 | CacheHandler: file | CachePlatformPrefix: false | FTP Layer: false | Proxy: N/A | LiveSite: | Session lifetime: 15 | Session handler: database | Shared sessions: false | SSL: N/A | Error Reporting: default | Site Debug: false | Language Debug: false | Default Access: 1 | Unicode Slugs: false | dbConnection Type: mysqli | PHP Supports J! 4.0.0-alpha5: Yes | Database Credentials Present: Yes |

Host Configuration :: OS: Linux | OS Version: 3.10.0-714.10.2.lve1.5.17.1.el7.x86_64 | Technology: x86_64 | Web Server: LiteSpeed | Encoding: gzip, deflate, br | Doc Root: --protected-- | System TMP Writable: Yes | Free Disk Space : 4169.12 GiB |

PHP Configuration :: Version: 7.2.11 | PHP API: litespeed | Session Path Writable: Yes | Display Errors: | Error Reporting: 22517 | Log Errors To: error_log | Last Known Error: 05th November 2018 13:55:35. | Register Globals: | Magic Quotes: | Safe Mode: | Open Base: | Uploads: 1 | Max. Upload Size: 512M | Max. POST Size: 512M | Max. Input Time: 360 | Max. Execution Time: 120 | Memory Limit: 1024M

Database Configuration :: Version: 10.2.17-MariaDB-log-cll-lve (Client:10.2.18) | Host: --protected-- (--protected--) | Localhost: Yes | Collation: latin1_swedish_ci (Character Set: latin1) | Database Size: 3.72 MiB | #of Tables: 64

PHP Extensions :: Core (7.2.11) | date (7.2.11) | libxml (7.2.11) | openssl (7.2.11) | pcre (7.2.11) | sqlite3 (7.2.11) | zlib (7.2.11) | bz2 (7.2.11) | calendar (7.2.11) | ctype (7.2.11) | curl (7.2.11) | hash (1.0) | filter (7.2.11) | ftp (7.2.11) | gettext (7.2.11) | gmp (7.2.11) | SPL (7.2.11) | iconv (7.2.11) | pcntl (7.2.11) | readline (7.2.11) | Reflection (7.2.11) | session (7.2.11) | standard (7.2.11) | shmop (7.2.11) | SimpleXML (7.2.11) | mbstring (7.2.11) | tokenizer (7.2.11) | xml (7.2.11) | litespeed () | bcmath (7.2.11) | dom (20031129) | fileinfo (1.0.5) | gd (7.2.11) | imap (7.2.11) | intl (1.1.0) | json (1.6.0) | exif (7.2.11) | mysqli (7.2.11) | mysqlnd (mysqlnd 5.0.12-dev - 20150407 - $Id: 38fea24f2847fa7519001be390c98ae0acafe387 $) | PDO (7.2.11) | pdo_mysql (7.2.11) | pdo_sqlite (7.2.11) | Phar (2.0.2) | posix (7.2.11) | sockets (7.2.11) | timezonedb (2018.6) | wddx (7.2.11) | xmlreader (7.2.11) | xmlwriter (7.2.11) | xsl (7.2.11) | zip (1.15.3) | Zend OPcache (7.2.11) | Zend Engine (3.2.0) |
Potential Missing Extensions ::
Disabled Functions :: system | system_exec | symlink | shell | shell_exec | exec | passthru | escapeshellarg | escapeshellcmd | proc_close | proc_open | ini_alter | dl | show_source | proc_get_status | proc_nice | proc_terminate | highlight_file | define_syslog_variables | posix_uname | posix_getpwuid | apache_child_terminate | posix_kill | posix_mkfifo | posix_setpgid | posix_setsid | posix_setuid | ini_restore | inject_code | syslog | openlog | define_syslog_variables | apache_setenv | eval | phpAds_XmlRpc | phpAds_remoteInfo | phpAds_xmlrpcEncode | phpAds_xmlrpcDecode | xmlrpc_entity_decode |

Switch User Environment (Experimental) :: PHP CGI: No | Server SU: No | PHP SU: No | Custom SU (LiteSpeed/Cloud/Grid): No
Potential Ownership Issues: Maybe

Core Folders :: images/ (755) | components/ (755) | modules/ (755) | plugins/ (755) | language/ (755) | templates/ (755) | cache/ (755) | logs/ (755) | tmp/ (755) | administrator/components/ (755) | administrator/modules/ (755) | administrator/language/ (755) | administrator/templates/ (755) | administrator/logs/ (755) |

