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7 changes in Pimcore 11 that improve the experience of non-technical specialists working with product information

An overview of Pimcore 11 updates and how the new version affects work with product data, content, and files.

  • Change 1: The Pimcore core is lighter - it uses fewer resources and no longer requires installing hundreds of unnecessary features
  • Change 2: The ability to choose a text editor
  • Change 3: Higher security standards
  • Change 4: Working with custom file types

August 23, 2023 We look at 7 changes in Pimcore 11 that will affect end users

Change 1: The Pimcore core is lighter - it uses fewer resources and no longer requires installing hundreds of unnecessary features

Change 2: The ability to choose a text editor Change 3: Higher security standards Change 4: Working with custom file types Change 5:

Change 6: A new infrastructure-light PDF generator

Updates affected the entire Pimcore ecosystem, including core products and extensions Change 7: Compatibility with PHP 8.2

Does it make sense to move to Pimcore 11 right now?

Reading time: 5 min

In May 2023, Pimcore, one of the leaders in the PIM segment according to Gartner and Forrester, released another production iteration of its eponymous system, Pimcore

The developers announced more than 800 changes - a real record in the product's history! Most of the fixes and modifications are under the hood, so only IT specialists will notice them. In this article, we highlight seven changes that significantly improve the Pimcore experience for marketing and e-commerce teams.

Change 1: The Pimcore core is lighter - it uses fewer resources and no longer requires installing hundreds of unnecessary features

  1. Looks like a section for developers? Broadly yes - this is a code-level change.

  2. But it will affect business operations the most.

  3. Previously, the entire set of product information management tools was built into the Pimcore core.

  4. This made it possible to customize the system for specific tasks without extra installs - you only had to enable the needed options and, if necessary, refine them. In Pimcore 11, the developers grouped the least-used functions into thematic packages and moved them out of the system core.

  5. How did this affect business users?

  6. The PIM system architecture has shifted toward a microservices model.

  7. Instead of a huge, powerful, and unwieldy monolith, you install a lighter version and add only the options you need. As a result, the updated Pimcore core does not have to process unnecessary code fragments at every launch (hundreds of thousands of lines of redundant code!), and it requires far fewer resources.

  8. As a result, Pimcore 11 handles all requests faster than previous versions, and the system itself is even better protected against the risk of errors.

Change 2: The ability to choose a text editor

  1. Pimcore 11 includes TinyMCE→ as the default text editor, based on the WYSIWYG principle (what you see is what you get). TinyMCE provides all the familiar tools for working with text.

  2. Below is a preview from the vendor's website that lets you try the editor's basic functions.

  3. However, Pimcore 11 does not limit the user's choice of editor.

  4. If you need more (or fewer) text tools, or you are used to a different interface, you can install any other WYSIWYG editor with the appropriate extensions. Source: Pimcore 11 demo

Change 3: Higher security standards

The system backend is now configured by default to use the CSP standard (short for content security policy)

) - in earlier iterations of the platform, this aspect had to be handled separately. What is CSP? CSP is HTML embedded in the header that controls how the browser loads content from unknown internet sources. If the browser detects a CSP violation, it blocks the loading and/or playback of suspicious content.

In addition, CSP helps prevent attacks on your systems, including XSS (short for cross-site scripting)

) and data injection attacks

With CSP, Pimcore increases platform security by minimizing the risk of data leaks and other malicious actions. Within the CSP configuration, you can set a trusted sources list separately for any content type: scripts, style sheets, images, fonts, and so on.

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Change 4: Working with custom file types

  1. Pimcore works out of the box with all major document and media file formats.

  2. However, for some companies it is essential to use unique file standards, such as 3D files or InDesign files, which the system does not support in its default configuration.

  3. Now you can ensure platform compatibility with custom file types by adding just a few lines of PHP to its code. Screenshot from the Pimcore 11 documentation

  4. Even junior developers can create a custom extension in Pimcore (for example, to support 3D file formats) without much difficulty.

  5. This kind of innovation opens up additional possibilities for product demonstration and visual presentation.

Change 5: A new infrastructure-light PDF generator

One of the new microservices in the Pimcore 11 architecture is the Gotenberg PDF generator. Gotenberg can convert all data contained in the PIM system into PDF: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents, as well as any text, numeric, and graphic information from product record fields. With just a couple of clicks, the generator creates web-to-print standard files, such as print catalogs or materials for dealers, which makes it easier to prepare for offline events and start communication with new partners.

Gotenberg integrates into the system infrastructure as a microservice (for example, through a Docker container). This way, the overall system complexity does not increase. Source: Pimcore 11 demo

Change 6: Updates affected the entire Pimcore ecosystem, including both core products and extensions

All Pimcore products and extensions were updated at the same time, ensuring a seamless move to Pimcore 11 (if you already had Pimcore X installed) or a fresh integration, no matter how many vendor subproducts and extensions you use in your architecture.

Change 7: Compatibility with PHP 8.2

Pimcore 11 is compatible with PHP 8.2 - the latest version of the language as of August 2023; the minimum stack requirement is PHP 8.1. The update allowed Pimcore to use new language features to improve the security of user product information and boost the performance of the Pimcore core and connected extensions. Pimcore on the current stack will be supported for at least the next three years.

Does it make sense to move to Pimcore 11 right now?

Of course, we could make a very convincing case for why, even if Pimcore X is already in your IT environment, you should switch to Pimcore 11 as soon as possible by using our developers.

However, the goal of this article is not to push you toward any particular decision, but to provide an overview of the new functionality in the latest Pimcore release. Here we can add two more points. First: if you are using Pimcore X Community Edition, note that official support for this platform version ended on August 16, 2023. The developer will no longer fix discovered bugs, handle user requests, or resolve system security issues.

The situation is unpleasant, but not critical if you have your own development team. Second: if you use earlier versions, such as Pimcore 6 or Pimcore 7, you do not have access to many convenient features that were added in the last four or five platform releases. And those features can greatly simplify, speed up, and stabilize your workflows!

If you are running Pimcore X, you can upgrade to the current version yourself by following the detailed instructions→ on the vendor's website.

If you are working with older versions of Pimcore, it makes sense to contact an integrator.

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