OpenCms News

OpenCms Days 2012 - Call for papers still open! 4 weeks left to submit your abstract

Alkacon Software GmbH — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:23:25 GMT

OpenCms Days 2012 will take place from Monday, September 24 to Tuesday, September 25, 2012 in Cologne, Germany.

Conference Program - First topics have been fixed

Experts from around the world will share their experiences with this latest OpenCms release. The first sessions of the conference program are already fixed and give an overview on the multiplicity of OpenCms 8. Nevertheless we are still looking for session proposals, bringing up project-reports and experiences around OpenCms 8.

So please do not hesitate to send your proposal for a session as soon as possible: The "Call for papers" is still open up to June 15, 2012.

It would be great to welcome you as a speaker at this year`s OpenCms Days.

As the event is targeted towards an international audience, the language spoken is English, and all presentations will be held in English language.

The full program and list of speakers will be available July 1st, 2012 from the conference website.

Early Bird Registration - Closing date is June 30, 2012

Take your chance to get your discount of 10% and register now for the OpenCms Days 2012.

Registration price:

Early bird registration (until June 30): 180,- Euro
Normal registration (after July 1st): 200,- Euro

OpenCms Days 2012 conference and expo is an event organized by Alkacon Software GmbH. The goal of the event is to promote OpenCms and strengthen the OpenCms community.

OpenCms Wiki server changeover

Alkacon Software GmbH — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:11:26 GMT

Alkacon Software has moved the OpenCms Wiki to a new server. OpenCms Wiki uses MediaWiki (the same as Wikipedia) and the software itself and all installed extensions have been updated to the latest available version, while the functionality you are familiar with and the contents remained the same.

Though, if you encountered any inconveniences while using the OpenCms Wiki within the last few hours, we apologize for that. Please report all errors due to changeover to the mailing list.

Please do not report any editorial errors since you can register yourself to the OpenCms Wiki and contribute to with Project Reports, Tutorials and Best Practices - or even document revision.

Check http://www.opencms-wiki.org frequently for new additions.

OpenCms issue tracker now on Github

Alkacon Software GmbH — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:05:59 GMT

Alkacon Software has moved the OpenCms issue tracking from bugzilla to GitHub.

All open issues concerning supported versions of OpenCms have already been moved to GitHub.

Please use the OpenCms issue tracker on GitHub to report all bugs, issues or problems you find in OpenCms. Using the issue tracker makes it easier for everyone using OpenCms and participating in the OpenCms development to manage to process of bug fixing. You will have to create an account first.

Before submitting an issue on GitHub, make sure your issue hasn't already been reported.

Please use the issue tracker only to report bugs in OpenCms. For general questions regarding OpenCms, please use the OpenCms mailing list or contact one of the OpenCms Solution Providers in your area.

Update of Alkacon OCEE for OpenCms released

Alkacon Software GmbH — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 09:45:05 GMT

Alkacon OCEE for OpenCms is a commercial extension for OpenCms that offers Support for LDAP, Clustering, Replication and improved performance. Full information about OCEE is available on the Alkacon website.

The latest OCEE release version 3.0.4 is a compatibility update for the new OpenCms version 8.0.4.

Please note: OCEE 3.0.4 is not compatible with OpenCms 8.0.0 - 8.0.1.

Please see the OCEE release notes for a full description about the new features and changes in this version.

Notice for users of OpenCms 7: The current release of OCEE for OpenCms 7.x is version 2.1.6. OCEE 2.1.6 is compatible with all 7.x versions of OpenCms.

Main features in OCEE

Support for multi-staging scenarios with the OCEE Replicator: You can configure a "development" server that first pushes all generated content to a "staging" server e.g. for approval, and then afterwards to the "delivery" server. This is freely configurable, and there is no limit on the number of stages.
Centralized configuration of servers with the OCEE Cluster: You can now edit the scheduled jobs, search index configuration and module parameters for all individual servers in the cluster from a common GUI in the workplace server.
Support for OpenCms OUs in the LDAP Connector: It is now possible to connect each OpenCms OU with an individual path in the LDAP Server.
Improved performance with the OCEE Accelerator: A much improved cache policy in the Accelerator now selectively flushes only certain cached items after publishing instead of just flushing everything.

