Website relaunch on the basis of TYPO3 12.4 LTS
In their search for a partner to expand their website from a technical and content perspective and to operate the underlying systems securely and reliably, the choice of Maxion Wheels fell on us at the beginning of 2022. As the website, which was based on TYPO3 version 9.5, was already in Extended Long Term Support at that time, our common goal was to design and develop a new and modern website. For this purpose, a new TYPO3 installation in version 12.4 LTS was set up and the website was rebuilt from scratch.
go to the Maxion Wheels website
| Client | Maxion Wheels |
|---|---|
Project duration | 2024 |
Discover the project from the perspective of:
CMS tchnologies
- The Download Center, which consisted of simple file link elements in TYPO3 9, has been redeveloped as a custom solution: Downloads are now grouped in special data records and can be maintained centrally in this way. The output of selected downloads on other content pages is thus possible without double maintenance. A filter for the document language has been added to the Download Center; further filters can be added at any time if required.
- The LinkedIn posts of the Maxion Wheels account are automatically imported to TYPO3. The six most recent posts are displayed on the homepage in a card design and are linked to the respective original on LinkedIn.
CMS tchnologies
- Downloads are organized into two category levels using new data record types. The top categories are relevant for the Download Center; the subcategories can also be displayed independently on content pages.
There is a filter for the document language in the Download Center. For this purpose, a new locale field has been added to the file metadata, in which a distinction can also be made between “Spanish (Spain)” and “Spanish (Mexico)”. - A customized extension was developed for the output of LinkedIn posts on the homepage, which imports the posts into the TYPO3 system via one of the APIs provided by LinkedIn.
Search technologies
The standard search “Indexed Search” used in TYPO3 version 9 has been replaced by the powerful search platform Apache Solr in version 12. The change improves the performance of the search as well as the quality of the search results. At a later date, the website's search function can be expanded by additional functions such as grouping, filters and autosuggest.
Search technologies
- By switching to Apache Solr and the separate Solr server, the load on the web server is reduced for search queries. Content pages and news articles are currently indexed. Additional data types can be added quickly.
- Solr offers great potential for increasing demands on the search function.
Backend and frontend technologies
Special emphasis has been placed on a clear and user-friendly structure in the TYPO3 backend. Elements and selection options for the editor have been reorganized. Thirteen customer-specific content elements are rendered with an optimized backend preview that mirrors the styling in the frontend. In addition, a comprehensive editorial manual was created, which enables the client to fully maintain the website from an editorial point of view.
Backend and frontend technologies
The thirteen newly developed content elements were implemented with content blocks. This allowed the simple development of optimized editor previews. For inline elements (such as cards and accordions items), the editor can open and edit the individual sub-elements directly. Background colors and other options can be accessed via a configuration bar at the bottom.
Quality assurance via a living style guide and automated tests
During the course of the relaunch project, a page tree was created for the Living Styleguide, in which all page types, forms and content elements are set up in different (layout) variants. The styleguide forms the basis for the automated tests with the tools Cypress and BackstopJS, which are used to periodically check the functionality and layout of the website as well as for further developments.
Quality assurance via a living style guide and automated tests
The regression tests based on Cypress and visual regression testing with BackstopJS facilitate the acceptance of upgrades and further developments. In this way, even small differences in design or changes in function are detected promptly and reliably.