Elevated Permissions (First 10) ::

Database statistics :: Uptime: 2591944 | Threads: 171 | Questions: 1687533037 | Slow queries: 71934 | Opens: 17733009 | Flush tables: 81 | Open tables: 12000 | Queries per second avg: 651.068 |

Components :: SITE ::
Core ::
3rd Party::

Components :: ADMIN ::
Core :: com_checkin (4.0.0) 1 | com_mailto (4.0.0) 1 | com_modules (4.0.0) 1 | com_redirect (4.0.0) 1 | com_admin (4.0.0) 1 | com_workflow (4.0.0) 1 | com_cpanel (4.0.0) 1 | com_config (4.0.0) 1 | com_cache (4.0.0) 1 | com_plugins (4.0.0) 1 | com_categories (4.0.0) 1 | com_csp (4.0.0) 1 | com_installer (4.0.0) 1 | com_media (3.0.0) 1 | com_ajax (4.0.0) 1 | com_banners (4.0.0) 1 | com_newsfeeds (4.0.0) 1 | com_postinstall (4.0.0) 1 | com_messages (4.0.0) 1 | com_login (4.0.0) 1 | com_content (4.0.0) 1 | com_languages (4.0.0) 1 | com_search (4.0.0) 1 | com_tags (4.0.0) 1 | com_joomlaupdate (4.0.0) 1 | com_associations (4.0.0) 1 | com_wrapper (4.0.0) 1 | com_contenthistory (4.0.0) 1 | com_menus (4.0.0) 1 | com_fields (4.0.0) 1 | com_users (4.0.0) 1 | com_finder (4.0.0) 1 | com_templates (4.0.0) 1 |
3rd Party::

Modules :: SITE ::
Core :: mod_tags_similar (3.1.0) 1 | mod_random_image (3.0.0) 1 | mod_syndicate (3.0.0) 1 | mod_wrapper (3.0.0) 1 | mod_breadcrumbs (3.0.0) 1 | mod_articles_archive (3.0.0) 1 | mod_banners (3.0.0) 1 | mod_footer (3.0.0) 1 | mod_menu (3.0.0) 1 | mod_feed (3.0.0) 1 | mod_articles_categories (3.0.0) 1 | mod_languages (3.5.0) 1 | mod_articles_latest (3.0.0) 1 | mod_whosonline (3.0.0) 1 | mod_login (3.0.0) 1 | mod_stats (3.0.0) 1 | mod_articles_category (3.0.0) 1 | mod_custom (3.0.0) 1 | mod_articles_news (3.0.0) 1 | mod_related_items (3.0.0) 1 | mod_finder (3.0.0) 1 | mod_tags_popular (3.1.0) 1 | mod_users_latest (3.0.0) 1 | mod_search (3.0.0) 1 | mod_articles_popular (3.0.0) 1 |
3rd Party::

Modules :: ADMIN ::
Core :: mod_quickicon (3.0.0) 1 | mod_latest (3.0.0) 1 | mod_status (3.0.0) 1 | mod_multilangstatus (3.0.0) 1 | mod_toolbar (3.0.0) 1 | mod_stats_admin (3.0.0) 1 | mod_sampledata (3.8.0) 1 | mod_menu (3.0.0) 1 | mod_feed (3.0.0) 1 | mod_title (3.0.0) 1 | mod_version (3.0.0) 1 | mod_popular (3.0.0) 1 | mod_login (3.0.0) 1 | mod_custom (3.0.0) 1 | mod_logged (3.0.0) 1 |
3rd Party::

