The results were incredible, and a lot of new ideas were conceived and directly implemented. However, the integration work - to polish the new code so it fits the high TYPO3 Core standards - wasn't finished during this week. This overview will recap what was done, where everything's at and when we can expect these cool new technologies in the TYPO3 Core.
Team 1: Page Module improvements, clean up TCEforms and the new Backend search
One of the lacks of TYPO3s "classic approach" compared to the "TemplaVoila" extension was that the page module, the 4-column-fits-all, in the TYPO3 Backend wasn't as flexible when it comes to complex designs and layouts of a website. That's why Team 1 focused on revamping the page module, integrating Drag&Drop and having a so-called "grid view", an additional option to style the page module with a flexible grid. These results are still in the works, Jo Hasenau is working on creating an extension that adds this feature to 4.3, and will be available in the TYPO3 Extension Repository (TER).
Also, the fields in TCEforms for editing page properties or page content should be structured better to reflect the daily needs of an editor instead of the technical details. This will be part of TYPO3 4.4.
The new search in the TYPO3 Backend was developed a ExtJS Widget which will be migrated to the Subversion repository of the TYPO3 Core, once the ExtJS-ified TYPO3 Backend is in place. (see Team 4).
Team 2: A new Introduction package, an improved skin
The new introduction package, which is a replacement for the outdated "QuickSite" package, will be an easy way to download TYPO3 out-of-the-box and see TYPO3 in full swing without having to configure a lot. It's "ready to go". Although it was almost done, there are still some tweaks to the content. There has actually been some further working this last week, to polish the layout. The new Introduction package also comes with a freshly skinned Installer (which will be part of TYPO3 4.4.0 as well), where Patrick Broens is currently working on. The Introduction package will be available as a separate download on typo3.org, and will be released on the same date as the TYPO3 4.4.0 final release.
Works on an updated "t3skin" visually is being done in the creative part of this team, and is still ongoing. Lars Zimmermann and Jens Hoffmann are both actively discussing an updated version of the default skin. More to come on this topic soon!
Team 3: Structuring the stylesheets, getting a new Skin API in place, having icon sprites
This team had probably the biggest task when it comes down to modify TYPO3s code from the ground as it touches a lot of areas. The team was responsible for separating the CSS styles in structure and layout. To make the TYPO3 Backend faster and more flexible, they also developed a Skinning API with icon sprites, so there is only a few requests instead of one server request per icon.
The current state here is that there are several patches in the TYPO3 Core list that need to be reviewed and are being discussed, the documentation is completely done and checked by the TYPO3 Core Team to finally have proper CSS guidelines. There are a lot of more things to come. Check the Core list for more updates on this topic. If you're eager to help out, contact Thomas Allmer, Fabien Udriot or Steffen Gebert directly.
Team 4: ExtJS-ify the TYPO3 Backend
Team 4's mission was: Make proper use of ExtJS in the Backend where it is of use. The team worked hard on having simplified and more intuitive Clickmenus, a Pagetree that includes cool features like real Drag and Drop and more responsive reloads, and the whole toolbar being "ExtJS-ified". The groundwork for these features are gradually being migrated to the latest TYPO3 trunk, with the foundation being "ExtDirect" which serves as a unified interface for ExtJS calls to the server-side of TYPO3. The next features are ready to be worked on, and the latest status can be checked out via Subversion on FORGE. We're all very graceful for your feedback, or your code, if you want to help developing. Contact Stefan Galinski or Benni Mack for any questions regarding these topics.
Team 5: Styling ExtJS in the TYPO3 Backend and minor improvements
The task of having ExtJS look like the current "t3skin" was successfully finished after a couple of days and was merged to TYPO3. The results can be found in the latest stable version of TYPO3 4.3. Minor improvements like the ExtJS tabs are on their way to the TYPO3 Core list.
The next steps are exciting -- In the next few weeks we can see a lot of these features finally finished! Thanks again for every contributor and every sponsor of the T3UXW09, who made all these improvements possible.