About Alkacon OCEE

The Alkacon OpenCms Enterprise Extensions (also called OCEE) are a commercial extension for OpenCms. Alkacon OCEE adds features to OpenCms that are often required for running OpenCms in a medium or large Enterprise, where data consistency, security and failover are highly important.

The Alkacon OpenCms Enterprise Extensions are available as a licensed software product from Alkacon Software GmbH, the company responsible for most of the development of the open source core OpenCms system. Please click here for the full license terms.

OCEE is installed on a standard OpenCms system. OCEE is a binary only distribution. This means that the source code for the OCEE modules is not available. To use any of the Alkacon OCEE packages, you need to enter a license key that will be provided by Alkacon software after your purchase of an Alkacon OCEE license.

OpenCms 8.0.4 release notes

Alkacon Software GmbH — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 07:39:15 GMT

OpenCms 8.0.4 is an update that improves browser compatibility and fixes several issues that persisted in the 8.0.3 release.

Main new features in OpenCms 8.0.4

Added TinyMCE WYSIWYG editor with support for IE 9.
Added Italian localization contributed by Antonio Cordeddu of coranto.it
Added Russian localization contributed by Alexey Chirkov of itdt.ru

Other new features and improvements in OpenCms 8.0.4

Added configurable ADE context menu dialogs.
Added scheduled job for search index optimization.
Improved handling of deleted users in permissions dialog.
Improved sitemap editor change handling.
Improved synchronized lock behavior for offline indexing.
Updated Lucene to version 3.5.
Updated JPA to version 2.2.0.

Fixed issues in OpenCms 8.0.4

Fixed issue with VFS image widget preview function.
Fixed various image widget format and cropping issues.
Fixed issue 1999 where VFS image gallery widget would not open if 'useformats' was set to 'false'.
Fixed issue 2018 + 2024 typo in group permissions JSP resulting in a compile error.
Fixed issue 2019 incorrect form height in "Preferences -> Galleries" tab.
Fixed issue 2021 method org.opencms.jsp.CmsJspActionElement#link(java.util.String target, java.util.String detailPage) was not using second parameter.
Fixed issue 2026 CmsDefaultLinkSubstitutionHandle wrongly construct URL.
Fixed issue 2027 CmsFileUtil misses a value assignment.
Fixed issue 2028 CmsMirDirectPublish misses a return value.
Fixed issue 2029 where workplace crashed on occasions when using the publish dialog from the administration view.
Fixed issue 2032 where image gallery widget did not display images from /system/galleries/pics.
Fixed issue 2037 where proportional image cropping was not possible for certain formats.
Fixed issue 2039 with class cast exception in content tools dialogs.
Fixed issue 2040 where source search replacement didn't consider the content encoding.
Fixed issue 2041 where Static Export failed for files named 'index.html' with URL parameters.
Fixed issue 2045 where the width of workplace dialog buttons was fixed and not sufficient for other translations.

General features of OpenCms 8

The "Advanced Direct Edit" (ADE) mode allows to create page content by drag & drop.
The sitemap editor allows to create new pages and re-arrange the navigation tree by drag & drop.
The "Content Subscription Engine" allows to inform users when subscribed documents have changed.
Extended support for creation of content for mobile devices with the <cms:mobile> tag.
Structured contents can be defined using a simple XML schema.
Includes editors with WYSIWYG and syntax highlighting functionality.
Easy to use "Online / Offline" workflow, changes must be approved before they become visible.
Link management for all internal resources with broken link detection.
Support for WebDAV access to all resources in the OpenCms repository.
Integrated image scaling and cropping.
Full featured internal user management that supports the concept of "Organizational Units" (OUs).
Allows management of multiple websites within one installation.
Contents can be served dynamically or exported to static HTML files.
Extensions can be added through a flexible module system.
Full text search for web pages, but also in PDF, MS Office documents etc.
The "time warp" feature allows to view resources which are expired or not yet released.
JSP integration for dynamic functionality in templates, dynamic forms etc.
Distribution includes a complete demo website "Wonderful World of Flowers".
... and many more

Backward compatibility

We recommend everyone who uses OpenCms to update to the 8.0.4 release.

