Contao 5.6.0 released

Modern page layouts based on Twig

You could already use Twig templates in Contao 4.13. With the update to Contao 5.0, all content elements were converted to Twig. Contao 5.6 continues this path consistently and offers a new Twig page layout for the first time.

You can now use the new Twig layout with slots in parallel to the previous HTML5 page layout (fe_page). In any case, the old HTML5 page layout is still available for all Contao 5 Minor versions.

At first glance, it is noticeable that after activating the Twig page layout, almost all previous settings in the layout disappear. In future, the entire configuration will take place in the template. This is more flexible and therefore more future-proof and also allows among other things versioning of templates with VCS such as git and co. It is best to use the new Template Studio for this.

In the template layout/default itself, you use {% slot %} to define the individual sections to which articles or content elements can then be added. This means that you can only select the slots that the template actually provides. Stylesheets, JavaScript files and other assets can also be added directly via the Twig template and corresponding Twig functions.

Add content elements directly in the layout

You can now manage content elements directly in the theme and integrate them into the various layout areas or slots.

You can also enter an optional title for each content element. This is only used for clarity in the back end and is not displayed in the front end.

This feature does not sound spectacular at first glance, but it forms the technical and conceptual basis for the planned elimination of the previous front end modules. You can find out why front end modules are to be removed in Yanick's review of the developer meeting.

Job framework

A new framework has been created for the management and display of jobs. This allows you to better understand processes that happen in the background (such as rebuilding the search index) and to view errors or progress of these processes directly in the back end in the future.

The new architecture is flexible and independent of Symfony Messenger, so that different types of jobs are supported.

The new job display in the back end currently contains only a few entries, but this will change in the future. It is an important basis for a feature with great potential - not only for the core but also for all Contao extensions.

Passkeys in the front end

Contao 5.5 introduced passkeys for the back end. Now this function is also available in the front end.

In view of the replacement of the front end modules, the function has already been implemented as a pure content element. To use passkeys, there are the new content elements of the type "Login form" and "Manage passkeys".

Search indexer independent of the robots tag

In the page settings, you can now specify whether the search indexer should always or never index a page, regardless of the meta robots tag. Previously, you could already exclude a page from the Contao search, but release it for public search engines. Now the reverse is also possible!

Page type for calendar feeds

Similar to the page type for news feeds, there is now also a page type for calendar feeds. This means that you no longer have to configure the feed via the events archive, but can use your own page type. Existing feeds are migrated automatically.

Save form entries in session only if required

In Contao, form data was previously always stored in the session for a short time, for example to access the entered data using the {{form_session_data::*}} insert tag.

The problem: Even if this access was not required, the data was still stored in the session and a CSRF cookie was created, which deactivated the HTTP cache for a short time.

A new setting in the forms now ensures that data is only saved when it is really required. This means that in many cases you can completely dispense with a session and therefore the CSRF cookie in the front end.

The option is automatically activated for all existing forms to ensure backwards compatibility.

Accessibility

Contao 5.6 also includes numerous optimizations in terms of accessibility.

Jump to content

To simplify keyboard navigation, there is now also a "Jump to content" link in the source code of the back end.

Help texts for form fields

You can now add a help text to the form fields, which is displayed below the respective field in the form.

Accessible navigation

Contao now offers a new standardized, accessible navigation template - including ARIA support, keyboard navigation, mobile version and status display.

To use the navigation, use the new template (mod_navigation_accessibility). And best of all: it comes with the necessary JavaScript and CSS base.

You can adapt the design individually to your needs using CSS. This new template therefore provides the ultimate complete solution for modern, accessible navigation!

User experience (UX)

To make working with Contao easier, various small and large improvements have also been integrated here.

Improvements to the context menu

The context menu was introduced in Contao 5.5. Thanks to a lot of feedback, the menu has been significantly improved. In particular, the clarity has been optimized through clearer label names and a visual separator.

In addition, the menu is now also available for global operations. This means that the most important functions are immediately visible, while the rest is only displayed after clicking on the three dots. The context menu alone makes it worth taking a look at the Contao 5.6 back end.

Copy to clipboard

If you use the "Copy to clipboard" function, you will now receive visual feedback. You can see this live in the preview links, for example.

Jump targets for "edit multiple"

You are already familiar with the jump bar when editing content. Now it has also been implemented for the "Edit multiple" function. This allows you to quickly and easily jump to a specific data record.

Example: You are editing the metadata of several pages and can jump directly to the position of the corresponding page by clicking on it.

Overwrite metadata

Sometimes it is helpful to remove metadata that has been set via the file manager. You can now use the new insert tag {{empty}} for this.

Many further improvements

Two-factor authentication: There is now an "Edit" button that can be used to display the setup information again. This allows users to add additional 2FA apps at any time without having to remove the existing protection.

ISO-3166-2: Contao now supports regional country codes such as AT-9 for Vienna, which allows for more precise geodata.

Select backup: Backups can now be selected directly and interactively in the backup:restore command.

New registrations: The confirmation period for new users has been extended from 24 hours to 14 days (336 hours) and is now flexibly configurable.

# config/config.yaml
contao:
    registration:
        # The number of days after which unconfirmed registrations expire.
        expiration: 16

Developer features

Of course, there are new functions and improvements here too.

#[AsMessage]: The new attribute replaces the previous messenger priority interfaces and simplifies message handling.

Palette-Helper: The new class makes it easier to edit palettes and allows you to check whether certain fields exist, for example.

HtmlHeadBag shortcut: In the AbstractController, the method getHtmlHeadBag() is now available to access the head area more easily.

Contao date formats in Twig: Contao date formats can now be used directly and globally in Twig templates.

As always, you can find details in the changelog.

The tip of the iceberg

In addition to the features already mentioned, a lot was also done behind the scenes, which is not immediately visible, but nevertheless required a lot of time and dedication. The conversion to PHPUnit 11 alone kept several developers busy for almost the entire developer meeting.

Only through this additional effort can the code base and the future of Contao be secured.

In addition to the implementation of the new features, I would also like to point out the great manual, which has already documented many of the new functions.

Therefore the request: Join in and support Contao - be it through social media posts, blog posts or financial support.

The new LTS version is coming soon!

After the release is before the release. Contao 5.6 is the last version before the next LTS version Contao 5.7. It is therefore worth checking and testing Contao 5.6 in detail in order to optimally prepare for Contao 5.7 or to submit one or two improvement requests on GitHub.

The official release article on contao.org is also worth reading and the Contao Academy YouTube video is well worth watching.