The document summarizes the key changes and new features in the Joomla 2.5 release, including updated core components like JImage and JGrid. It provides details on upgrading from earlier versions like Joomla 1.5 and 1.7, potential issues to watch out for, and references for more information. Release dates and end of life dates are given for past Joomla versions.

1. Sydney JUG 14/02/2012
Presented by Tim Plummer – Tweet @bfsurvey

2. Joomla Release Dates
Joomla Version Release Type Release Date End of Life
Joomla 1.0 Long Term Sep-05 Jul-09
Joomla 1.5 Long Term Jan-08 Apr-12
Joomla 1.6 Short Term Jan-11 Aug-11
Joomla 1.7 Short Term Jul-11 Feb-12
Joomla 2.5 Long Term Jan-12 Aug-13
Joomla 3.0 Short Term Jul-12 Feb-13
Joomla 3.1 Short Term Jan-13 Aug-13
Joomla 3.5 Long Term Jul-13 Feb-15

3. Let’s take a look at what’s new

4. • The base of the CMS is the Joomla Platform
has been updated to version 11.3
• New image manipulation class JImage
• Generation of HTML tables with the JGrid
class
• New version of MooTools (1.4)

5. Multi Database support

6. SQL Server
• Load driver in php.ini
– actual dll will depend on php version and whether your server supports non-thread-safe
or thread-safe
• extension=php_sqlsrv_53_ts_vc9.dll
• Need to restart PHP for change to take effect
• phpinfo should show sqlsrv section

7. Step 2 shows which databases are
available on your server

8. Database Type

9. Set Site Offline during install

10. Set Site Offline Image

11. Smart Search (finder)
• Smart Search is destined to be the
replacement for com_search
• Disabled by default
• Extensions->plugin manager
– Enable Conent - Smart Search plugin

12. Smart Search (cont.)
• Assign a module position to your smart search
module (extensions->module manager)
• And choose which pages it should appear on

13. Smart Search (cont.)
• It does smart things like suggest what you
should be searching for if you do a typo

14. Joomla Update Notification

15. CAPTCHA in core
• Choose ReCaptcha in your global config

16. Setting up ReCAPTCHA
• Sign up (free) for your public and private key

17. Setting up ReCAPTCHA
• Extensions->plug-in manager
• Enter your public and private key in the
Captcha – ReCaptcha plugin

18. Setting up ReCAPTCHA
• CAPTCHA will now appear on your contact
forms

19. Add notes to menu item
• Allows you to write a short note to describe
what this menu is for

20. Filter who’s online module
• Extensions->module manager
– Who's Online

21. Subcategory filtering

22. Language overrides manager

23. Images and URL fields to create simple
standardized layouts

24. Images and URL fields in articles

25. Intro image

26. Full article image

27. Native ZIP support checked during
install

28. New user notification email sent to
admin
• Users->user manager

29. User status module improved

30. User Notes
• Can now add notes to each user account

31. Example of using User Notes

32. User Notes

33. Custom Blacklist text filter

34. Text filters has moved from article
options to global config

35. Database version check
• Check that your database schema version is
up to date

36. Debug Plugin reloaded

37. Menu manager linked to module
manager
• When you create a new menu, if there is no
module to display it yet, there is now a link to
create one.

38. New language code plugin to improve
SEO
• Allows search engines to see the language and
country code they expect in cases where the
Joomla language pack uses a different code.

39. Where’s my version number?

40. Joomla Version shown in System
Information

41. Joomla version module

42. Other improvements
• Beez core template comes with mobile
enhancements
• Ability to indicate a default language for News
Feeds
• Right to Left language direction setting for
New Feeds
• Improvements for batch processing

43. Should I upgrade to 2.5?
• http://magazine.joomla.org/issues/issue-feb-
2012/item/676-Help-With-1-7-Out-and-2-5-
Just-In,-What-Should-I-Do-Upgrade-or-
Upgrade-me-not
• http://magazine.joomla.org/issues/Issue-Aug-
2011/item/530-Nine-Questions-When-
Preparing-Clients-for-Joomla-1-8

44. Should I upgrade to 2.5?
• I’ll make it easy, here is my 2 cents
I’m currently Should I upgrade
using
Joomla 1.6 YES
Joomla 1.7 YES
Joomla 1.5 Eventually YES, but no rush
Joomla 1.0 LOL, why bother?

45. So how do I upgrade?

46. Do a full site backup first!
• www.akeebabackup.com

47. How to upgrade from J1.7

48. Alternate upgrade method using
Admin Tools
• Use Admin Tools instead
– http://www.akeebabackup.com/

49. How do I upgrade from Joomla 1.5?
• Get new versions of all your extensions
• Get a new site template
• Take a full backup
• Use either JUpgrade (free) or SP Upgrade
(commercial) or J2XML Importer (free)

50. How do I upgrade from Joomla 1.5?
• Tutorials
– http://www.jomsocial.com/blog/migrating-
joomla-15-to-joomla-25-a-guided-tutorial.html
– http://www.ostraining.com/blog/joomla/upgrade-
joomla-16-to-25/

51. Upgrade Problems

52. Upgrade problems – Admin icons

53. Clear your browser cache to fix

54. I’m missing the new modules and
plugins
• Extensions->extension manager->discover

55. I’m missing new database tables
• Extensions->extension manager->database

56. Article into image not showing
• You probably have a template overrides that
needs to be updated
• /templates/yourtemplate/html/com_content/article/default.php
• Compare to
/components/com_content/views/article/tmpl/default.php and see
what is missing
• Another one
/templates/yourtemplate/html/com_content/category/blog_item.php

57. Disappearing articles after 2.5 upgrade
• articles that a specific user wrote are not
being published. They still show up in the
backend but not in the frontend.
• Cause: If you have a user linked to a contact
that is unpublished, the articles written by this
user don't show up in the front.
• The solution would be to publish the contact
or to completely remove them, including
empty the trash.

58. Questions?
• Follow Tim on twitter @bfsurvey

59. References
• http://www.joomla.org/announcements/release-
news/5403-joomla-250-released.html
• http://www.joomla.org/announcements/release-
news/5410-joomla-251-released.html
• http://www.joomla.org/announcements/release-
news/5406-joomla-25-released.html
• http://magazine.joomla.org/issues/Issue-Jan-
2012/item/654-What-s-new-in-Joomla-2-5
• http://www.ostraining.com/blog/joomla/joomla25/
• http://docs.joomla.org/Category:Version_2.5.0_FAQ
• http://brian.teeman.net/joomla-1.7/upgrading-to-joomla-
2.5-some-warnings.html