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by Kamil Kuzminski Categories: Releases, Themes, Veello Theme

Veello Theme release 2.0

The long-awaited Veello Theme 2.0 has arrived! Now fully compatible with Contao 5.3 LTS, this release not only meets your expectations but exceeds them with performance enhancements that will boost your workflow.

Compatible with Contao 5.3 LTS

Veello Theme 2.0 is now fully compatible with Contao 5.3 LTS and above. We have spent hours testing the new release, but since we revamped a large part of our codebase, we are aware of some edge case-issues that may arise. We have gathered all our forces and are ready to help you as soon as possible. Just contact us via the Support Panel or directly at if you need help or have any questions. This is one of the reasons we postponed the release until now – we want to ensure you receive the fastest support possible at this special moment.

Isotope eCommerce support

Isotope eCommerce support has been temporarily dropped in Veello Theme 2.0. Our favorite e-commerce solution is not yet available for Contao 5.3 LTS. We will re-add it as soon as a new Isotope eCommerce release is compatible with Contao 5.3.

Limited support for Contao 4.13

With this release, support for Contao 4.13 has been limited. We will still provide bug fixes if necessary, but Veello Theme 1.4 will no longer receive any significant updates. We highly recommend that you update to Veello Theme 2.0 and Contao 5.3 LTS to stay up to date with the newest features.

This means we will keep two versions of the Veello Theme active in parallel. For a full overview, see the table below.

Veello Theme Compatibility Release notes When to use?
Version 2.x Contao 5.3 LTS New features and bugfixes Use this version as your first choice. Update your existing website at the earliest opportunity from Contao 4.13.
Version 1.x Contao 4.13
Isotope eCommerce		 Bugfixes only You should use this version only if you need Isotope eCommerce, or if you cannot use Contao 5.3 for some other reason.

Suppose, for some reason (e.g., to use Isotope eCommerce), you must install Veello Theme for Contao 4.13. In that case, you have to include the specific versions of the packages:

  1. Veello Theme: ^1.4
  2. Veello Theme Importer (optional): ^1.1
  3. Veello Portfolio (optional): ^1.4

For more information please read our installation guide in the documentation.

Dark mode support

In Veello Theme 2.0, we have introduced support for dark mode. Additionally, we have added a few cosmetic improvements to the backend UI/UX. Furthermore, all of the backend images are now in SVG, making them razor-sharp even on retina screens.

The dark mode support is here!

How to update?

The update to Veello Theme 2.0 is completely free. We have made the updating process as smooth as possible. However, because you must also update the Contao from 4.13 to 5.3 LTS, we highly recommend setting up a staging system rather than performing the update directly on the live website. This way, you will avoid unnecessary downtime and stressful situations if something breaks down during the update.

Before you start the update

We have prepared a step-by-step video tutorial for you. Please enable the captions in the video, as they describe each update step in detail. Most importantly, make a full database backup before you start the upgrade process.

In case something goes wrong, we are here to support you via the Support Panel and .

We highly recommend that you watch the above YouTube video tutorial and follow it step by step. You can also go through our written manual here:

Step 1: Make a full database backup of your installation (e.g., using phpMyAdmin or Adminer).
IMPORTANT: the database backup is mandatory and must be completed. If something goes wrong, we will not be able to help you if you don't have the database backup!

Step 2: Log in to your Veello.com user panel and go to the Composer Key Manager.

Step 3: Download a new artifact as a ZIP package.

Step 4: Log in to your Contao Manager and go to the "Packages" tab.

Step 5: Find the existing veello/ck-***** package, expand the dropdown menu, and remove it. Click the "Apply Changes" button and let the Contao Manager do its work.
IMPORTANT: do NOT update the database schema at this stage. If you do it now, you will lose your data!

Step 6: Drag & drop the artifact you have downloaded (in step 2) to your Contao Manager. Click the green button "Add Package".

Step 7: Now, change your Contao version from 4.13.* to 5.3.*.

Step 8: Finally, click the "Apply Changes" green button at the bottom of your screen. Contao Manager will perform an update for you.

Step 9: Once the packages are updated, you can run the database migrations and pending schema updates.

Step 10: Lastly, log in to your Contao backend and go to the "System > Maintenance" backend module. Then, check the "Purge the script cache" checkbox and click the "Purge data" button.

Step 11: Congratulations! Enjoy your website on Contao 5.3 and Veello Theme 2.0 🙂

If you have any questions or doubts, do not hesitate to contact us via the Support Panel!

Upgrade notes

Just like with any other big update, we have some noteworthy advices for you. Please familiarize yourself with our remarks before updating the system.

ajaxform extension has been removed

The ajaxform extension by terminal42 is no longer supported in Contao 5.13 and has been replaced by core features within Contao. We have implemented an automatic database migration for you, so there is no action required on your part. All you need to do is remove the extension while updating to Contao 5.3 LTS.

Content element adjustments

Some content elements have been adjusted:

  • Accordion elements
    • added the .vee-accordion__content-inner class inside the accordion
    • we are still using the jQuery UI instead of Handorgel
  • Gallery element
    • removed the image margin field (see below) and added the field for gap between images in the style presets
    • removed the .vee-gallery__inside element
  • Table element
    • classes .even and .odd have been removed
    • the script used for sorting has been changed
  • Text element
    • added the .rte class inside
  • Top link
    • changed the scroll-top.js from jQuery to vanilla JS

Deprecated templates

Some of the templates have been deprecated in Contao 5.3, and we did the same:

  • ce_download_vee.html5 has been changed to download.html.twig.
  • ce_downloads_vee.html5 has been changed to downloads.html.twig.
  • ce_gallery_vee.html5 has been changed to gallery.html.twig.
  • ce_hyperlink_vee.html5 has been changed to hyperlink.html.twig.
  • ce_table_vee.html5 has been changed to table.html.twig.
  • ce_toplink_vee.html5 has been changed to toplink.html.twig.
  • ce_player.html5 has been changed to player.html.twig.

Your custom templates

If you have created some custom templates in your /templates/ folder, you may need to adjust them accordingly. Please get in touch with us via the Support Panel or if you need help doing that.

The image margin field

The image margin field was removed in Contao 5.0. This field was used in several places:

  1. image element,
  2. gallery element,
  3. any element where you could embed an image, e.g. text element.

We have added an automatic migration for you that will move the old inline styles to the style presets. This migration is executed only for the gallery content elements, though. It is recommended that you review all such content elements on your website to ensure that everything is intact.

Developer notes 🤓

At first glance, the update to Veello Theme 2.0 may not seem to contain many changes in the backend or frontend. That is correct, as we have focused entirely on revamping our codebase to match the latest technology standards. For example, all classes have been converted to Symfony services, allowing you to replace them if necessary in your custom application code. We have also invested significant effort into speeding things up, particularly in generating frontend styles. This remains an area for improvement, and we will continue to enhance it in the coming weeks.

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