The goal of the private beta is to gather feedback from real users and efficiently fix bugs before the public beta is released. The current version is not yet intended for use in live stores. However, it’s already an excellent way to familiarize yourself with the new system and, in particular, to work with the Twig templates.

Anyone familiar with Isotope will have no trouble getting along with the new version. The principles — especially the backend operation — have largely remained the same. The changes relevant to user operation relate to the new features in Contao. In Isotope for Contao 5, there are frontend modules anymore, just content elements. All templates are written in Twig. If the new version is installed in an existing system, the modules will be automatically converted wherever possible.

As of now, not all features that Isotope previously had are included. Some were deliberately omitted because they are outdated. Others are not yet available, as their implementation requires additional development effort. Whether and when these features will return ultimately depends on community demand and the resources available for this purpose. Here is an overview:

Already available:

• Products, Variants, List, Reader
• Product filters, Category filters
• Product types, standard attribute types (Text, Select, Checkbox, etc.)
• Tax calculation, image galleries, store configuration, etc.
• Rules (new)
• Shopping cart, checkout, order process
• Cash on delivery/invoice and PayPal Standard payment
• Notifications via Notification Center
• Downloads (basic, upon request)
• Twig Templates & Template Studio Support

Currently not available:

• Cumulative filter, range filter
• Gift certificates / coupon codes, discounts based on rules
• Documents (PDFs)
• All other payment methods
• Reports / Statistics
• Wish lists, Favorites
• Special attributes (File Tree, etc.)
• JSON-LD / Schema data
• probably a few more things I’ve forgotten ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

In the blog post from last November, I wrote about how Isotope is being developed for Contao 5. Of the ~300 hours that were funded, we’ve currently spent about 650 hours. As you can see, the numbers don’t quite add up, which is why we had hoped to raise more than the current amount in our fundraising campaign. It is still possible to contribute (and then test the private beta as well). Regardless, we’re committed to making the new version freely available in the near future and implementing additional features based on the community’s needs and/or with separate cost-sharing.

Following the feedback (and bug fixes) from the private beta, a public beta will be next. Anyone will then be able to install it for free—as promised, and of course it will be open source and freely available.