First of all, I am really really looking forward to K2 Version 3. It looks amazing and it has some really awesome features. Very big improvements and I cant wait. I have actually stopped my current project so I can wait for version 3 to come out and develop my site as soon as its released. I do have a few questions on this though:

1) I know its currently on Beta release. Based on the current status do you have a rough ETA on when the stable release might be out? I understand you cant know for sure since the RC isint out yet, but some idea on it will be really (hugely) helpful.

2) Is there going to be a lot of changes to the templates? I am assuming, we would need to update the older versions of sub-templates when version 3 is released, is that right?

3) How easy is the upgrade from version 2.6.x to version 3? Is there going to be a lot of database changes? Is it better to wait for version 3 if we havent installed the new site yet?

Hello and thank you for your kind words.
The ETA is late September, early October.

We are planning to include b/c for the templates so you can upgrade seamlessly.

The last one is completely up to you. It depends on your deadlines and whether you are using any other 3rd party K2 extensions. The update will be quite easy but I can guarantee anything about other K2 extensions.

You can give it a try and try to update a dev site of yours. github.com/joomlaworks/k2-v3-dev-build

It will give you an idea (and possibly provide some feedback) on working with an actual site.

PS. do NOT use it on a production site,

That is great Krikor. Thank you so much for your response...

I hope the version 3 is released soon. I know the ETA is not a guarantee since it depends on the bugs reported and time it takes to fix them, etc... But when it gets out, it will take K2 experience to the next level and I am eager to have it on my production site.

My deadline for my project is November. So I might get everything set up in the current K2 version and upgrade to version 3 since it appears to be an easy upgrade. Also this might be safer for me just incase if the release date was pushed further for unforeseen circumstances. I read the K2 blog news which said that you would be releasing a version 2.7.0 now which should have a lot of backend improvements with some elements of version 3. Do you have an ETA on that? Is the frontend editing responsive on that 2.7.0 version?

You 're right, up to this point nothing that major in terms of time has been reported.

The 2.7.0 version will be released in the coming weeks so I think you have chosen the right workflow.

Thanks again Krikor. You've been so helpful. :)

Is there a comprehensive list of features and changes coming up in Version 3 both front end and back end? I've only read bits and pieces here and there.

I would really love more sneak peeks so I know what changes I need to be prepared for. I check the blog here everyday. Would love to see some quick preview on front end changes, editing screen, comments improvements and any other awesome changes that are coming up. I just dont have the time yet to set up a beta in my locahost to test it around (time is our enemy). Just a 5 min video of the demo in your blog should be really good if one of yous ever get a spare time. No need to worry about commentaries or lousy techno music. I just want to see how much K2 has improved! :)

Thank you for your kind words and feedback.
Be sure to check for the updates. We will consider making this video since it sounds like a good idea.

Hi Krikor,

How have you been.

I havent really heard any updates on Version 3 since the beta annoucement from July in your blog. How far is the progress? How soon would the version 3 stable release be out? Any update plz...

Hello mate,
The date still stands. Late September, early October.

You can see all the features and bug killing in the Github page.

Thanks for that Krikor. Yeah, I always keep an eye on GitHub issues reported and I can see the active development there which is great. However, before the stable version is out, wouldn't you release a beta 2 or RC before that? or would the stable release will be out next without a need for RC?

I have just now finalized my k2 templates based on 2.6.8. If the v3 date still stands, then I am thinking I could probably start redoing this template for v3 using the beta version. :)

Are your templates based on a framework like Gantry or T3?
If yes you might have to do some testing, otherwise the frontend changes won't be so many.

It will even be easier. I would propose that you start one on your free time just to get the hang of it. The large difference is that you do not have to edit seperate files for the category/ user/ tag/ generic item. You only have to edit one file.

Hi Krikor.. First I was creating my template based on Gavern FW (Gavick). Later it felt like a bloat since it has too many css, scripts and other files that I dont need so I scratched that and I ended up completely writing my own template old school style with pure html/css/php without using any FW. Now my 2.6.8 k2 sub-templates are designed (css) and re-structured (html) to match my site theme. I only override 3 files now: category.php, category_item.php and item.php. I have created 3 different sub-templates (1 for each section in my site).

From what you are saying, it does seem like k2 templating has gone simpler. When I briefly had a look in github, I noticed that category_item.php is not there (probably merged with category.php) which is good. From one of your previous post I understand that the version 3 has backward compatibility so I am guessing my 2.6.8 template should work without much changes or overrides. The questions I still have in mind is:

1) Are there any api changes? For instance, I use a lot of php custom codes that fetches k2 extra fields like $this->item->extraFields->XYZ->value, etc.. and use the various k2 php codes like fetching hits, rating counts etc.. for schemas and other things. Have there been any changes to this? Would all of these still work in version 3 or do I need to reverify and check them for V3?

2) Have the css and html classes / IDs changed? When I created css overrides for k2 templates, I used the same css classes used in K2 such as catItemImageBlock, catItemImage, etc.. If the tags have been changed, removed or template layout changed, then I need to re-do them. How big of a change in there in the default html and css that was used in 2.6.8 to version 3? (I am mainly interested to know for category.php and item.php pages).

3) Lastly, do you have a list of code changes done to the k2 templates from 2.6.8 to V3? It will be useful if there is a documentation on code changes on templates if you have one already. If not I need to use Winmerge which can get annoying sometimes.

I am hoping to have some spare time in 2-3 of weeks once I finalize everything else on my site and I am thinking of exploring the version 3 then. Hopefully I will have a better idea on what I can expect by then.

1) They will work with K2 V3 out of the box.
Schemas and such code is front-end stuff that you do not need to change anything. They do not affect any PHP variables.

Since you are going commando I would also recommend writing your own css or striping down K2's css. If you want to use a stylesheet from a template I do not think that it will work since they tend to either simplify the structure or use their own classes that match their framework.

3) This will be done once the version is out. Backwards compatibility is also provided
(unless you are using a really, really outdated template) so things from 2.6.8 will not break.
Older file structure will not break your template in the 3.0 version.

In your position I would not worry too much since stuff that works on 2.6.8 will work on 3.0. Get acquainted with the new logic (which you already have pretty much) and give it a go.

Tip: If you are haven't overrides the login, profile views then remove profile.php and register.php from your overrides. That's two less files to check ;)

Sorry for the delay in my reply Krikor.

I love your idea of striping down K2's css. Although I did go commando on my main template, for K2 I was only overriding the css. But after your suggestion I had a look at k2.css and it does make sense to strip it down as well. This will prevent loading of unnecessary additional css that are not needed / used for my template. Also having my own css gives me full control over the sub-template and it could also make it a bit easier for V3 upgrade.

I am now going to go through the k2.css and use only the ones I want for my template.

Krikor, each time you replied I always learn something new. All of your tips and suggestions you have given me so far have helped me heaps with my project.Thanks for that. :)

You 're welcome :)

I 'm always happy to pass on my knowledge.

Krikor Boghossian wrote: Hello mate,
The date still stands. Late September, early October.

You can see all the features and bug killing in the Github page.

Its half way in October, there hasnt been any activity in Github in almost 2 weeks and there is still so much unfinished in version 3. My hopes for version 3 has gone down now. Unfortunately I cant wait any longer since it appears like version 3 is gonna take forever considering the really slow progress in it.. :(