The upcoming JoomlaPack 1.3 brings new features

We might be just a few days before the release of 1.2.1 stable, but the JoomlaPack development team doesn't call it a day. We are actively developing the upcoming minor number version of the component. As with all past minor number versions, it brings along many new features. We feel it's only fair to share with you.

• Joomla! 1.5.x native mode only. If you follow Joomla! announcements you should have known - since about 8 months - that Joomla! 1.0.x development has stopped. No further updates are planned for that version of our favourite CMS. In other words, Joomla! 1.0.x is dead. Period. Our single most major step for JoomlaPack 1.3 was removing J! 1.0.x support and sticking with J! 1.5.x. Not constrained by the limitations of the old generation Joomla! and taking advantage of the empowering Joomla! Framework we have set to develop a modern code base, based on the principles of the MVC pattern, which will be much more easily maintenable in the future.
• Backup profiles. Until now, JoomlaPack was constrained to a single configuration. Setting configuration parameters and filter options was of an all-or-nothing approach. If you wanted to tweak some filters to get a different type of backup (let's say, filtering out some ill-behaving component) and then revert to your regular settings it was impossible. JoomlaPack 1.3 incorporates backup profiles, an unlimited number of profiles storing configuration option and filter settings. What's more, you can select which profile to use at backup time, even with front-end backup!
• Backup statistics. You asked for and you get it. JoomlaPack 1.3 will keep a lot of information about each backup taken. This has some nice implications you're gonna love:
  • No more need to reset after failed backup attempts. Based on information from Backup Statistics, JoomlaPack's engine will detect failed backups upon visiting the Control Panel page or starting a new backup, cleaning after them.
  • Describe and comment on your backups. No more need to remember what changes were made between individual backups (applies to backups started from the backend)
  • Ability to keep a limited amount of backup archives on your output folder automatically.
  • More informative backup administration page.
• Optional non-AJAX mode for the administration. Up until now, if your configuration was incompatible with AJAX you wouldn't be able to use JoomlaPack. After all, it relied on AJAX to operate the filters pages. This is no longer true. All basic operations on the filters pages are now possible to be executed in non-AJAX mode. Just select "JavaScript Redirects" for the "Backup Mode" in the Advanced tab of the configuration. The non-AJAX mode does not apply to some more advanced operations, like checking for database connectivity while editing a Multiple Databases setting, or fetching the default output directory in the configuration page.
• No more temporary directory setting. Joomla! 1.5.x provides with a standard temporary files location and JoomlaPack uses it. Of course, it needs to be writable!
• Embedded documentation. The basic set of documentation (help for each JoomlaPack page) will be included with the component, available by pressing the "help" button on the toolbar.
• Automatic problem detection. There are a number of server configurations which might cause JoomlaPack to fail. We know about them and know how to detect them. The next big step is warning you in advance, right from the Control Panel! It's just like the "You're using the default output directory" warning of JoomlaPack 1.2.1, only it covers a whole lot more situations.
  
• Revamped Kickstart. The new Kickstart will have a few changes over its predecessor. For starters, there will be no more two different files for AJAX and non-AJAX mode. The mode selection will be a radio button on Kickstart's first page. We are also planning to implement a FTP mode, to get past servers using Safe Mode and/or have "wrong" permissions.