Søren Kottal discusses extending Umbraco's Welcome dashboard instead of removing it, allowing for customized content relevant to clients. By implementing the INewsDashboardService interface, developers can populate the dashboard with project updates, onboarding instructions, and other essential information, enhancing the user experience within the CMS.
Aditya Bhatti describes the development of the AI Content Helper, a custom App Plugin for Umbraco 17 that integrates Google Gemini AI to generate content directly from the Umbraco dashboard. The plugin allows editors to create page summaries, meta descriptions, and more, enhancing workflow efficiency with a simple backend integration.
Joe Glombek discusses the significance of editor experience in the new Umbraco backoffice, highlighting innovations like block label templates and Umbraco Flavored Markdown (UFM). He explains UFM components, expressions, and filters, emphasizing their role in enhancing label clarity while addressing the transition from AngularJS and the need for custom extensions.
Joe Glombek discusses implementing a feature in Umbraco 17 to prevent the deletion of specific document types by using custom entity signs. The LockedDocumentFlagProvider class adds flags to locked documents, while the LockedDocumentComposer registers this functionality. This allows users to see locked status in the backoffice before attempting deletions.
Joe Glombek discusses how to integrate blocks into the Rich Text Editor (RTE) in Umbraco, replacing macros. Users can create "element" document types, add a Block button to the RTE toolbar, and configure settings for rendering. An example demonstrates rendering a phone number block with custom logic.
Joe Glombek discusses configuring custom backoffice block views in Umbraco using an extension. He provides an example of creating a hidden block indicator, detailing the registration of the extension and the creation of a custom element. The implementation allows for automatic display of a hidden state in block lists.
SlimConnect integrates SlimPim (Product Information Management) with Umbraco CMS
Niels Lyngsø discusses the Context API in Umbraco, illustrating how it facilitates seamless communication within the Backoffice UI. By using a restaurant metaphor, he explains Contexts as communication scopes for Extensions. The article provides examples of integrating logic and customizing workspaces, emphasizing the importance of scope in implementing functionality.
Joe Glombek discusses changes in the "read more" functionality in Umbraco versions 9-13, where descriptions below a horizontal rule no longer render as a "Read More" link. Instead, the native HTML `<details>` element can be used to recreate this feature, allowing for rich, intuitive property descriptions incorporating markdown and UUI web components.
Luuk Peters discusses misconceptions among developers regarding the need for extensive scaffolding to extend the Umbraco "Bellissima" backoffice. He emphasizes that while Umbraco uses Lit, Vite, and TypeScript, developers can utilize plain JavaScript without a build pipeline. Understanding the architecture's flexibility can simplify the extension process.
Andy Butland discusses the release candidate of Umbraco 17, highlighting key updates and improvements, including .NET 10 compatibility, load balancing for the backoffice, consistent date handling, and enhanced user experience features. He encourages users to test the release candidate and report any issues for further refinement.
Umbraco CMS 16+ allows users to extend the backoffice using TypeScript. Richard Soeteman demonstrates creating a JSON content viewer Workspace View for Admin users, enabling easy access to document JSON. By consuming UMB_DOCUMENT_WORKSPACE_CONTEXT and configuring a manifest file, the JSON viewer is restricted to Admins in the content section.
Umbraco 17 has launched its Beta version, introducing a clearer pre-release process. This update features a new backoffice architecture, improved extensibility, and modern technology, transitioning from AngularJS to Web Components. The upgrade from Umbraco 13 to 17 is significant but manageable, ensuring a stable, future-proof platform for developers and users.
Umbraco 14 has removed the backoffice tours feature that was present in Umbraco 13, which introduced users to CMS functionalities. Although there were intentions to re-implement this feature in future versions, AndyButland states that efforts will focus on enhancing documentation and video resources instead, as custom tours were not widely adopted.
Featuring guest posts by Emma Garland on "Are You Still Thinking?" and Andy Butland on "Client Side Backoffice Extensions With Server Data"
2025-10-08 from 18:00 to 20:00 (Australia/Brisbane) - Zeroseven, 340 Adelaide St, Brisbane City, AU
The upcoming Umbraco 17 introduces significant changes, notably replacing AngularJS with modern web technologies like Web Components. This transition affects custom backoffice extensions, requiring some to be rewritten. However, simpler extensions can be repackaged with minimal effort. Kenn Jacobsen provides guidance on adapting property editors for the new architecture.
2025-10-08 from 18:00 to 20:00 (Australia/Brisbane) - Zeroseven, 340 Adelaide St, Brisbane City, AU