K2 Blog K2 v2.10.0 released

K2 v2.10.0 is now available to download for Joomla versions 1.5 to 3.x. This release introduces a refreshed backend design as well as feature improvements or additions (like Google Structured Data) and as always, performance improvements everywhere.To install K2 for the first time or update your existing K2 based website, just grab the latest package here: https://getk2.org/downloads/?f=K2_v2.10.0.zipThe process to update K2 is fairly simple. If you are on Joomla 1.5, grab the zip file from the link above and install it on top of your existing K2 version. If you are on Joomla 2.5 or 3.x, go to the Joomla update manager, purge the update cache, re-check and you'll see the new release available to instantly update.So what's been added, changed or updated in this new release?Here's a list of the important things added, changed or updated in K2 v2.10.0.New, refreshed, backend design for the K2 component, modules and menus. The new design is 98% identical on all currently supported Joomla releases (1.5, 2.5 & 3.x) and improves your workflow substantially, overall making the process of managing content with K2 more enjoyable than ever.All modals and content selectors have been re-worked. New unified modal for selecting items, categories, tags or users in K2 or other extensions that integrate with K2.Massive code restructuring, as we pave the way towards Joomla 4 compatibility.Improved compatibility with PHP 7.2 & 7.3. If you get any "countable()" warnings in your site's frontend, you need to compare your K2 template overrides with the source K2 overrides and adjust any PHP check added next to "count($whatever)" uses.Twitter cards & Google Structured Data support added for K2 items in the frontend. Keep in mind that Google Structured Data is supported for 3 content types out-of-the-box (article, news article and blog post). If you wish to utilize the other content types included, you'll need some plugin to extend K2's item form with necessary fields, as required by each content type spec (e.g. a "product" requires a price field, reviews etc.). A commercial plugin will complement this K2 feature in the coming months...In more detail...Bugs fixed:Fix broken language filter in SQL query in mod_k2_commentsFix check for non-valid (placeholder) custom link in K2 ContentRetrieve unique items in all frontend itemlistsUpdated JS libs, swapped CDNJS with jsDelivr & jQuery CDN (both GFW friendly)Properly render content plugins (Joomla & K2) in the item gallery and media outputImprove plugin parsing in the K2 Content moduleK2 User module: Fix menu fetching in J3.x latestFixed K2 URL router to properly fetch all menu items when used in a multi-lingual J3.x siteFetch entire extra field group lists in backend formsFixed CSV field loading in extra field edit form (previously broken)Don't enforce a published state for social media sharing buttons on install/upgrade when an option is uninitializedFixed: When you press enter to confirm the tag entry - JCE editor gets enabled/disabled on every Enter pressFixed: Meta data set in the menu item should override any item specific valuesDon't attach OpenGraph namespace if it exists already (K2 System plugin)Performance:50% less SQL queries (e.g. for the itemlist view)SQL schema updates (improvements) for new installationsOptimize the authors drop-down SQL query in the items list in the backendAdded the ?m, ?amp, ?tmpl, ?template params as URL params for distinct caching in all frontend component viewsBackend:New unified modal selector (as described earlier)Enlarged SIGPro modal in the item formBetter checks for same item aliases when Advanced SEF is enabled in K2Moved SEO options to their own tab in the K2 SettingsAdded option (in new SEO tab in K2's settings) to control canonical URL formatAdd more plugin events in the category edit formShow the language code next to category names on all category dropdownsEnlarge the media modal selector & media manager (now covers all available screen space)Improve attachment saving (item form) - resolves naming bug when mixing uploads with files on serverBackend - User lists: add avatar preview (as on items, categories etc.)Backend - Simplified new extra field group creation in extra field formBackend - Show the generic size of an image in the image tabFrontend:Display item tags on the tag.php layout - also added control in K2 Settings for the tag layoutSort related items (in item view) by ID, not by date createdFix frontend editing permissions related to editing already published itemsDisplay the attachment filename if no title and/or title attribute is set (previously showed as blank in the frontend)Google Structured Data - can be overridden per category/itemTwitter card supportChange comment sorting in mod_k2_comments' latest option by comment IDAllow multiple itemform.php overrides per "theme" (sub-template) folderRemoved Google+ button...and replaced with LinkedIn buttonUpdated FaceBook like button and added "Share" optionEnabled image timestamp by default on modified itemsSlight improvements to the comments report function in K2Load frontend editing using the system template (better template compatibility & less CSS conflicts)Backend UI Redesign:New sidebarNormalized forms/identity overall for a more enjoyable content management workflowShorten filters length in backend listsAdded a "no content" placeholder message when there is no data to show (e.g. no tags used)API / For developers:Combined all HTML/Feed/Raw/JSON views for a unified data output set. Previously there were inconsistences on the data output e.g. between HTML (site) and JSON views.JSON/Feeds: Dynamically change the pagination (item limit) but protect from large limit requests - Allowed for simplified paginated results using "page"Set image per feed item as an enclosure objectAdd "onAfterK2DeleteAttachment" event for K2 plugins when deleting an attachmentSet Google Structured JSON data as param in the item (for extending with plugins et al)UpgradingIf you use v2.7.x to v2.9.x already, then it is (as always) safe to upgrade to K2 v2.10.0. If you use a version before 2.7.0, refer to the 2.7.0 upgrade notes.If you already have your own K2 CSS and/or HTML template overrides then there's nothing to worry about. If you use "stock" K2 CSS and HTML template overrides, just browse your site after the upgrade to make sure nothing's misalligned. In any case, exceptions may occur but they are usually easy to resolve. If you need any help, just post about your issue in the K2 Community Forum.Since the release of K2 v2.7.0 we have added an update notification for new releases of K2 within the K2 backend (viewed only by super admins) to make it easier to spot new releases and update accordingly.Before upgrading, it's always a good idea to get a backup of your site (just in case):To upgrade in Joomla 1.5, just install v2.10.0 on top of any existing K2 installation.To upgrade in Joomla 2.5 or 3.x, either install on top (as with Joomla 1.5) or use Joomla's extension updater (you should already see the notification for v2.10.0).We also highly recommend that you update AllVideos to version 5.x (the most recent).DO NOT uninstall any older K2 version first, as this will wipe out your K2 content!HTML & CSS Template OverridesHave a look here: https://getk2.org/documentation/tutorials/77-k2-template-override-package-comparisonThere are currently only PHP 7.2 compatible changes that need to be ported to existing overrides (primarily checks for "count()").What's next / GoalsK2 has surpassed 3.5 million downloads already. It powers the top Joomla sites worldwide, especially the high traffic ones.The goal for K2 is to be the killer app to use Joomla for. We'll provide more details in the coming days through another blog post...Enjoy K2 v2.10.0!