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Just recently I had to fix a technical trouble to an old Joomla! based website. That web site used a picture layout effect called “Polaroid” (as I found out from the page code), that turned out to be part of an old version of an extension called “Widgetkit”, developed by YOOtheme GmbH.

While I was trying to convince the owner of that website about the need to update Joomla! to the latest version (which in the end I didn't succeeded), I investigated the availability of that extension in terms of compatibility with the latest Joomla! versions. So I found out that the Widgetkit extension still exists and is actively maintained, but to my surpise I also found out that the Polaroid effect was removed many years ago, inspite of a few random user requests for this effect to remain available in the newer versions.

Because (one) I happened to find the effect interesting, (two) because I considered abandoning it a loss (well, at least for some) and (three) because I considered plain stupid to stick a web site to an older Joomla! version just because of an extension, I tried – and succeeded – to adapt that old Widgetkit to become compatible with Joomla! version 5. Not quite all of its widgets, but most of it – just read next or see the demo.


Things going as expected:

  • (frontend) all widgets, except for Map (in fact, Google Maps) and Twitter (as it was called in the old days)
    • Map actualy seems to be working somehow, but only in “Developer mode”, most likely because of some API Key and Billing Errors; whatever that means, this is to be expected, as the Google API(s) have evolved and most likely changed in the past ~12 years or so since the existence of this old Widgetkit version
    • likewise, the Twitter/X API(s) were changed in the mean time and so now it gives an access token error, most likely related to the OAuth authentication protocol (where now OAuth 2 is required); for this reason, I simply pulled out the Twitter widget

Regarding the Map widget, this shows up live and well on the newer Widgetkit version, therefore here is no big deal about this not-so-well-working old version: if required, then just pick up and use the newer Widgetkit version. As for Twitter/X, I simply have no opinion, because I don't know what use it would have had; if it would have been useful to you (under Joomla! version 5), bad luck :)

Things known to be not working (yet) as it should:

  • (backend) both Joomla! native text editor interfaces (on widgets that require text editing) only work as plain text and always like in code editing mode; specifically, Code Mirror lacks the line numbering and TinyMCE lacks all rich text UI controls; however, if using the third-party JCE editor (for example), then all rich text UI controls are working well with it, so if classic word processor interface is really a must (or WYSIWYG style, if you like to call it that), then the JCE editor is a reliable alternative

I also have to mention that this old Widgetkit includes a section related to something called “ZOO”, but because this sounds like a short for zoological garden (and the same for Tiergarten in German) and since I was never interested in animals on web, I never bothered to take a look at it.

[... still working on this article ...]

Under construction

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