Joomlashack Blog and Updates

Meet OSDonate Pro, the PayPal Donation Extension for Joomla

: Written by Valentín García Valentín García; Published: 04 November 2016 04 November 2016

OSDonate is the best PayPal donation extension for Joomla.

Today, we're happy to announce the release of OSDonate Pro!

OSDonate Pro includes extra layout options, and the ability to customize the color of your donation form.

Additionally, we've done a lot of work to improve the admin UI for both the Free and Pro versions of OSDonate.

We Updated Mondrian, our Landing Page and Events Joomla Template

: Written by Valentín García Valentín García; Published: 03 November 2016 03 November 2016

Check out the new version of Mondrian, a beautiful Joomla template that's designed to showcase events.

This update to Mondrian features a major design refresh. If you're holding an event, then Mondrian will be an exciting and stylish choice.

We've also added support for two of our popular commercial extensions included for free: OSTimer Pro and Shack Slides. If you buy Mondrian, then you'll also get access to both extensions.

Additionally, Mondrian is now compatible with the very last version of the Wright framework.

Error decoding JSON data: Syntax error

: Written by Nick Savov Nick Savov; Published: 25 October 2016 25 October 2016

With the release of Joomla 3.6.3, some sites started to get this error message:

"Error decoding JSON data: Syntax error".

This tutorial will explain the issue and how to resolve it.

Background info

Joomla stores some of its data as JavaScript Object Notation (JSON). JSON has syntax rules that describe how the data must be stored. If the data gets corrupted and doesn't maintain the rules, an error occurs.

In version 3.6.3, the Joomla core started to report more errors if the data is stored incorrectly. Now if the JSON syntax is broken, the error is triggered and displayed. So in other words, Joomla 3.6.3 isn't causing the problem ... it's just doing a better job of reporting it.

The root cause of the error

The issue is with the data. So any fix that you find for modifying core files is incorrect. Plus, core changes will be lost when you update Joomla.

The key to fixing the issue is fixing the data itself. But where is the data? It's in the database of course. And it's usually in a "params" field in the _extensions table or _modules table.

How to fix the error

Now that we know where to look, how do we spot the issue and how do we fix it? Unfortunately, this part is tricky. Sometimes it's obvious though. The following is broken JSON:

{""}

And it can be fixed with:

 update `abc_modules` set params="" WHERE params = "{\"\"}";

Change "abc" to your table prefix. Also, run the above on your _extensions table too. To do that, switch `abc_modules` to `abc_extensions` .

The code above will fix the most common issues that have been spotted so far. But there are other syntax errors that can cause the issue. And they are usually harder to spot.

Here's one from a site I debugged earlier:

{"administrator":"\"en-GB\"","site":"\"en-GB\""}

It was in the com_languages param. I'm not sure of the cause, but it might have been due to Magic Quotes GPC being enabled at one point.

To find others, you'll have to manually look through the "params" column for potential issues.

Rob Went has released a small script that automates much of the process.

Also, if the issue is found in a 3rd-party extension, update the extension. If you don't have admin access, disable the extension via the database, then update.

Two extensions with known issues are JB Library Plugin and JUpgrade. JB Library's team has already released a fix for it.

You Can Now Include All Types of Media in OSCampus Lessons

: Written by Steve Burge Steve Burge; Published: 25 October 2016 25 October 2016

Today we're releasing a major update to OSCampus, the new Learning Management System (LMS) for Joomla.

OSCampus is designed for online courses. You can use OSCampus to create classes with multiple lessons and quizzes.

OSCampus is incredibly robust and is already used by 1,000's of people every week. OSCampus runs the video training on OSTraining, and it's architecture is the basis for Joomlashack University and the official Joomla.org training site!

You Must Update to Joomla! 3.6.4 Now

: Written by Nick Savov Nick Savov; Published: 24 October 2016 24 October 2016

Joomla! 3.6.4 - Urgent Security Announcement

On Tuesday, October 25, the Joomla team released version 3.6.4, which is an urgent security update.

We've compiled a short FAQ to help you, and we'll keep this updated as we know more.

Here's what you need to know about the Joomla 3.6.4 release ...

What to Know About Updating to Joomla 3.6.3

: Written by Nick Savov Nick Savov; Published: 19 October 2016 19 October 2016

Joomla 3.6.3 was released on October 18th.

This is a bug-fix release that fixed over 300 issues. You can see the complete list of bug-fixes on Github.

As with any release, some users may see one or two glitches. In this post, we'll keep a list of any glitches that are reported.

We Updated Élan, a Minimalist and Elegant Joomla Template

: Written by Valentín García Valentín García; Published: 18 October 2016 18 October 2016

Do you like clean and elegant design? Check out Élan, one of our favorite templates at Joomlashack.

This week's update to Élan includes minor changes to be compatible with the very last version of the Wright framework.

Meet the New Optimus: a Stylish Joomla Template

: Written by Valentín García Valentín García; Published: 12 October 2016 12 October 2016

Today, we bring you a big update for the Optimus template.

We have completely redesigned Optimus with a minimalist approach. The template is also now responsive and based on version 3 of the Wright framework.

Along with this, we're happy to complete one of the major goals set out in our 2016 roadmap: all our Joomla templates are responsive, stylish, Joomla 3 compatible, and based on Wright 3.

Free Tutorials on Updating From Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3

: Written by Steve Burge Steve Burge; Published: 11 October 2016 11 October 2016

How to Update From Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3

Joomla 3 is a wonderful way to build websites!

We want to help anyone stuck on 2.5.

We've released a 100% free class from Joomlashack University. This class explains how to move Joomla 2.5 sites to Joomla 3.

Joomla itself updates smoothly from 2.5 to 3. The main issues occur with extensions or templates that haven't been adapted for Joomla 3. Watch these videos, and you should be ready to migrate.

New Joomla Class: Introduction to Object Oriented PHP

: Written by Steve Burge Steve Burge; Published: 10 October 2016 10 October 2016

We're delighted to launch an important new class called, "Introduction to Object Oriented PHP".

This class is part of a series of new developer-focused classes at Joomlashack University. Last week, you saw the launch of new Joomla development classes.

Object oriented programming (OOP) is the most popular model used by PHP developers.

Joomla has long been a leader in terms of OOP. Back in 2008, the Joomla team launched version 1.5. This was a completely rewrite, in part to introduce OOP principles.

In this class, you'll learn the fundamentals of OOP and, in particular, how they apply to Joomla and PHP.