We are thrilled and proud to present you with the stable release of EasyBlog 5.3, the best blogging extension for Joomla! In case you missed our post earlier, here is a short recap on some of the exciting features packed for this release:
OpenStreetMap
EasyBlog 5.3 introduces OpenStreetMap that allows author to add location to their blog posts. Aside from OpenStreetMap being an ODbL (Open Database License) licensed that free-to-use, it's also an editable map that centered around community's contribution.
Image Optimizer
Rendering non optimized images are slow and most authors will not deal with this. With that in mind, we have introduced a new image optimization service that helps to optimize images that are uploaded via EasyBlog.
This feature is completely optional and the image optimization service starts from $5.99 / month only.
| Basic | Pro | Developer |
| 3,000 images | 12,000 images | 60,000 images |
| $5.99/month | $12.99/month | $49.99/month |
WebP Image Support
WebP image format is now supported in EasyBlog 5.3. If you are unaware of what WebP is, it is a modern image format developed by Google. This new image format provides superior lossless and lossy compression for images on the web.
UIkit Theme
The brand new UIkit theme in EasyBlog 5.3 works out of the box with any template powered by UIkit template framework. Likewise, the UIkit theme will also work seamlessly with YOOtheme Pro page builder too!
All you have to do is select the UIkit in the themes section. Then, any design and layout will adapt auto-magically.
Image Comparison Block
With the introduction of the comparison block, comparing two sets of photos has never been easier. It allow authors to place two photos side by side for their readers to observe and compare them effortlessly.
Amazon S3
The media manager in EasyBlog 5.3 now supports Amazon S3 as a new storage location. This would allow authors to upload their files in Amazon S3 as a new location, and most importantly help to reduce the disk usage on their sites.
Toolbar Module
With the introduction of the toolbar module, you may now place the toolbar anywhere on your site should you want to.
Card Layout for the Front Page
EasyBlog 5.3 introduces a new card layout for the front page. This allows you to choose between the standard layout or the card layout on your front page menu items.
Custom Overrides for Magazine Layout
In EasyBlog 5.3, both site admins and template developers alike are now able to create, and apply their own custom overrides for the magazine layout styling. These overrides will then appear in the menu settings.
Publishing Confirmation
We also added a new feature that allows publishing confirmation. This is extremely helpful to avoid blog posts from being published unintentionally.
Grid View Updates
With EasyBlog 5.3, you can now configure the number of columns for grid view on single author layout as well as the single category layout.
Restricting Multiple Categories
With EasyBlog 5.3, you may now disable multiple categories support altogether in the settings. When this option is disabled, authors can only select a single category for their blog post.
Automated Archiving
You may now configure EasyBlog to archive posts automatically based on a specified time frame. All you have to do is setup the cronjob and it will automate the entire process.
Custom Fields
You can now rearrange the custom fields ordering from the back-end. With the new ordering capabilities, this will help you to organize these custom fields that appears on the composer and published posts.
Favorite Posts
In EasyBlog 5.3, you will now also be able to create a menu item that links to the favorite posts layout. This way, users can easily access their favorite blog posts on the site.
Container Block
With the new container block, you can now group up blocks together within the container block. This would then allow you to define a custom class to wrap the rest of your blocks.
Editor Settings for Author
Authors will now have the freedom to choose their preferred editor in EasyBlog 5.3, all they have to do is select the choice of editor from their profile, and that's it.
AddThis Integration For AMP
We have also added integration with AddThis on AMP Layouts. This would allow AddThis buttons to appear on your AMP pages, and at the same time, you get to keep track of social sharing statistics from these pages.
Sendy Block
You can now include a subscribe to Sendy block on any of your blog posts. This would allow your readers to subscribe to your mailing list directly on the blog posts.
Sortable Thumbnails
Authors can now re-arrange images in the thumbnail block in EasyBlog 5.3. This will come in handy when you want to re-organize images in the block.
User Actions Log
When User Actions Log was added into Joomla 3.9, this brought the idea of integrating it EasyBlog 5.3. You can now take full advantage of the user actions log on the site. You can find the full list of supported actions from our docs.
Post Templates
In this release, you will also be able to export and import post templates across your sites using the new export tools on the post templates.
Updated App for EasySocial
The app for EasySocial has also been updated to allow users to pick a post cover right directly from the updates form.
New Custom Fields for EasySocial
We have also added 3 new custom fields to enhance the permissions of creating blog posts for EasySocial Groups, Events as well as Pages. These custom fields allows the owners of these Groups, Events and Pages to determine which members are allowed to post a blog post in their respective pages.
Mobile Friendly Showcase Layouts
With EasyBlog 5.3, you will also notice a completely different user experience in the showcase module for grid layout, showcase module, featured slider especially on mobile devices, the buttons for the module were significantly improved.
Upgrading EasySocial Apps
As this update also includes bug fixes as well as updates for EasySocial apps, you are advised to upgrade them to ensure that you enjoy the new enhancements added by the team.
Upgrading to EasyBlog 5.3
As this is a major upgrade, we strongly advise you to perform a full backup of your live site before upgrading. Once you have the backups, proceed to download the package from your dashboard and install it via the installer in Joomla.
Should you require any assistance at all, feel free to get in touch with our support team
Thank You! 🙏
On behalf of the team, the team and I would like to say a huge Thank You to everyone that helped with the beta releases as well as our customers for making this possible with all your feedback, suggestions and support!
Happy Upgrading Jedi's! 🎉