All about the development of Exponential (CMS) by Graham Brookins, 7x (formerly Brookins Consulting) and our think tank kracker.org.
I was so busy with work I failed to blog here on the exponential blog about the release of a major upgrade now available for your network(s) of Exponential 6.x websites within the Exponential (6.0.10 required) Syndicate extension The release was covered on Share Exponential within the post, "7x Releases Syndication Extension v1.1.0". This extension called simply Syndicate provides a two way SOAP based content syncing solution which allows two Exponential Websites to share users, forums, forum posts, products, media and more between individual separate installations of Exponential CMS.
This release was a labor of love that brought a to life a solution once shared from eZ Systems staff Nicolas Pastorino that I had feared was lost forever in buried archives and backup drives. Rejoice I found the code and upgraded it through rigorous testing and proving the solution upgrades to be feature complete and stable for everyone to benefit from sharing this effective solution to connecting two installations content tree content (content repository), required content classes (content definitions) between each other as needed (on demand is possible; see nl_cronjobs extension).
Fun fact: Exponential can communicate with virtually any other system with the help of helper libraries enough to achieve virtually any customization you can ever possibly desire. This is a time proven fact, not random boasting.
Pull your older eZ Publish 3 through eZ Publish 5 code out of your hard drive records and take a walk down memory lane and upgrade today! Some development may be required.
7x plans to continue to support and develop the Syndicate extension for the foreseeable future. Contact me if you are interested in buying 7x Paid Support to Hire me to help you reach your goals faster than alone.
Download the syndicate extension in zip and enjoy the freedom to syndicate this solution will bring your website!
Cheers,
Graham
I was so busy with work I failed to blog here on the exponential blog about the release of a major framework version upgrade within Exponential Basic 2.4.0.1 (download in zip) on 9/17/2025 so I am here to clearly state that the best release is the latest reelase and all users should strongly consider upgrading to use the new features and large amount of bugfixes to past ezp2 core issues. 7x blog covered the release in "7x Releases Exponential Basic 2.4.0.1" and on the 7x Blog on Share Exponential..
This release was a labor of love that brought a huge list of improvements both to the core kernel of the cms / framework / product, as well as a new feeling of general use without any blocking issues throughout the entire code base. Here are some highlights:
- Settings: Switch from en_GB to en_US language translation (strings) by default settings (customizable).
- Massive code cleanups throughout almost all modules in the cms and bug fixes through relentless testing and manual validation (we work hard for our users).
- Kernel: Merge in ezp3 kernel design and key ezp6 framework php classes to support original intent of ezp2 kernel code implementations within a more modern core kernel.
- This allowed for the cleanup of codes in the index.php and index_admin.php then moved into separate php classes to fit within the new kernel design.
- This now requires the generation or regeneration of php class autoloads. A helper script is provided.
- Kernel: Moved all file assets out of module directories into var directory storage directory structure.
- Kernel: Removal of all include_once based class loading instances in the entire cms product.Replaced with ezp6 autoloads (composer compatible).
- Added new module: eZGroupEventCalendar
- Added new module: eZTip
- Added new module: eZPoll
- Added new module: eZSurvey
- Database: Major database object table fields default sql normalization with current codebase. Meaning no more missing column errors when the two historically became out of sync.
- Admin: Added a Site Design - CSS File Editor (simpler implementation).
- e-commerce: Trade module was so heavily added with new features it's almost too much functionality from past store implementations of days long ago. Note: Some of the features are for reference only as they currently may not function as expected or desired due to what we call in the industry as (bit rot). Some features need only refinement to function to your needed level. Other features no longer make sense in a practical sense but do hold value in educational real world examples of what it took to power some of the greatest sites powered by ezp2.
- USA Feature Support in EB: Finished integrating ezregion support throughout the entire code base (tested).
- File Structure: Moved everything possible to make the installation file storage contain less files by default in root and store files more consistent with future ezp3 standards (using depth or sub-directories more efficiently).
- This affected database related creation scripts per database type, upgrade scripts, and more.
