Isotope for Contao 5

The next version of Isotope eCommerce will run with Contao 5. Specifically: only with Contao 5.3+. This requires many adjustments, because some of Isotope's code is now almost 15 years old! Software ages because its environment changes, so it has a limited lifespan. Countless hours have been invested in functions and further development. Now we need your help to make Isotope fit for the years to come.

We are fortunate that Contao places great emphasis on backwards compatibility for developers (SemVer). It allows us to become compatible with Contao 5 without starting from scratch. However, if we only establish compatibility, we still have 15-year-old code in the system. Code that is a burden, that slows down further development and that we want to get rid of.


Committed to date: € 30.050.–

The speedometer symbolises these development steps. The grey area represents the minimum required to ensure compatibility. Without this work, Isotope will not work with Contao 5. We estimate that this will take 30 days of work, or around €30,000 in total.

Anything beyond the minimum will be invested into modernisation of Isotope. The more ballast we get rid of, the easier maintenance and development will be in the future.

The more funds we get - the more time you buy us - the better Isotope will be equipped for the future.

The core modules

The rules (rules & vouchers) and reports (analyses & statistics) modules have been part of Isotope for a long time. To stay within budget, we could remove individual functions. We would much rather revise them as well.

The price rules in particular will be heavily affected by changes to the interfaces, as they intervene in the price calculation deep within the system. If your shop relies on them, you can support their further development.

Payment methods

In the future, payment methods will no longer be part of the standard package of Isotope. They require separate maintenance, today often have dependencies on API libraries and benefit from a separate development cycle.

With enough funding, we can continue to provide them for free. Or we could sell them, as we already do a few of them. Feel free to get in touch if you want to support the free development of a particular payment method and we'll add it to our list.

 

Procedure for updating

Updating to Contao 5 is no easy task, we are well aware of that. And then a shop system... how is that supposed to go well? The good news is: the data structure of Isotope will not change significantly. We are not reinventing the wheel, no migration tool or similar is required. Interfaces will change, so extensions will have to be adapted. Templates will also be adapted to Contao 5, for example by removing the first/last classes.

An update to Contao 5 with Isotope should be no different than an update without Isotope. You will have to check if extensions are compatible and you will have to adapt your CSS and/or templates. You almost always have to do both for Contao 5. How to to update Contao 5 is best explained in the blog post from trakked.io.

 

It's your turn now!

In conversations, by e-mail, at Contao events and in the forum, the Contao community has repeatedly expressed that it wants to support the further development of Isotope. That a future-proof shop system for Contao is needed. We are ready to provide it.

We, that is the Isotope eCommerce team, legally represented by terminal42 gmbh. We are Contao enthusiasts, part of the Contao team for years and developers of dozens of free extensions. We stand with our name for the further development for which we need your help.

We are aware that large sums of money are not easy to spend, especially for smaller agencies. Or that it can be difficult to explain to your boss why you want to pay for free software. Because the term free software (open source) is sometimes misleading - it is primarily a reference to a lack of constraint ("libre") rather than a lack of cost ("gratis") ;-)

We need a different way of thinking. Your customers earn money with the shop, they have to pay for the costs of the system. Our fundraising is similar to a licence fee, but we do not specify a fixed amount. Your contribution should depend on which projects you are managing or building. If you build a new shop or sell an update to Contao 5, include a sum for the further development of Isotope. Of course you can fill out the form more than once, but it is even better if you can estimate your projects accordingly to help us plan ahead.

Your commitment
Invoicing

You will receive an invoice from terminal42 gmbh for the amount of € 500.– (1 installation(s) at € 500.–). For Switzerland an additional 8.1% VAT is due, invoices to companies abroad are issued without VAT (according to the reverse charge procedure).

Acknowledgement

For amounts of €500 or more, we will be happy to list you as a supporter and mention you/your company on our social media channels.

Pilot projects
What is the sum of 9 and 1?

 

What's the next step?

The sooner the necessary funds are raised, the sooner we can start work. If we do not reach the minimum amount by the end of November 2024, we will consider - in consultation with you - extending the fundraising or repaying the money we have already received. The future of Isotope would then remain uncertain.

If you have any questions about fundraising, please feel free to contact us.

 

Our supporters

Many thanks to the supporters of the current fundraising programme. Without you, further development would not be possible!
In alphabetical order:

We would also like to thank the members of the Isotope Circle, who support the maintenance of Isotope every year with their contribution.