Plugins :: SITE ::
Core :: plg_quickicon_joomlaupdate (3.0.0) 1 | plg_quickicon_overridecheck (4.0.0) 1 | plg_quickicon_phpversioncheck (3.7.0) 1 | plg_quickicon_extensionupdate (3.0.0) 1 | plg_extension_namespacemap (4.0.0) 1 | plg_extension_joomla (3.0.0) 1 | plg_sampledata_multilang (4.0.0) 1 | plg_twofactorauth_yubikey (3.2.0) 0 | plg_twofactorauth_totp (3.2.0) 0 | plg_media-action_rotate (4.0.0) 1 | plg_media-action_crop (4.0.0) 1 | plg_media-action_resize (4.0.0) 1 | plg_content_vote (3.0.0) 0 | plg_content_emailcloak (3.0.0) 1 | plg_content_pagenavigation (3.0.0) 1 | plg_content_finder (3.0.0) 0 | plg_content_fields (3.7.0) 1 | plg_content_pagebreak (3.0.0) 1 | plg_content_loadmodule (3.0.0) 1 | plg_content_joomla (3.0.0) 1 | plg_user_contactcreator (3.0.0) 0 | plg_user_profile (3.0.0) 0 | plg_user_joomla (3.0.0) 1 | plg_filesystem_local (4.0.0) 1 | plg_captcha_recaptcha (3.4.0) 0 | plg_search_contacts (3.0.0) 1 | plg_search_content (3.0.0) 1 | plg_search_tags (3.0.0) 1 | plg_search_categories (3.0.0) 1 | plg_search_newsfeeds (3.0.0) 1 | plg_system_sessiongc (3.8.6) 1 | plg_system_cache (3.0.0) 0 | plg_system_highlight (3.0.0) 1 | plg_system_updatenotification (3.5.0) 1 | plg_system_logout (3.0.0) 1 | plg_system_languagecode (3.0.0) 0 | plg_system_httpheaders (4.0.0) 1 | plg_system_languagefilter (3.0.0) 0 | plg_system_redirect (3.0.0) 0 | plg_system_log (3.0.0) 1 | plg_system_fields (3.7.0) 1 | plg_system_remember (3.0.0) 1 | plg_system_sef (3.0.0) 1 | plg_system_stats (3.5.0) 1 | plg_system_debug (3.0.0) 1 | plg_finder_contacts (3.0.0) 1 | plg_finder_content (3.0.0) 1 | plg_finder_tags (3.0.0) 1 | plg_finder_categories (3.0.0) 1 | plg_finder_newsfeeds (3.0.0) 1 | plg_editors-xtd_module (3.5.0) 1 | plg_editors-xtd_image (3.0.0) 1 | plg_editors-xtd_menu (3.7.0) 1 | plg_editors-xtd_readmore (3.0.0) 1 | plg_editors-xtd_fields (3.7.0) 1 | plg_editors-xtd_pagebreak (3.0.0) 1 | plg_editors-xtd_article (3.0.0) 1 | plg_fields_imagelist (3.7.0) 1 | plg_fields_usergrouplist (3.7.0) 1 | plg_fields_calendar (3.7.0) 1 | plg_fields_radio (3.7.0) 1 | plg_fields_color (3.7.0) 1 | plg_fields_user (3.7.0) 1 | plg_fields_url (3.7.0) 1 | plg_fields_checkboxes (3.7.0) 1 | plg_fields_textarea (3.7.0) 1 | plg_fields_list (3.7.0) 1 | plg_fields_integer (3.7.0) 1 | plg_fields_text (3.7.0) 1 | plg_fields_editor (3.7.0) 1 | plg_fields_media (3.7.0) 1 | plg_fields_sql (3.7.0) 1 | plg_behaviour_versionable (4.0.0.) 1 | plg_behaviour_taggable (4.0.0.) 1 | plg_installer_override (4.0.0) 1 | plg_installer_packageinstaller (3.6.0) 1 | plg_installer_folderinstaller (3.6.0) 1 | plg_installer_urlinstaller (3.6.0) 1 | plg_installer_webinstaller (1.1.1) 1 | plg_authentication_ldap (3.0.0) 0 | plg_authentication_cookie (3.0.0) 1 | plg_authentication_joomla (3.0.0) 1 |
3rd Party:: plg_editors_codemirror (5.35.0) 1 | plg_editors_tinymce (4.8.3) 1 |

Templates :: SITE :: cassiopeia (1.0) 1 |
Templates :: ADMIN :: atum (1.0) 1 |

[toivo]

Just installed it from scratch on Wampserver 3.1.4 with PHP 7.2.11 without any issues.

[anibal_sanchez]

Joomla 4 is on the horizon … Alpha 8

https://developer.joomla.org/news/776-j ... pha-8.html

[anibal_sanchez]

Joomla 4 on the Move...

https://developer.joomla.org/news/788-j ... -move.html


Joomla 4, our next major version, is actively developed thanks to our great volunteer community. A lot has happened during the past months!

Before reaching the Beta cycle (which mostly means feature freeze), we wanted to share with you some important information related to:

- Technical requirements
- Improved search system
- New code style checker.

A raise of the Technical Requirements

The web industry moves fast and Joomla needs to act accordingly to stay at the top and satisfy its users. Therefore, we decided to raise the technical requirements for Joomla 4.

As Joomla 4.0 and Joomla Framework 2.0 have been in development for several years, we have decided to re-evaluate our supported software versions in order to optimise the CMS for the years ahead and to follow what our users are already using (information we’ve been able to use thanks to the users that enable our statistics plugin).

