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Joomla 6.0 and 5.4 Are Here! Revolutionizing Automatic Updates and Personalization
The Joomla! Project community has announced the release of the new major version - Joomla 6.0 (codenamed Kuimarisha) - and its accompanying bridge release, Joomla 5.4 (codenamed Kutegemea). Two years of intensive work, discussion, and bug fixing have resulted in a release that introduces a number of key new features aimed at improving security, performance, and the working comfort of both users and developers.
Key New Features in Joomla 6.0
Joomla 6.0 is a major update that brings significant improvements in several areas:
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Automatic Core Updates
This is one of the most anticipated changes. Introduced in version 5.4, this feature allows for the secure and automatic updating of the Joomla! core itself, making it easier to maintain the website in the latest and most secure version.
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Enhanced Cassiopeia Child Template
The default frontend template (Cassiopeia) has gained a child template with extended customization options. Users can now define more colors and font sizes without having to create custom CSS files.
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Advanced Versioning
The versioning system has been extended to include data from custom fields. Previously, versioning relied solely on database tables; now, the history of changes also includes the content of custom fields.
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New Custom Fields
Two new types of custom fields have been added:
- "Notes": Allows adding notes or extra instructions between form fields or within the article content.
- "Numbers": Allows displaying numbers with optional currency formatting options.
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Smooth CSS Transitions
Both the frontend (Cassiopeia) and backend (Atum) templates now use CSS transitions. This makes navigation between pages feel more seamless and aesthetically pleasing.
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Developer Enhancements and Optimization
The editor has been updated to TinyMCE version 8.0.1, introducing numerous bug fixes and accessibility improvements. A language file caching layer has been introduced, significantly improving the loading speed of language strings. New form fields: Date and Datetime-local have been added.
The Role of Joomla 5.4 as a Bridge to Version 6.0
Joomla 5.4 was released as a bridge release, which is crucial for existing Joomla 5.x installations. It introduces the new automatic update feature and, most importantly, the 'Behaviour - Backward Compatibility 6' plugin.
This plugin, enabled by default, makes the upgrade process from 5.4 to 6.0 a standard update rather than a migration, and most extensions should work smoothly with the plugin enabled.
Upgrade Information
Upgrading from Joomla 5.4 to 6.0 is much simpler than previous migrations. Users still on the Joomla 4.x series must first upgrade to the 5.x series.
The release of Joomla 6.0 and 5.4 is the result of the hard work and dedication of over 30 and 20 people respectively in both projects. The Joomla! Project would like to thank all the volunteers and teams for their invaluable contribution.
