b13 Blog

Sharing what we've learned while delivering client projects online for more than 20 years and being leading contributors to TYPO3 is part of who we are.

We choose widely-adopted open-source technologies because we can fix, extend, and improve them while building on the experience and support of thousands of our peers. In our blog, we share with you the knowledge we've gained along the way for you to build on.

Read on!

Categories TYPO3
ContainerSolrSEOPerformanceCTypeCore-DevelopmentFormsTYPO3 v11Open SourceUX/UI-DesignProject Management TYPO3 TYPO3 v12WorkspacesCacheTYPO3v10Tool-TipDDEVLocalizationSecurity
Image for Article A Core Web Vitals Primer for TYPO3 Users

A Core Web Vitals Primer for TYPO3 Users

|Franzi Töpler

The Core Web Vitals are the go-to metrics for determining if a web page responds to user interaction swiftly and without disruptions. TYPO3 admins and developers need to know how these metrics work.

Image for Article Introduction to Content-Security-Policy (CSP)

Introduction to Content-Security-Policy (CSP)

|Benni Mack

Find out how Content Security Policy can protect your websites from malicious attacks. Cross-Site Scripting exploits vulnerabilities in CMS architecture—but with the right security policy, you can keep your websites safe.

Image for Article New TCA Types in TYPO3 v12

New TCA Types in TYPO3 v12

|Benni Mack

Unlock TYPO3 v12's enhanced TCA types. Improvements to the Table Configuration Array introduce streamlined code and simply work for integrators and extension authors.

Image for Article What enterprises should expect when they partner with a new agency

What enterprises should expect when they partner with a new agency

|David Steeb

Choosing an agency is difficult, but once you’ve gone through your project’s concept document, and gained an understanding of your agency’s technical expertise and proposals, the process becomes more straightforward. At that point, you’ve kicked off your partnership and are looking forward to shared success. Before getting too deep into the details, however, you should have a work plan for what gets tackled first. And while it's natural to get caught up in the excitement of a new project, a thorough agency will take care of the basics first: important housework tends to be critical to the success of any project.

Image for Article Choose the right technology for your enterprise

Choose the right technology for your enterprise

|David Steeb

Whether you’re launching a brand new project or upgrading your decades-old multisite website, you need to make sure your agency fully understands your project goals and your current suite of technology. In our recent post, “How we kick off TYPO3 projects for enterprises,” we explained why you should expect a Concept Document before your agency begins writing a single line of code. But say your agency has come to you with a set of suggestions for your CMS, integrations, and extensions—at that point, an obvious question comes up: how do I know that this is the right technology?

Image for Article TYPO3, a CMS without borders

TYPO3, a CMS without borders

|Benni Mack

TYPO3 is an open source CMS used widely across Europe, but it is still surprisingly little known in some regions. Built for international, multiregional, distributed, and multilingual organizations, TYPO3 is an accessible CMS for users around the world. In this article, we’ll walk you through the strengths of this CMS and why you should consider it alongside other popular solutions like Sitecore, Drupal, and WordPress.

Image for Article How to Involve Multiple Teams in TYPO3 Projects Efficiently

How to Involve Multiple Teams in TYPO3 Projects Efficiently

|David Steeb

While external teams will upgrade your ability to make updates and extend functionality for your customers, integrating them effectively is a challenge because code can quickly become opaque, buggy, and brittle. Our standard processes leverage automation, version control tools, virtualization, and standardized best practices to make sure everyone not only tugs on the same rope, but – crucially – in the same direction.

Image for Article Future-proof your website to stay competitive for the long haul

Future-proof your website to stay competitive for the long haul

|Desirée Lochner

In an ever-evolving technological landscape, keeping your brand and technology up-to-date and competitive can feel like a full-time job. Whether you’re working on a website relaunch, a brand refresh, or a system-wide version update, it’s going to be time-consuming and expensive, not to mention repetitive. When your focus turns instead to future-proofing your website, you ensure your design and technology are ready for anything, now and for the long-term.

Image for Article Why choose On-Prem over SaaS for your CMS?

Why choose On-Prem over SaaS for your CMS?

|David Steeb

Enterprises now have many software delivery channel options to choose from. With software-as-a-service (SaaS) and cloud-based implementation models on the rise, you might be trying to figure out the best software delivery channel to support your enterprise’s digital strategy. If you don’t have an internal IT department, SaaS can be tempting, but when you also have stringent data compliance needs, an on-premises (or on-prem for short) solution is your best bet.

Image for Article Simplify your page configuration with our extension

Simplify your page configuration with our extension

|David Steeb

TYPO3’s separation of content and code is one of its major strengths. TYPO3 saves content in containers called content elements, which you can stack in content areas on a page record to create pages. The different parts of this highly configurable setup include “page types” (defined by the “doktype” field value in the pages database table record), a “backend layout” configuration, and possibly a third, separate “frontend layout” configuration value. We combine these components in various ways to enable different scenarios and desired outcomes.