PHP minimum to PHP 7.2

7.2 and 7.3 are presently the only actively supported release branches of PHP, with PHP 5 no longer supported since December 2018 and PHP 7.1 only receiving security fixes until December 2019. By the time Joomla 4 is released, the oldest supported PHP version, 7.2, will have less than a year remaining of security support. This allows us to take advantage of the native PHP sodium encryption without a polyfill, as well as void type declarations which are going to be useful for the new interfaces in Joomla 4. Whilst choosing this version it was useful for us to note from the statistics plugin there were twice as many users on PHP 7.2 than 7.1.

MySQL minimum to 5.6

5.6, 5.7 and 8.0 are the currently supported versions of the MySQL database. Version 5.5 reached its end of life in December 2018, while MySQL 5.6 will be supported until February 2021.
Note that the minimum MySQL version can be subject to change during the lifetime of Joomla 4, if necessary, as in the future we might look to use MySQL 5.7 which would allow the use of the JSON database type in MySQL columns.

PostgreSQL minimum to 11

A new major version of PostgreSQL is released once a year and contains new features. At least once every three months the major version receives bug, and if need be, security fixes.
At times we’ve found it hard to support all the different available versions of PostgreSQL. Therefore to make Joomla 4 more stable and because nearly half our current PostgreSQL users are already on version 11, the choice was made to only support the latest version 11 and higher (version 11 will reach EOL in November 2023).

Drop support for Internet Explorer

The decision to drop support for IE was based on a few criteria. Less than 5% of the internet users browse the web with Internet Explorer. The new Edge browser (based on Chromium) will have an IE compatibility layer that will drive IE usage further down.

Does this mean that Joomla 4 will not work in IE? Yes and No!

The Joomla 4 backend template won’t support IE, therefore you’ll need another browser to install/maintain a website. The same is true for the core frontend template, Cassiopeia, as it will not support the IE requirements, so you can expect some display issues. However, it can be solved by creating or installing a template that supports IE.

How will this impact the core code?

As we phase out PHP 5 support, there are numerous features and optimisations that we can make in our code. Many of these changes can be made without impacting the existing public API. However some features (for example, scalar type hinting) would introduce backward compatibility breaks, if accepted.
Therefore, we will be adapting the following policies as it relates to Joomla 4.0 and Joomla Framework 2.0, for new and existing code:

All new classes and methods in the new major versions may make use of all features available in PHP 7.2, including scalar type hints and return type declarations
Private methods and methods in final classes (which cannot be extended by definition) may be updated to use

PHP 7.2 typing

Public and protected methods in existing classes generally will not have their method signatures changed unless the change improves understanding and use of the code (for example, methods which could use variadic signatures)
The core base dropped the use of complicated polyfills, just to support IE, for CSS variables and flexbox.

One Single and Improved Search System

As a major version, we are evaluating all extensions and concepts to try to make life simpler for every Joomla user. One issue in Joomla since the 2.5 release has been search. Joomla 4.0 will make a big step forward and we want to tell you all about it.

What is the problem?

For years Joomla provided two search systems.The first one is Search (or com_search), which stems from Mambo times and has not really evolved since then. The other one is Smart Search (or com_finder) which was graciously donated for Joomla 2.5, but wasn’t 100% polished.
Two completely separate systems for the same task does not make it easy for users and often leads to confusion. Without mentioning that core developers have to support both systems.

What is the difference between Search and Smart Search?

Search is a very simple system that calls a group of plugins to do a naive search in the database for the search term and return a series of results. They react on every mention of that term, but also only on that exact term. If you have a lot of data and search plugins, this can affect your site’s performance. The results are not ordered but the code needed to make such a plugin is simple.

On the other hand, Smart Search is an index-based search. Searching an index has a lot of benefits, ordering results by relevance, a sort of fuzzy search, where variants of words are searched and less performance impact. The Smart Search system is more powerful but requires a bit of work as you need to build the index.

What did we do?

In the last year, Smart Search has had a complete overhaul. We improved the data structure and the way Smart Search did the actual search to greatly improve the performance. We fixed several long standing bugs and polished the taxonomy system. Most importantly we fixed many bugs relating to multi-language support.

With all these changes, Smart Search will provide you with the best search results. Therefore, we decided to remove the simple Search system from Joomla 4.0 core.

We take this opportunity here to thank cloudaccess.net who partly funded the improvement of the Smart Search system.

