Joomla 4 is on the horizon. It’s going to be the best and most user friendly Joomla version ever released. However, such a great change often has its price. In this case it means you need to wait for developers to make their extensions and templates Joomla 4 ready.
Will our extension, Smart Slider 3 support Joomla 4? Sure, but read on to learn the details!
What do you need to know about Joomla 4?
Joomla 4 is the next generation of Joomla software. It’s a new major version, which Joomla didn’t have since 2012. Joomla 4, just link its predecessor brings better user experience though its simplicity. It’ll have a new user interface, which is more intuitive and logical. As a result, it will be easier to use for everyone. Additionally, it’s claimed to be much more developer friendly than Joomla 3 was.
Brand new dashboard of Joomla 4
There are a couple of important things you need to pay attention to before you could upgrade. I’ll highlight some of them below.
Changed system requirements
The upcoming release of Joomla introduces major changes in the system requirements. Specifically, it increases the minimum required PHP version from 5.3.10 to 7.2.5. The current requirement, 5.3.10 is a pretty dated version of PHP. Thus it’s unsupported and received no security fixes since 2014.
While PHP 7.2 is also not actively supported anymore, it still receives security for a couple of months. Additionally, it’s much faster than any PHP 5 version. Hence, both site owners and plugin developers welcome this change. For site owners the new PHP version allows having faster and more optimized sites. For developers, it allows them to write more modern code.
To sum it up, make sure you check Joomla’s new system requirements, and make sure your site matches it. If you’re just about to upgrade your PHP version, we recommend jumping to PHP 7.4, which is the most recent PHP version. Smart Slider 3 supports both PHP 7.2.5 and 7.4.
Extension and plugin compatibility
There are many under the hood changes, which Joomla developers need to get ready for. Joomla 4 Beta is coming to an end soon, which means it’s getting closer to the release. Although, not all templates and extensions are Joomla 4 ready yet. Updating codes to be compatible with Joomla’s new system can take time. Before attempting to upgrade, make sure the extensions and templates you use are ready.
The best way to do this is to test Joomla 4 on a staging or testing site first. On such sites you can test plugin and template compatibility without affecting your live site. In other words, testing on a staging environment can save you time and headache. Additionally, it provides a safe playground to test the new Joomla software.
The Dashboard of Smart Slider 3 on Joomla 4
If you are having troubles with an extension or template, reach out to its developers. Let them know about the problems you have on Joomla for, and ask when their product will be ready for Joomla 4. If they haven’t encounter the problem before, you might just helped improving the software. Otherwise, they might already have a patch ready for the problem.
There’s a chance that the extension won’t support Joomla 4 at all. If you discovered this on a staging site, you got some time to look for a replacement.
Smart Slider 3 is getting ready for Joomla 4
In the past few weeks we worked hard to make Smart Slider 3 Joomla 4 ready. Now We invite you to test it! How can you do that? First, download the Joomla 4 Beta version of Smart Slider 3. Then install it on your Joomla 4 test site and start using it to create sliders and blocks. If you would see any problems, contact us and let us know about them!
The Joomla article generator of Smart Slider 3 will be Joomla 4 ready for the release. There are some generators which depend on a 3rd party source, like the Virtuemart or K2 generator. We can only update these generators, when the extensions receive their own Joomla 4 update. In other words, these generators will not work with the Joomla 3 ready Smart Slider 3 Beta version.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will Smart Slider be available for Joomla 4?
We’re planning to release the compatible version before Joomla 4 comes out to make it easier for you to upgrade. As of 1st September, 2020 Joomla 4 is still in Beta. We plan to keep track of the beta release to ensure the slider work fine. We’ll also check the final version, and release a Smart Slider 3 update if needed.
Will Smart Slider remain Joomla 3.9 compatible?
Yes, Smart Slider 3 will remain Joomla 3.9 compatible, as long as Joomla 3.9 is supported by Joomla. According to Joomla’s roadmap, 3.9 will be supported for two years after 3.10’s release.
Conclusion
Joomla 4 is going to be a game changer Joomla release. We’re very excited to release a compatible Smart Slider version soon. Joomla 4 is going to be an amazing software, and we can’t wait to help you create gorgeous sliders for your Joomla 4 site.
Hi, I’m Ramona and I’m a member of Nextend‘s awesome support team. You’ve probably chat with me if you’ve submit a support ticket. When I’m not answering support emails I read a book or go cycling. I enjoy writing as well, both for our blog and for my private projects.
