Simplify Your Web Documentation

You do not need to uninstall the module before updating it. In fact, uninstalling the modules will remove all created instances.

Before updating, make sure you read the change logs and are aware of potential backward compatibility issues.

Cached scripts and styles are removed on update. Updates fix issues, add features and/or improve performance and these wouldn't be reflected unless all cached files are re-generated.

Updating to v7.3 from v7.2.x

This version focuses on improvements when parsing the content to find images and adds the possibility to use the 'alt' attribute of the original image (in lack of attribute, the title is used as default).

Pro When looking through content, you can now discard images that are too small (under a size you determine).

Pro In blog or list views, easily move the index to the side in a column-like layout. Additions require you check overrides for blog/list views, search and display layouts.

Pro The 'Back' plugin has been reworked for improved accuracy and adds useful parameters.

Updating to v7.2 from v7.1.x

Pro This version mostly concentrates on adding workflow and publishing information when articles are in edition mode.

It also rectifies a long lasting bug that prevented hiding 'read more' alongside keeping the links on the title (when 'Always show' is set to 'No'). Modules were not affected.

Updating to v7.1 from v7.0.x

This version focuses on changes when it comes to featured items. Specifically when featured up/down dates are used. Nothing has changed for featured articles which have no set featured up/down dates. The previous behavior was that once out of the date range, the featured articles, since still featured, would no longer be visible. The modified behavior is that now, when out of date range, the articles join the pool of unfeatured ones. Still visible, just not featured.

One other major change is internal: the cleanup of all code which belonged to K2 support. As K2 will not be migrated to Joomla 4, there is no longer a reason to hold our breaths.

Finally, there are 2 more features that are worth noting:

• the possibility to show intro AND the remaining of the article as text (in the event you do not want to have a cut off point at the 'read more'),
• Pro the ability to select an alternate layout when showing a type of information (so you don't have to build a plugin to support it, just the layout, which makes it faster and easier).

Updating to v7.0 from v6.11.x

There are a certain number of changes in the Joomla 4/5 version:

• some PRO features have been added to the free version (high resolution images, choice of icons and access to information details)
• icon pickers can now be used to enter FontAwesome icons,
• use the image of the category as 'head' or as default image if the article image is missing,
• Pro show the category/tag index as an expandable tree,
• Pro the tag index gets more options (pre-selection of a tag for instance),
• Pro when showing category headings, featured articles show first in each category.

Those changes imply modifications in your overrides or additional downloads:

• all detail/information layouts have been modified to accommodate all kinds of icons,
• all pagination index layouts allowing a list output (category, tag, alphabet and fields) now handle a 'classes' attribute,
• category and tag index layouts have been modified to accommodate the new tree structure.

Updating to v6.11 from v6.10.x

This version fixes a few issues gathered in the past few months while improving the extension for Joomla 4 and adds the possibility to use the category image as default image when the article or K2 item one is missing.

Pro Please update the overrides of lnepk2categoryindex.php if you are using category images in the index.

Updating to v6.10 from v6.9.x

Pro In this version, the inclusion of custom fields in feeds has been greatly improved and many issues have been fixed. When included in a feed item description, custom fields are fully rendered 'in place' and are no longer passed as raw data.

There are many other improvements and fixes, including:

• adding missing width and height attributes on uncropped thumbnails,
• Pro Joomla 4 ACF Url custom field can be used as a link,
• Joomla 4 adding support to the start and finish featured dates for featured articles,
• Joomla 4 bold styling has been removed from the article title and an optional class can be used instead (under 'theming', 'body' section).

Updating to v6.9 from v6.8.x

This is the last major update under Joomla 3. From now on, the Joomla 3 extensions will only receive bug fixes.

This release contains data-related fixes and went through a major database queries overhaul.

Hot Joomla 4 With the new packaged library, you can now switch from fonts.google.com to fonts.bunny.net to use GDPR-compliant web fonts in your designs.

Pro Use the custom field of URL type to mix and match YouTube, Vimeo and DailyMotion URLs when you use videos as 'head' element.