OpenCms 8.0.4 is fully backward compatible to all prior 8.x and 7.x versions. Templates and other OpenCms developed code from these versions should work "out of the box" with version 8.0.4.

Notice for users of Alkacon OCEE: OpenCms version 8.0.4 requires Alkacon OCEE version 3.0.4 or later. In case you want to update your OpenCms installation to 8.0.4, please make sure you update Alkacon OCEE to 3.0.4 or later first!

Compatibility with Java versions, Servlet containers and Databases

OpenCms 8.0.4 has been written and tested using Java 5 / 6. We have tested only with ORACLEs version of the JDK. However, OpenCms has no dependencies to sun.* packages so it should in theory run with all compliant JVMs.

We have tested this release on the Tomcat servlet engine. OpenCms works "out of the box" with Tomcat 7, which we recommend. Others have reported deploying OpenCms successfully on other servlet containers like JBoss, BEA, Websphere, Glassfish and Resin Professional.

On the database side, we have tested with MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MS SQL Server, DB2 and HSQLDB. The automatic update wizard for OpenCms 8 supports MySQL, Oracle and PostgreSQL.

Regarding version numbers and build tags

In case you want to check out OpenCms from Git, please keep the following in mind: The tag numbers for all OpenCms 8.0 final releases are "build_8_0_x", so the 8.0.4 release is tagged "build_8_0_4".

The main OpenCms Git repository is available on Github at github.com/alkacon/opencms-core.

How you can help

Contributions to the OpenCms core development are most welcome. Please send us your pull requests directly on GitHub.

Please use our OpenCms issue tracker to report bugs in this release.

Thank you for using OpenCms and have fun with OpenCms 8 :-)

New OpenCms 8.0.4 ready for download

Alkacon Software GmbH — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 07:39:48 GMT

OpenCms 8.0.4 is now ready and available for download.

OpenCms is one of the most popular Open Source Content Management Solutions. This new version was developed by Alkacon Software GmbH with the support of the international OpenCms developer community.

OpenCms 8 contains a greatly improved user interface for content managers and numerous other enhancements.

OpenCms 8.0.4 is an update that improves browser compatibility and fixes several issues that persisted in the 8.0.3 release.

Main new features and improvements in OpenCms 8.0.4

Added TinyMCE WYSIWYG editor with support for IE 9.
Added Italian localization contributed by Antonio Cordeddu of coranto.it
Added Russian localization contributed by Alexey Chirkov of itdt.ru
Added configurable ADE context menu dialogs.
Added scheduled job for search index optimization.
Improved handling of deleted users in permissions dialog.
Improved sitemap editor change handling.
Improved synchronized lock behavior for offline indexing.

Please check out the release notes for further details of the changes in this release.

General features of OpenCms 8.0

The "Advanced Direct Edit" mode allows to create page content by drag & drop.
The sitemap editor allows to create new pages and rearrange the navigation tree by drag & drop.
A multiple file enabled upload dialog all based on HTML replaced the old "Upload Applet".
The "Content Subscription Engine" allows to inform users when important documents have changed.
The XML content editor now support <xsd:choice> elements.
The publish dialog supports session based selection of content as well as add/remove of individual resources.
Extended support for creation of content for mobile devices with the <cms:mobile> tag.
A central "Shared Folder" has been added that is available from all sites for sharing content.
JPA support has been added to the database layer, so there's support for 10 additional databases.

We recommend everyone who uses OpenCms to update to the 8.0.4 release. OpenCms 8.0.4 is fully backward compatible to all prior 8.x and 7.x versions. Templates and other OpenCms developed code from these versions should work "out of the box" with version 8.0.4.

Users of the Alkacon OCEE packages require a new version of Alkacon OCEE for use with this OpenCms release. OpenCms 8.0.4 requires Alkacon OCEE version 3.0.4 or newer.

About OpenCms

Independent research has shown OpenCms to be a market leading solution amongst Open Source CMS systems. The software has been in continuous development for the last 10 years and has an active community of Open Source developers.

More than 100 international IT companies have been registered as official OpenCms Solution Provider on the OpenCms website. A steadily growing list of reference sites also shows the increasing use of OpenCms.

