Introduction
Why version 6.0 was released immediately after the last version 4.7 is a longer story and has to do with the new CMS TYPO3 Neos. If you are interested, you can read the whole story of TYPO3 CMS 6.0.
TYPO3 CMS 6.0 brings a whole range of new features, the most important of which and what you should consider when switching or updating are briefly explained here.
File Abstraction Layer (FAL)
The File Abstraction Layer completely changes the way TYPO3 handles files. It is now possible to store files not only within the TYPO3 installation in the fileadmin folder. You can now also integrate external storage services such as WebDav or Amazon S3 and store used images, PDF documents and other files there. FAL also includes a small metadata management function. For example, you can assign a description and an alternative text to images in the file list module. Of course, this is also possible for all other types of files.
Previously, TYPO3 always created copies of uploaded files in the uploads/ folder. This folder could become quite large over time. This behavior has been changed: Files are now no longer copied but referenced. This means that images, for example, can be exchanged at any time without any problems.
As part of this change, the way in which images are used in the backend, for example, has also been slightly revised and modernized. We will go into more detail later.
The Extension Manager (EM)
The extension manager has also been completely reworked. It has been completely rewritten on the basis of Extbase and has also been streamlined. For example, the language module has been moved to a separate backend module. The new EM is clearer and there are only a few hidden functions. All actions that are possible with an extension are now clearly visible.
However, there is still a small stumbling block: updating the extension list may have to be triggered manually. To do this, you should not click on the green reload symbol at the bottom of the EM, as you might expect, but on the text "Last Update" at the top right! Unfortunately, this link is not visible as such and this has already caused confusion for many people. We hope that this link will be better marked in one of the next updates.
There is also something to note when installing an extension: after clicking on the install button, you will not see any visual feedback during the installation process. At the moment you simply have to wait a little longer until a message window appears after the installation. Hopefully this will also be improved a little with one of the next updates.
It is now also easier to install older versions of extensions. Simply click on the version number of the extension to open a new list with all available versions.
zip module required for PHP
The new extension manager requires an installed zip module for PHP in order to be able to unpack downloaded extensions. You should therefore check whether the module is activated on your web space.
To do this, call up the status report, which you can access via the "Reports" backend module. If the zip module is missing, you will see a warning message here and must activate the zip module via the php.ini file.
Our hosting packages use PHP version 5.3 EXTENDED as standard, in which the zip module is activated. However, you can change the PHP version at any time via the customer menu. From PHP 5.4, the zip module is activated in all versions (LIGHT, STANDARD, EXTENDED, ASTCGI).
LocalConfiguration.php
The localconf.php file, in which, for example, the access data for the MySQL database was also saved, is now completely replaced by the LocalConfiguration.php file. This file now returns a configuration array. It is important to know that if the configuration is changed, for example using the install tool, this file will be completely rewritten. You should therefore not make any manual changes, as these would be deleted again. To include your own settings, you can create the file AdditionalConfiguration.php in the typo3conf/ directory. If available, this will be included automatically.
Page" backend module
The page module has been visually redesigned and now looks more modern and "airy". The controls of content elements are now only visible when hovering over them with the mouse.
The most important new feature: content elements can now be moved simply by dragging and dropping. However, this currently only works within the browser window. If you have many content elements that protrude from the browser window, it is not yet possible to scroll and move them at the same time.
Backend module "Language"
As mentioned above, the language module has been removed from the extension manager and is now a separate backend module. Here you can easily select the languages to be used on the website by setting a checkbox. The translations are then loaded by clicking on the "Update from repository" button at the top left.
Changes to the Rich Text Editor (RTE)
If you paste content from the clipboard using the pasteFormat ("Paste structure and basic format") or pasteStructure ("Paste structure only") function, the following tags are now also retained and not deleted: article, aside, footer, header, nav, section.
Typoscript and TSConfig
The pipe symbol | can now be used to specify and test multiple values in Conditions, for example:
[globalVar = TSFE:id = 10|12|15] (is included)
[globalVar = TSFE:id != 10|12|15] (is not included)
Parts of the page tree can now be individually colored via the UserTSConfig. This can increase the clarity for editors with extensive page trees.
options.pageTree.backgroundColor.11 = #cc9900
The 11 in this example stands for the ID of the page from which the coloring should be visible.
Changes to the content elements
Multiple images can be reordered using drag'n drop.
However, as already described above in the Page module, there can also be problems here if a large number of images are used. Simultaneous moving and scrolling is not yet possible.
A line of Typoscript, which can be inserted into the page TSConfig e.g. of the root page, provides a remedy. This also displays the familiar buttons for sorting the elements.
TCEFORM.tt_content.image.config.appearance.enabledControls.sort = 1
Upgrade from an older TYPO3 version
- Check the system requirements, these are not identical to 4.7!
- Check whether the extensions you are using are up to date.
All non-compatible extensions can be found here. However, this changes almost daily, adapted extensions are often published promptly. - Activate and check the deprecation log before an upgrade. Here you can see whether your current installation uses outdated functions that were removed with TYPO3 6.0.
- To be on the safe side, create a complete backup of your installation (files and database) or carry out the upgrade on a copy of your site.
- Download the new sources from typo3.org/download/
- Link the new sources.
- Go to the install tool.
- Use the "Update Wizard" (go through all steps with "Next").
- Use "Database COMPARE" to apply all relevant database changes.
This page contains automatically translated content.