Updating to v6.8 from v6.7.x

This release focuses on bug fixes, SQL custom field support and author alias improved support. It is now easier to show articles from authors that are not users of the system.

You can now match/relate articles through their created by aliases.

If module instances or views stop returning results, it is most likely because there is an error in the configuration of those module instances or views. This version is less permissive and having the author's exclude parameter selected while having all authors selected as well can no longer return items.

Pro View actions (edit, print...) can now be laid out as flat lists out-of-the-box. If you have overrides for the lnepicons layout, you will need to update them or remove them if your overrides were created with the purpose of creating a flat list of actions rather than a dropdown.

Updating to v6.7 from v6.6.x

This version brings a use case that has been overlooked for a while: the ability to show articles or K2 items for an author (by a module instance of Latest News Enhanced) when another article or K2 item is showing on the center page and has been written by the same author. Ideal for cases where you want to bring forward other work written by a same author.
The old 'auto' option in the Author parameter is now called 'logged user'. Use 'auto' for this newly available use case.

Two 'order' options have been added as well: 'none' and 'manual'. The 'manual' option allows you to order the articles in the order specified in the 'Only IDs' parameter.

Pro Joomla 4 You can now specify the download id of your license directly in the 'Update Sites' page of your Joomla administration console. You no longer have to 'find' where to enter the download id, Joomla will show you!

Updating to v6.6 from v6.5.x

Pro Use custom fields of type 'calendar' as date of selection. Sort by that field. In views, add a 'period' index to select items by month or year. If you have template overrides for the search or the icons layouts or the views, you will need to update those overrides to be able to use the 'period' index.

Updating to v6.5 from v6.4.x

Pro This update adds a powerful table-like view for articles or K2 items. It also offers a solution when tables need to be shown on smaller devices.

Note that the blog views, content icons and pagination search layouts have been modified to include code for item sorting and you will need to update the overrides for those files, if you have any.

For an example, check the demo site!

Updating to v6.4 from v6.3.x

This version is all about custom fields filtering. Learn more about this additional way to filter data with. Available in all versions!

Updating to v6.3 from v6.2.x

This version brings support to the AVIF image type (PHP 8.1+). It also adds image versioning, easing testing and reducing cache issues.

Joomla 4 The extension supports the Imagick PHP image extension. If Imagick is available on your server, you may use it instead of the GD extension.

Updating to v6.2 from v6.1.x

HOT Major performance improvements on large data sets. Report any problem related to items being duplicated.

Relative date range now bases the item selection on 'from' and 'to' parameters to determine if dates are in the past or the future, not on which date has been selected. Make sure, if you select items by range, that the selection is still correct.

Pro Introduction of an accordion-style layout for module instances.

Updating to v6.1 from v6.0.x

The free version now has access to loading the icon fonts. It is set to load by default. If not needed, turn off this advanced feature.

Joomla 4 Joomla 4 versions (the free one and the pro soon) are not final. Please download and try. I appreciate your feedback. You may encounter issues related to Joomla 4 not being final or just being released.

Migrating to v6.0 from v5.1.x

This release focuses on theming and is geared toward making layout and styling easier and more flexible. There are no backward incompatibilities, but there may be slight differences in the way items look (especially when using shadows).

This release introduces:

• the use of color schemes to jumpstart your designs,
• more options to fine-tune your designs so you don't need to know CSS for creating stunning looking cards,
• Pro a brand new theme style (for images only),
• support for Bootstrap 5 (template overrides need to be updated if you have any and your template is based on Bootstrap 5),
• better support for images when keeping the originals and not have size limitations (the additional theme style 'Original image size' is no longer necessary),
• tons of CSS fixes flushing out many style issues,
• an improved documentation.

The 'original (modern)' theme no longer holds border radius and shadow properties. However, the new settings aimed to replace those CSS properties are automatically filled upon install (therefore there is no change on update, your items will still look the same).

Pro The additional 'boxed' theme must be updated to support this version.

