TYPO3 version 13 LTS is here! Many extensions, new functions and modern technologies under the hood make this version another very worthwhile TYPO3 release. As a Long-Term Support (LTS) release, this version will be maintained by the TYPO3 community for at least three years. In the following, we would like to show a few of the highlights of the new functions that are most relevant for users and editors.
When you log into the backend of TYPO3 v13 LTS for the first time, you will notice the modern, updated look and feel.
The underlying styles have been revised and the layout elements optimized to provide an even clearer user experience. As a result, the backend interface has not only become more intuitive, but also complies with European Union (EU) accessibility guidelines.
The usability (UX) improvements also include support for color schemes, which is a crucial factor for accessibility.
Also known as Dark Mode, this display option offers both a functional and aesthetic improvement. It can improve comfort when focusing on text-heavy applications or websites, prevent eye strain and fatigue, and provide a more pleasant visual experience overall.
From a technical perspective, Dark Mode can reduce power consumption and extend battery life, making it an energy-efficient choice for certain screen types.
The page/file tree in the TYPO3 backend is an essential component for backend users. It provides a visual representation of the website structure (known as the page tree) and the store contents (known as the file list).
A highly modernized page tree has been introduced, based on contemporary web standards, resulting in a streamlined and user-friendly experience. Key changes include native drag & drop, improved API endpoints, improved virtual scrolling and much more.
The page/file tree also supports light/dark mode and right-to-left writing direction.
It has always been one of our main goals to make the TYPO3 user interface accessible to as many users as possible. This goal is reflected in the standard support of more than 60 backend languages, allowing TYPO3 to serve a global user base. The CMS is often used by international organizations and in the public sector, where local regulations and legal requirements - especially in terms of accessibility and language support - play an important role.
In addition to languages, different writing systems are also an important factor in the development of localizable user interfaces. The TYPO3 backend now supports right-to-left text direction (RTL). This feature has a significant impact on the layout and affects various areas of the TYPO3 backend, including tables, content areas, page/file tree and menus.
The CMS search functionality has been significantly improved to optimize the workflow in the TYPO3 backend. To ensure comprehensive search results, the improved functionality now searches pages, page content, database entries, backend modules and workspaces. To use this function, click on the magnifying glass in the header or press Ctrl/Cmd+K to open the search window. The system respects the access authorizations and delivers relevant results immediately.
The form manager, which is part of the form framework in the backend, also has a new search function. This is particularly useful for TYPO3 installations with many form definitions. Enter a search term such as "contact" in the input field at the top of the page, press enter and TYPO3 will filter the list based on your keyword.
One function that simplifies and optimizes the backend workflow for editors is the ability to edit/update multiple data records in the TYPO3 backend in a single operation. Typical examples are page properties or the metadata of uploaded files.
Let's assume you want to update the author's name for several pages. Open the parent page under Web → List and select the relevant columns you want to work with by clicking the Show columns button. Now select the pages you want to edit and click on the new Edit columns button. It has the same functionality as the Edit button, but only shows the columns that are currently active. This function in combination with the column selector drastically improves work efficiency. TYPO3 limits the view to the field you have activated and you are not distracted by fields you do not want to update.
The same function is also available in the backend module File → File list. The corresponding button in this module is labeled "Edit specific metadata".
The Web → List backend module has received another small but practical change. With the modal window for data export, you can download data from almost any database table in different formats.
If you regularly need to export certain data, you'll love the new option to use download presets. For example, you can define a preset to export a frontend user list that includes the username, real name, email address and last login. Once selected, the download will only contain these fields.
A practical use case for this feature is a monthly report on the users with the date they last logged in. Thanks to the default settings, you no longer have to manually configure the required fields for each data export, reducing repetitive tasks and simplifying your daily work.
You can now highlight and annotate specific pages with custom labels and color codes. This improvement makes managing and organizing the page tree more efficient than ever before.
A typical practical use case for these features could be highlighting pages that have been recently modified by other backend users. Another example is icons in the page tree that visualize a campaign or event.
The TYPO3 13 system now also supports the modern image formats WebP and AVIF out of the box. In addition to the new formats, TYPO3 natively supports the cropping of SVG images via the built-in backend image editing system or Fluid's Image-ViewHelper or UriImage-ViewHelper (their "crop" attribute). Processed images are saved as SVG instead of rasterized PNG/JPG images.
TYPO3 integrators and system administrators can check whether the underlying system supports the new image formats under Admin Tools → Environment and System → Reports.
The TYPO3 dashboard in TYPO3 v13 LTS has a number of new dashboard widgets. The widgets provide an insight into the current status of your system and the notes created in the backend. Backend users with the appropriate permissions can add a dashboard that shows an overview of the system notes, clearly organized by categories such as Instructions, Notes, ToDos, etc.
The new widgets for system notes are not the only improvement in this area. Editors often want to know which pages have been updated recently. TYPO3 now offers a dashboard widget that lists the most recently updated pages.
These are just a few of the many new features in this new version. All other changes can of course be found in the detailed release article on typo3.org.
We have already updated our own website to TYPO3 13. Especially in the last few weeks, many popular extension modules have been released with a new version for TYPO3 13, which means that in most cases there is no longer a technical obstacle to updating.
Interested in a TYPO3 version 13 update?