- Settings: Switch from storing ini files in bin/ini structure (flat) to settings/ and settings/override (dynamic; more customizable).
- Settings: Switch from ezp2 INIFile based php class loading and access with eZINI globally throughout all code in the entire framework.
- Database: Added SQLite Database Driver Support (Tested and Refined).
- Database: Added SQLite Database Creation Scripts (For all modules; Tested).
- Database: Added SQLite Database Default Installation Database File pre-populated with the content to run a default site with zero database setup (beyond ini).
- Documentation: Expanded documentation now covering all key installation steps with examples!
- Distribution / Trademark Usage: Removed almost all non-design dependent usage of trademark, "eZ Publish" / "ezpublish" from the product. Replaced name with "Exponential" / "exponential" thus Exponential Basic is released with thunder!.
Fun fact: Exponential Basic 2.4.0.1 includes over 32 custom modules for your admin and user site needs!
Pull your older eZ Publish 2 code out of your hard drive records and take a walk down memory lane and upgrade today! Some development may be required.
7x plans to continue to support and develop eZ Publish Basic for the foreseeable future. Contact me if you are interested in buying 7x Paid Support to Hire me to help you reach your goals faster than alone.
7x is excited once again as we have officially released Exponential 6.0.10 GPL Stable Rebranded CMS + Web Development Framework for download.
This release removes from general use the eZ Publish Trademark text phrase in text, source code and used binaries, a new collapsed by default (reducing page scrolling issues in general by default) debug output tool bar initial implementation markup, CSS classes and JavaScript within the debug class which is also further override-able via extension (classes) as a kernel override class extension, this release also offers minor improvements and bug-fixes to continue to deliver the best cms possible to everyone.
Looking for a WordPress alternative that is a compelling case for better organized software platforms in general? Try Exponential it will certainly open up your eyes to continued possibilities not dead ends. Give Exponential a try today!
Enjoy Everyone!
Cheers!
7x Recommendation Upgrade From PHP 5.x or 7.x to PHP 8.2 Today for a much more secure and complete eZ Publish installation.
There are several mission critical security, stability and performance reasons why it's a good idea to upgrade from PHP 7.x to PHP 8.2.
An upgrade to eZ Publish 6 (v6.0.x) for many websites takes less than two hours time to complete.
Here are just a few key reasons
1. Improved performance: PHP 8.2 provides websites several performance improvements that make it faster than previous versions of PHP. This means that your website or application could run faster and handle more requests per second using cheeper website hosting.
2. Improved error handling: PHP 8.2 has improved error handling that provides more detailed error messages and makes it easier to catch and handle errors in your code.
3. New features: PHP 8.2 introduces several new features, including improved type system, named arguments, and union types, which can help you write cleaner and more concise code.
4. Security enhancements: PHP 8.2 comes with several security enhancements, including stricter type checks, improved password hashing, and better support for SSL/TLS
In summary, upgrading to PHP 8.2 can benefit both your website's performance and security, as well as improving your development experience with the new features.
5) Server compatibility. As versions older than PHP 8.1 have been deprecated and are no longer generally available, or supported then you'll find you must upgrade. There is no support for any versions prior to PHP8.1.
Once the server is upgraded your existing eZ Publish website will crash without a companion upgrade to eZ Publish 6 (v6.0.x) which for many websites takes less than two hours time to complete.
I am very excited to again be the first to point out that 7x has been continuously been developing and preparing for the next major release of eZ Publish version 6.0.0 via Composer via GitHub.
Work hard in silence and let success make the noise.
7x is distributing the bug fixes needed to successfully install eZ Publish with PHP 8.3 the latest release of the software that powers most of the web.
Install 7x eZ Publish 6.0 from composer today and provide feedback on your own experience.
Here is a quick example of how to use composer to instal eZ Publish 6.0
mkdir ezpublish; cd ezpublish; composer require se7enxweb/ezpublish:v6.0.0;
You won’t regret this decision.
Update: On Christmas Day we found the last key blocking bugs and fixed them for a much more stable New Year‘s Day release. Read the release announcements and join the discussions.
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