Updating to v5.1 from v5.0.x

Pro There are 2 major areas of improvements with this release:

• a complete blog feed rewrite - the blogs now output RSS re-usable in feed readers and the Newsfeeds plugin (including custom fields or K2 extra fields),
• the introduction of custom field of type 'list' as filters to the blog views (no K2 support possible at this time).

The index/filter additions will require you update the template overrides you have created, if any. Specifically:

• lnep[k2]authorindex, lnep[k2]tagindex and lnep[k2]categoryindex have been modified to possibly show a label,
• lnepicons and lnepsearch have been modified to support custom fields as index,
• the blog views' default.php for support to the custom field index.

Migrating to v5.0 from v4.15.x

There are major changes in this version you need to be aware of:

Use of web standards

The items do not require an additional script to adapt their size in a container. CSS flexbox is used instead. You may notice slight changes in the behavior of the items, especially from modules.

The extension has also moved to a more 'standard' approach when inserting images. Image width and height attributes have been added.

Pro The jQuery library used for lazy loading and high resolution devices support has been removed, speeding up pages. The loading and the srcset attributes are used instead. Older browsers will loose some of that functionality, but it is future-proof.

General use of loaders

Pro In the process, image loaders have been removed from the image parameter sections. Now, you can find global parameters for animated loaders in the global configuration of the extension (this way, the same animated loader can be used throughout: for load more, animations...). Therefore, if you want to keep data uri code you had previously used for some of your module instances, you should copy that code prior to updating to v5.0. Also note that to take advantage of the loaders for animations, it requires you update the template overrides you may have of the module instances.

Phasing out jQuery

Pro It is now possible to completely use the extension independently from jQuery. I have introduced a new scroll animation, entirely written in vanilla (pure) javascript that you can use.

Support for WebP image files

The library, packaged with Latest News Enhanced, has been updated to handle WebP image files and consume less processing memory. Using WebP for your images will increase page load speed. The extension also handles the creation of fallback images for browsers which cannot handle WebP image files. Get more info in this article: Adding support for the WebP image file type in Simplify Your Web extensions.

Support for CSS filters for images

By using CSS filters, you will save server resources.

Improved flexibility for links

The Link to parameter has been split in two. Now, you can select an independent target for the link, which can be very helpful, especially when linking to custom fields values. This 'breaks' your previous settings but you won't have to do anything: the new settings will be set automatically on update.

One more thing...

Pro If installed and used, the Owl carousel animation and the Newsfeeds plugin need to be updated.

This version of the extension is less permissive.

If you have configured a module instance vertically, for instance, and you intended to show multiple columns, you will end up with only one. This is because CSS Flexbox is used and sets the flow to row (horizontally) or column (vertically). 

This is why testing this major update before applying it to live sites is at the upmost importance.

Updating to v4.15.x from v4.14.x

Pro The latestnewsenhanced plugins (datas sources such as Newsfeeds and information types) must be updated. Please download the latest compatible versions. If you have created your own plugins, you will need to update them (changes are needed in onLatestNewsEnhancedGetDetailData).

Updating to v4.14.x from v4.13.x

There is no change affecting outputs.

Updating to v4.13.x from v4.12.x

The major modifications you need to be aware of are:

• The module's pagination is now written in pure javascript. jQuery is no longer required but Internet Explorer 8 and 9 support has been dropped,
• A long time bug has been found when selecting articles with the pending date. The date used is now the publish_up date, not the publish_down. This will affect your outputs if you rely on the pending date,
• Pro Most layouts have been updated to support outputs when no Bootstrap is present, you may need to update template overrides if you need the new functionality.

Updating to v4.12.x from v4.11.x

Here are the changes you need to be aware of before updating:

• The selection of authors was incorrect for the K2 data source and it got fixed. If you have hand-picked the authors (you are not using the values 'all' or 'auto'), that selection will be lost. Make sure you take a note of the authors you had previously selected to re-select them after the update,
• Internet Explorer 8 support has been removed in stylesheets,
• The Original Modern theme's background color is no longer white by default. You can set that color in the theming tab,
• Pro The Overlap theme now takes the icons color specified in the theming tab. It is no longer white by default and you may have to reset that color as wanted,
• Pro To get the new features (authors index) and fixes, you will need to update your overrides (or make sure they are up-to-date), if you have any,
• Pro Update add-ons (the Boxed theme, the Newsfeeds datasource).