How do I upgrade from Search to Smart Search?

The two systems are very different and there is no real way to upgrade one to the other with the click of a button. If you are currently using Search on your site and want to switch to Smart Search, you will have to set up the system. Don’t panic, it is easier than it sounds: Enable the plugin, create an index of your content (it’s just one click!) and make your search available for your visitors by creating a menu item or a module (or both).
For more information about Smart Search and how to set it up, click on the Help button in your backend.

We encourage our extension developers to start creating Smart Search plugins for their extensions as soon as possible to satisfy their users.

But I need the old Search!

If you really don’t want to switch to Smart Search, you will still be able to install the legacy Search system as a separate extension on new Joomla 4 sites. This package will be available on the Downloads site (https://downloads.joomla.org) and will be maintained for the lifetime of Joomla 4. If you are upgrading from a Joomla 3 site then we will not remove the old search - just like when we removed Weblinks back in Joomla 3.3.

Auto Fixing Code Style Errors

With the implementation of PHP CodeSniffer 2.x, is the ability to automatically fix many code style errors. Our custom sniffs in the coding standard have also added this autofixer ability. This should save developers and the Joomla projects a great deal of time in ensuring code standard compliance without manual intervention. We are already working on the migration to PHP Codesniffer 3.x to ensure we’re on the latest and greatest version in Joomla 4.

We’d like to give a big shout out to Walt Sorenson who has put a large amount of time into working on the codesniffer ruleset for Joomla. In the spirit of open source many of our Joomla tweaks have been submitted back to the codesniffer project.

We are firmly committed to make Joomla 4 the best generation. Embracing the above will help deliver the highest quality product for our users.

Reference: https://developer.joomla.org/news/788-j ... -move.html

Translations

- Dutch: Joomla 4 is onderweg https://www.joomlacommunity.nl/nieuws/v ... s-onderweg
- German: Neuigkeiten zu Joomla 4.0 … https://www.joomla.de/news/joomla/612-j ... n-the-move
- Italian: Joomla 4 in movimento... https://www.joomla.it/blog/9029-joomla- ... mento.html
- Spanish: Joomla 4 en movimiento... https://mejorconjoomla.com/joomla-4-en-movimiento

Best Regards

[shoulders]

Where can I tell Joomla that removing the Horizontal menu at the top is a bad idea (or at least give us the option). I dont like wordpress, i cant see me liking this.

Thanks

[anibal_sanchez]

You can report any issue here: The Joomla Issue Tracker. https://issues.joomla.org/

[shoulders]

I will be honest I have done that in the past and it was not a plesant experience, there is an idea for Joomla and that is how it is going to be, my voice does not count. Like this menu, I am not the only one who will 'HATE' the new arrangement (remember Windows 8 ) but there is no way of getting public consensus.

My preference would of been a uservoices.joomla.org but this has long since gone. Anyway thanks for the pointer and I will not hi-jack this thread.

[darb]

Yes but now is the Joomla 4 beta released!


https://www.joomla.org/announcements/re ... beta1.html

[anibal_sanchez]

Joomla 4.0 is on the horizon… the Beta is here

The Joomla Project is pleased to announce the availability of the Joomla 4.0 Beta release.

https://www.joomla.org/announcements/re ... beta1.html
https://github.com/joomla/joomla-cms/re ... 4.0.0-beta

We believe we can improve on what is already a great product.

Introducing Joomla 4, a brand new way for people to create and manage their content, developed and sustained by a global community of volunteers. Joomla 4 offers you a platform that is reliable, steady, secure and fully equipped with a wide variety of options to build any website.

We invite you to download, install and test the package to improve quality assurance for the forthcoming 4.0 release and to discover the new features introduced in this major release.

What’s new in Joomla 4.0?

We are genuinely committed to making the next generation of Joomla the best Joomla ever. Joomla 4 will provide simplicity and better user experience while also being a more robust system for developers.

Take a look at this shortlist of Joomla 4.0 key features and benefits:

• Install Joomla in the blink of an eye: An easier, faster and more user-friendly install process
• Brand new User Interfaces: (backend and frontend): intuitive and logical, easy to understand and use
• Joomla is people first: We aim to ensure that the templates are accessible (Level AA of WCAG 2.1)
• A fully rebuilt Media Manager: With a clear and logical User Interface and built-in image editing options.
• A new Workflow: Manage your content in an advanced and customisable way.
• Web Services: Make your content accessible to other websites and for easy mobile app creation.
• Cast-iron security features: Features like support for prepared SQL statements, so your website stays safe and secure.
• HTML Mail Templates: Customisation of the emails, sending emails from your site has never been so easy!
• Improved and expanded Command Line Interface (CLI): For smooth integration of your components
• A cleaner and more powerful codebase: The code has been cleaned up thoroughly, all Joomla 3.x deprecated functions have been removed, and we use PHP namespaces, enabling developers to deliver more robust and innovative applications than ever before
• The power of the Joomla Framework merged into the CMS.
• An enhanced event dispatching system
• And much more!