Image for Article New TCA types in TYPO3 version 11

New TCA types in TYPO3 version 11

|Oliver Bartsch

In previous installments of our TYPO3 v11 series, we covered some of the great UX improvements that are making editors' lives easier. In this final post of the series, we’ve got something special for all the developers and site administrators: new TCA types. Using these dedicated types will reduce and simplify the TCA configuration required for special fields. They also allow auto-configuration and auto-creation of database fields.

Image for Article Level up your TYPO3 forms with custom extensions and flexible finishers

Level up your TYPO3 forms with custom extensions and flexible finishers

|Michael Semle

TYPO3’s “Form” system extension is a flexible framework that can handle many configurations, templates, and use cases. While TYPO3 makes it easy to create forms on the fly, your business may have more complex needs that require backend adjustments. Rather than seeking tech help for every minor change, your company might benefit from a custom extension or flexible finisher that makes forms more self-serviceable for marketers. At b13, we love to help our clients get more flexibility out of TYPO3 Forms with custom solutions for specific business needs.

Image for Article Make more cost-effective decisions for your CMS

Make more cost-effective decisions for your CMS

|David Steeb

At b13, we’re often approached by CMOs and CEOs disgruntled by escalating costs. What seems like a relatively “cheap” CMS or software solution can often come with hidden or long-term expenses—like multiple relaunches, jumps in licensing fees, or pricey additions. As an agency committed to free and open source software like TYPO3, we’re dedicated to helping companies make forward-thinking decisions for their content strategy. In the process, we’ve identified some best practices for making smart, cost-effective decisions for your CMS.

Image for Article More efficient menus for TYPO3

More efficient menus for TYPO3

|Benni Mack

Before you buy more server space to speed up a slow-loading TYPO3 site, there might be another solution. Transitioning from TYPO3’s native menu to b13’s menus extension can significantly improve your site’s loading speed and allow more simultaneous users, while reducing the load on your servers.

Image for Article Consistent UX makes selecting items more intuitive

Consistent UX makes selecting items more intuitive

|Benni Mack

Previously in this series, we covered the improvements TYPO3 v11 brought to the Page Tree in the post, Resizable Navigation Area in TYPO3. There is one feature in particular that deserves its own shiny spot in our list of new features in TYPO3 v11, and that is the tree functionality within the Element Browser and the Link Picker.

Image for Article Workspaces Improvements

Workspaces Improvements

|Benni Mack

One of TYPO3's powerful features for content publishing is Workspaces - creating and staging in a draft environment before publishing content. TYPO3 v11 adds a few important touches to this functionality, making it even more powerful - for both developers and editors.

Image for Article Keyboard Navigation for Module Menu & Context Menu

Keyboard Navigation for Module Menu & Context Menu

|Oliver Bartsch

TYPO3 version 11 supports keyboard navigation as suggested by the ARIA Authoring Practices. Users don’t need a mouse to navigate menus, trees, and to select multiple records. This work flows through to benefit all backend users, whether they’re solely relying on the keyboard, a screen reader or other assistive technologies.

How we kick off TYPO3 projects for enterprises

|David Steeb, David Steeb

Whether you need to upgrade your TYPO3 version, relaunch a website, or build new enterprise functionalities, your choice of digital agency can make or break the project. It can be challenging to know which agency is right for the project and whether their capabilities match your objectives. As you begin a new project, you should have a conversation with your potential agency to make sure they have a deep understanding of your requirements, existing systems, and objectives.

Image for Article Powerful Content Staging in TYPO3 with Workspaces

Powerful Content Staging in TYPO3 with Workspaces

|David Steeb

If you need to publish or update content in multiple languages at the same time, or involve others to sign off or edit content before publishing, then content staging is the solution you’re looking for. Did you know TYPO3 solves this out of the box with the Workspaces module?

Image for Article How CDNs and TYPO3 offer Superior Speed, Uptime, and User Experience

How CDNs and TYPO3 offer Superior Speed, Uptime, and User Experience

|Benni Mack

Today’s world is global, and content distribution networks (CDNs) bring content closer to users around the world for lightning-fast performance wherever they are. TYPO3 is ideally adapted to modern CDN technology, reducing the load on your server, and even taking caching off your to-do list!

Image for Article Caching in TYPO3—Part 2

Caching in TYPO3—Part 2

|Benni Mack

Dive deep into how TYPO3 is caching variants of a page and how to improve caching - but also how you can leverage TYPO3’s Site Handling into speaking URLs.

Image for Article Caching in TYPO3—Part 1

Caching in TYPO3—Part 1

|Benni Mack

Our TYPO3 caching blog series is ideal for developers familiar with TYPO3 who want to fully understand the core concepts and build robust and faster websites with TYPO3.