Updating to v4.11.x from v4.10.x

Pro The share layout lnep_detail_share has been upgraded and if you override it you will loose its output.

Updating to v4.10.x from v4.9.x

Pro To get the category description and/or image when grouping (using headings) by category, you will need to update your blog overrides, if you have any

Updating to v4.9.x from v4.8.x

To take advantage of the new features, you will need to review your template overrides, if you have any. Old overrides won't break, but information will be missing from the output in the module instances.

Pro You need to download and re-install, if you use them,

• the Extra Vote and My Details plugins,
• the Newsfeeds plugin,
• the Real Image Size and CSS Effect 1 styles

Updating to v4.8.x from v4.7.x

To take advantage of the new modals, you will need to review your template overrides (layouts excluded), if you have any.

Warning If your template is not based on Bootstrap, you will need to change the Bootstrap Compatibility mode from '2' to 'Joomla' (which is the new default) in the global configuration (and in your instances if you changed the values from 'global' to '2', '3' or '4'). This will ensure Bootstrap loads when needed.

Updating to v4.7.x from v4.6.x

Redundant code has been removed from the extension and to take advantage of the new functionality (such as Bootstrap compatibility), you need to update your template overrides of the module, the views and the layouts (content and pagination only). Note that your overrides should not 'break' until you update them. As usual, using a test site to check this new update is highly recommended.

Pro A Joomla 3.8+ version is now available with features and code updates that are not compatible with prior versions of Joomla. Depending on the Joomla version you are using, the proper version will be automatically installed (if you are using your download id). If you update manually, please make sure you download the right version!

Pro

Updating to v4.6.x from v4.5.x

Layouts are now placed in sub-folders to become visible and easily accessible in your template's overrides tab. You will need to move your overrides into identically named folders (your overrides won't be visible until you move them). For more information, check the layouts section in this documentation.

Warning You will get a warning in place of your module instance in case it is mis-configured (when using animations) and you set Show Errors to Yes.

Pro

Updating to v4.5.x from v4.4.x

If you want to take advantage of the new features for the blog views, make sure you update the blog view overrides, if you have any.

CSS overrides of blog views The items' markup has been modified to allow headings. Items are now enclosed in a <div>, were previously they were enclosed in a <li>. You will need to modify any CSS override from ul.latestnews-items to .latestnews-items and li.latestnews-item to .latestnews-item.

To adjust space between items, you can now use the parameter Space between from the Layout tab.

Behavior modification When 2 or more categories are selected, the option per category of the selection tab will show the total max of articles for those categories ONLY (the sub-category items are considered part of the top most parent category).

For instance, when showing 2 items max per category and selecting 3 categories, the max number of items that will show will be 2*3 = 6.

Starting with this version, you can now use the new download id that is associated with the extension. This will allow you to make one-click updates through the Joomla installer, without the need to download the updates manually.

Go to Extensions -> Plugins and select the Installer type.
Enter the download id (found on the site under 'My purchased licenses' once you are logged in) in the enabled Latest News Enhanced Pro installer plugin.

Pro

Updating to v4.4.x from v4.3.x

If you want to take advantage of the new features for the category index selection box, make sure you update the category index layout override, if you have any.

Updating to v4.3.x from v4.2.x

Mobile device detection has been improved and the module's mobile options are more accurate as a result.

Updating to v4.2.x from v4.0.x or v4.1.x

Read more link default label behavior has been simplified and is more logical.
Historically, the old behavior used to make sense when the option to show the read more link was bound to what value was set in the read more label. In newest versions, you need to specifically select read more to show the link or not, no matter the value for the read more label.