OpenCms is an enterprise - ready web content management solution build in Java and XML from open source components. OpenCms can easily be deployed on almost any existing IT infrastructure and provides powerful features especially suited for medium and large enterprise internet or intranet applications. OpenCms is open source software distributed under the LGPL license.

Alkacon Software GmbH is the company responsible for the development of OpenCms. Today OpenCms is a leading open source CMS solution in widespread use all over the world. Many businesses and organizations use OpenCms as a cost effective, professional alternative to expensive license products.

Alkacon Software GmbH offers its customers training, support and add-on products for OpenCms. This gives our customers a layer of security and convenience often required for mission critical OpenCms installations. Please see the Alkacon product overview for more details.

The team at Alkacon Software - The OpenCms Experts wants to thank everyone who has contributed to this release of OpenCms.

Try OpenCms 8 online!

Alkacon Software GmbH — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 10:42:59 GMT

The latest version of OpenCms 8 is now online on the live demo server at http://demo.opencms.org

Try yourself, how easy it is to create a website structure and edit contents with OpenCms 8.

The online demo uses the well known Template III, a configurable Template for website creation by drag & drop.

Test OpenCms 8 for 30 days and get used to the intuitive and reliable OpenCms 8 features as Advanced Direct Edit, the Sitemap Editor and the OpenCms Workplace.

The OpenCms tutorial describes the basic functions of OpenCms to create, modify and organize content. The tutorial is available as a screencast and also as a comprehensive text.

OpenCms Days 2012 - Conference and Expo

Alkacon Software GmbH — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:57:00 GMT

OpenCms Days 2012 will take place from Monday, September 24 to Tuesday, September 25, 2012 in Cologne, Germany.

OpenCms 8 – Experiences, Possibilities, Potentials

This 4th annual gathering of OpenCms users will focus on success stories and projects based on OpenCms 8. Experts from around the world will share their experiences with this latest OpenCms release. Alkacon will also unveil Version 8.5 of OpenCms which will contain several enhancements.

OpenCms Days 2012 conference will feature 2 parallel tracks with Showcase and Workshop sessions.

The previous OpenCms Days have shown that this event is the best occasion to meet and mingle with OpenCms experts such as core developers, experienced consultants, independent CMS analysts, executive decision makers and other OpenCms users. Especially the conference’s expo provides a great chance for sponsors to establish new business contacts and to get in touch with the OpenCms community.

OpenCms Days 2012 is targeted towards an international audience. The language spoken at the event is English, and all presentations will be held in English language.

Registration price:

Early bird registration (until June 30): 180,- Euro
Normal registration (after July 1st): 200,- Euro

The full program and list of speakers will be available July 1st, 2012 from the conference website.

OpenCms Days 2012 conference and expo is an event organized by Alkacon Software GmbH. The goal of the event is to promote OpenCms and strengthen the OpenCms community.

Preview of upcoming OpenCms 8.5 features

Alkacon Software GmbH — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 13:12:50 GMT

Did you know how easy it is to edit contents directly on the webpage?

The upcoming version 8.5 of OpenCms will feature inline content-editing directly on the web page as well as next level form based editing.

This is provided by Alkacon's new Acacia editor based on IKS semantic web technology.

With the comprehensive and flexible support for meta data contents can be optimally used and website visitors will find what they are looking for.

Watch the webcast and try the online demo to learn more about inline content-editing with the upcoming OpenCms 8.5.

Download the OpenCms 8 beginner's guide to template creation as PDF

Alkacon Software GmbH — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 10:26:09 GMT

The OpenCms 8 beginner's guide to template creation - which is now available for download - provides an easy to understand introduction on how to create a working JSP template from scratch with OpenCms 8.

This step by step tutorial requires no previous knowledge of website creation. First-time and switching users can directly jump into template creation with the open source content management system OpenCms.

Start creating your own templates with OpenCms and make them available to the community.

Learn more about

Creating your website template with OpenCms 8 from design to HTML prototype and a working JSP template
Header and footer configuration
Sitemap configuration
Editing the model page
Building the website navigation in OpenCms 8.

With OpenCms 8 it is easy to create a beautiful template for your website.

Learn more about the great new features of OpenCms 8 and download the OpenCms 8 beginner's guide to template creation right now.