Do you want to try Joomla 4.0 Beta without migrating one of your sites? Test it directly at https://launch.joomla.org/

What is this release for?

This is a BETA release, that should only be used on test sites. This version has been merged with the latest stable Joomla release and includes all the new Joomla 4 features.

We invite you to test this version and will be very grateful to receive all feedback you can provide, in addition to reporting issues and bugs in the Joomla CMS Issue Tracker. https://issues.joomla.org/

We especially want to extend this invitation to all Joomla extension and template developers, your products contribute to one of Joomla’s key features, its extensibility. This release is the perfect moment to start working on getting extensions and templates ready for the stable version of Joomla 4.0.

For a complete list of known backward compatibility issues for version 4.0, please see Potential backward compatibility issues in Joomla 4.0 in the documentation site. https://docs.joomla.org/Special:MyLangu ... n_Joomla_4

Download Joomla 4.0 Beta
English (UK), 4.0.0 Beta 1 Full Package
https://github.com/joomla/joomla-cms/re ... 4.0.0-beta

When is the stable release due?

The launch of this beta version opens a period with a timeline depending on the feedback we have from developers and users. Join us in testing and reporting to help ensure a solid, timely delivery. Do you want to help out? Great! Below you’ll find more information about what you can do.

At the same time as the stable version of Joomla 4, we will release Joomla 3.10, which is intended to be a bridge between the two major series. It will primarily be a release containing backports of API changes from the Joomla 4.0 development branch to help ease the transition to the next major release for the community.

The most up-to-date information regarding this timeline can be found in our project roadmap. https://developer.joomla.org/roadmap.html#39

Where can I find documentation about Joomla 4?

We have started to provide some tutorials to help you with Joomla 4. We’ll be writing more tutorials to help you understand the significant changes in Joomla 4. You can find the existing ones, like how to create a Plugin or a Module for Joomla 4, namespaces conventions, prepared statements, using the new web asset classes and many more here.

We encourage developers to help in writing the documentation about Joomla 4 on docs.joomla.org to help and guide users as well as other extension developers.

A JDocs page will help developers to see the existing documentation and the documentation that still needs to be written. We invite you to check it regularly, update it and provide the missing content: https://docs.joomla.org/JDOC:Joomla_4_Tutorials_Project

How can I help Joomla 4 development?

To help ensure the 4.0 release and our major features are “production-ready”, we need your help testing releases and reporting any bugs you may find at https://issues.joomla.org/.

To make the life of testers (and early adopters) easier, it is possible to update from the Beta version to the next Beta, RC or stable version (we will remain strict in updating the deleted files and modifying the SQL changes).

As previously stated, we’re focusing on Joomla 4 to get it released as soon as possible. Therefore, we do not plan to release anymore 3.x minor versions, except 3.10.

All feature proposals should be directed toward the 4.1 release.

A huge Thank You to our volunteers!
This Beta release is the result of thousands of hours of work by dozens of volunteers.

A big thank you goes out to everyone who has contributed to the 4.0 Beta release.

Translations

• Dutch: Joomla 4.0 is aan de horizon de beta is er https://www.joomlacommunity.nl/nieuws/v ... beta-is-er
• German: Joomla 4.0 ist am horizont die beta ist da https://www.joomla.de/news/joomla/682-j ... eta-ist-da
• Greek: Δημοσιεύθηκε η Joomla 4 Beta https://joomla.gr/enimerosi/joomla-4-beta
• Italian: Joomla 4.0 e all orizzonte beta e disponibile https://www.joomla.it/notizie/9059-joom ... ibile.html
• Spanish: Joomla 4 esta en el horizonte la version beta esta aqui https://mejorconjoomla.com/noticias/joo ... -esta-aqui
• Swiss German: Joomla 4.0 Erste beta erschienen https://joomlainfo.ch/2020/05/30/joomla ... rschienen/
• Turkish: Joomla! 4.0 Beta Yayınlandı https://www.joomlatr.org/haberler/jooml ... landi.html