Old behavior

	title shows	title does not show
Read more label is set	read more label	read more label
Read more label is missing	X	X

New behavior

	title shows	title does not show
Read more label is set	read more label	read more label
Read more label is missing	full title	full title

Example when the link is the url A and the url A value is set

Old behavior

	url A label is set	url A label is missing
Read more label is set	url A label	read more label
Read more label is missing	url A label	X

New behavior

	url A label is set	url A label is missing
Read more label is set	read more label	read more label
Read more label is missing	url A label	full title

Migrating to v4.0.x from v3.1.x

This version, besides adding view capabilities, 'cleans up' a few areas of the module, introducing a few backward incompatibilities. Therefore you will need to proceed with caution and read the following recommendations BEFORE migrating for a smooth transition:

Before updating to v4.0.x

1 Pro Major Removed deprecated option for share icons

To avoid any issues, save your old module instances with use deprecated set to no for share icons and set the include values as desired (to replace the old way share icons were selected).

2 For each module instance, take notes of:

• Pro K2 is it using the K2 avatar as author?
• Pro is it using a calendar background image? If so, where is it located?
• is it showing a specific date format (Days Ago/Yesterday/Today, ...)? If so, which one?
• are the items linked? If so, on the title, as an appended link or as a read more link?
• are the item categories showing? If so, where (first, over the picture, before the title or last)? Are the categories linked?
• Pro are all individual items identical in structure (no leading items used) ?

After updating to v4.0.x

1 Pro Minor Calendar images are now found under images/calendars rather than images/lnee/calendars

When using a calendar background image located in the old directory, re-select it from the new one.
Once your configuration is ready, you can safely remove the old images/lnee/calendars directory.

2 Minor Thumbnail images are found under images/thumbnails/lnep for the views (Pro) and under images/thumbnails/lne for the module (rather than images/thumbnails/lnee)

You can safely remove the old images/thumbnails/lnee directory.

3 Pro Minor K2 Removed author selection

When selecting Author as additional head element, all available author types are now selectable directly from the list of head elements. If the author was the K2 avatar in your previous configuration, you need to select it from the list of head elements prior to saving the module instance to avoid loosing your previous configuration.

4 Major Removed date selection (Days Ago/Yesterday/Today, ...)

When selecting Date as information detail, all available date types are now selectable directly from that list of information details.

There won't be any backward compatibility issue until the module instance has been saved. If you save the module instance without re-selecting the values, the date that was formatted as (Days Ago/Yesterday/Today, ...) will revert to the date itself.

5 Major Linking additions and changes

Your configuration remains un-touched until the module instance is saved again, in which case you will have to have done the proper re-selections.

Do not forget to select Appended link if you had the link appended to the text in the previous configuration.

6 Major Category changes

Category selection remains the same but is more intuitive and allows for more configuration options. Your configuration remains un-touched until the module instance is saved again, in which case you will have to have re-selected the right options to get your previous configuration back.

Note If you did not show categories in the previous versions, the position will most likely default to last. Unset the value in order to keep categories hidden. You will also have to re-link the category if needed (link to).

7 Pro Major Leading items changes

There is an additional parameter that enables the leading items configuration. If you previously had leading items with full configuration and degraded (remaining) items without head, text and/or details, you need to set Use leading items to Yes. This has been done this way to reduce the confusion this feature generates.

8 Major Module templates have changed

Template overrides of the module should not break with the update but will not take advantage of the new feature set and improvements. Therefore, update your template overrides!

9 Pro Major Download and re-install styles (Boxed, Original Image) and data sources (Newsfeeds), compatible with v4.

Migrating to v3.1.x from v2.5.x

No backward compatibility issue except for the author field, which has been removed and replaced with a more advanced one. The new field defaults to 'all authors', therefore if you used the 'by me' or 'not by me' previous options, you will need to reset them.

Migrating to v2.5.x from v2.4.x

There are a few major differences in the modules (free and pro) since v2.4:

1 The first major change is the way information details classes are labelled. If you rely heavily on CSS to make changes to the standard output, you may need to make some modifications.

For instance:

<p class="details">
	<span class="detail detail_tags">
		<i class="SYWicon-tags"></i>
		<span class="news_tags">Tags : tag 1, tag 2, tag 3</span>
	</span>
</p>

is now:

<p class="details">
	<span class="detail detail_tags">
		<i class="SYWicon-tags"></i>
		<span class="detail_label">Tags : </span>
		<span class="detail_data">tag 1, tag 2, tag 3</span>
	</span>
</p>

There are a lot more options now to 'skin' the output and some of your CSS overrides may not be necessary anymore.

Pro You will loose icons between tags and between links a, b and c. They need to be re-set in the information tab.

2 The templates have been modified. Therefore, if you have module overrides, you will need to incorporate the updated code into your overrides. Modifications are mostly targeting the calendars' output.

3 Pro In order to get the latest changes to the additional Original image style, you will need to download and install it again.

4 Pro You need to re-select the share icons previously selected. The module is backward compatible with old values but that compatibility will be removed in the next major update.

5 The caching of stylesheets and scripts has gone through a total rewrite. It is no longer necessary to change file permission access on websites that have very tight security rules. If you have setup file permission access for the files of this module, you can now safely remove them from your server configuration.

You may still, however, run into access permissions under the new caching system. In that case, it is just a matter of granting access to (or white-list) the /cache folder created for the extension.

Free

Migrating to v2.x from v1.3.x

The new version is a complete rewrite, therefore, by updating to this version, you will loose some configuration settings.

Will be reset:

• ordering,
• show featured,
• post date,
• items width,
• link to article,
• head alignment (now body alignment),
• default picture (now separate image and calendar background),
• crop picture,
• calendar settings (all but time formatting),
• font reference,
• title html tag,
• letter count,
• information detail selection,
• date output,
• information detail placement,
• pagination (all but labels),
• ALL additional CSS styles
  (among other changes, .latestnewsenhanced_23 becomes #lnee_23)

Will be removed:

• first/last pagination,
• simple styling.

DO NOT UPDATE ON A PRODUCTION SITE. Test the migration first.

Follow these steps when updating:

1. [optional] Update the external library to the latest version if this has not been done previously,
2. Install Latest News Enhanced v2.x,
3. Open each module instance, check the parameters (reset the old ones and set the new ones) and SAVE,
4. [optional] Check additional CSS styling, most class names are different.

Pro

Migrating to v2.x from v1.5.x

Although the update is pretty straight forward, DO NOT UPDATE ON A PRODUCTION SITE. Test the migration first.

It takes a few steps to make sure the update goes smoothly.
Those steps need to be done in the following order:

1. [optional] Update the external library to the latest version if this has not been done previously,
2. Install Latest News Enhanced Pro v2.x,
3. [optional] Download and install the 'original image' style (if used originally - it is now offered as a separate download),
4. Open each module instance, check the parameters and SAVE (it is important to save each instance in order to get all the new parameter changes recorded).

Notes:

Checking the parameters is important in the previous steps.
For instance, ‘Original’ and ‘Bleed’ styles have been merged into one. The ‘Wrap’ option will need to be used in order to have the same effect as previously. The ‘Bleed’ option been removed, you will need to check the styles option and make sure the ‘Original’ option is setup instead.

The same goes for the calendars: the calendar styles ‘Original’ and ‘Original CSS3’ have been merged into one. Therefore, if your previous module instance used ‘Original CSS3’, you will need to revert it to ‘Original’. Outdated styles may also be missing. Calendar background images are now selectable from the ‘/images’ folder. You may have lost your previous background image.

The same goes for animations. If you used the outdated animations ‘simple slide’, ‘simple fade’ or any ‘slide’ configuration, you will need to select one of the new animations.

The ‘justpagination’ animation has been removed. To get the same results, set animations to ‘no’ and pagination to ‘yes’.

The CSS overrides need to be checked out as stylesheets prefixes .latestnewsenhancedextended_[module id] have been changed to #lnee_[module id]. To change styles for all instances on the same page, use ‘.lnee’.

Finally, check the temporary folder global settings of your Joomla configuration. If set improperly, the images won’t show. You may need to change the module’s advanced option setting ‘thumbnail cache path’ to ‘/images’.

The page loading may be slow at first. Once the configuration of each module has been finalized, cache the stylesheets and images from the module’s advanced options.