ProcessWire Weekly #343

In the 343rd issue of ProcessWire Weekly we'll introduce ProFields Combo and Payment Stripe Elements, as well as the alpha version of Padloper 2. Read on!

Welcome to the latest issue of ProcessWire Weekly. This week we're going to introduce both new and upcoming modules for ProcessWire: Combo field is a welcome addition to the ProFields module package, Payment Stripe Elements is a new payment method for Padloper 1, and lastly there are some news for those eagerly waiting for Padloper 2!

Our latest site of the week is that of Hörakustik Andres. This Sinzig, Germany based company has more than 45 years of experience in the fields of hearing acoustics and pediatric acoustics — but more about that in just a bit.

Thanks to all of our readers for being here with us again, and as always, any feedback is most welcome – please don't hesitate to drop us a line if there's anything in your mind you'd like to share with us.

On the processwire.com blog this week: introducing the Combo ProField

In this week's post at the processwire.com blog Ryan introduces the Combo field, which is a new module that will soon (likely by the end of the year, or less than a month) be available as a part of the commercial ProFields module bundle.

ProFields Combo in a nutshell

The Combo field bears some similarities with existing ProFields, as well as the Repeater field that ships with ProcessWire core package: it's a combination (hence the name) of different fields that are intended to be stored and used together.

For a content editor a Combo field looks very much like a regular fieldset with a set of fields within, while at the database level all this data is actually stored in single table, instead of separate field-specific tables, and/or separate pages (like it would if you stored it in a Repeater field).

ProFields Combo viewed from a content editor's point of view.

Another aspect of the Combo field is the API, which is easy and familiar: you can query any "subfield" with a dot ($pages->find('my_combo_field.subfield_name=1234')). Since the field keeps a common index of its content, you can also query the field as a whole without loosing any efficiency in the process: $pages->find('my_combo_field~=weekly').

Use cases for ProFields Combo?

So, so many!

Basically any time you need a field that stores multiple interconnected pieces of data — such as address, payment, or shipping information, product review details, and so on — you have potential use case for a combo field. Combo field can drastically reduce the amount of fields you need, which in turn can provide various benefits, including those related to performance.

Like other ProFields, this one also consists of a separate Inputfield (frontend) and Fieldtype (backend) modules. What's important here is that in the case of the Combo field, you can use the Inputfield part separately, which means that you could, for an example, have a FormBuilder form or module config screen make use of it.

ProFields Combo should be available for ProFields customers by the end of the year. In the meantime you can find more details and screenshots from the processwire.com blog. If you have any questions, be sure to post them there as well. Thanks!

New module: Payment Stripe Elements add-on for Padloper ecommerce module

Stripe 3D Secure payment test screen. Screenshot by flydev.

For this week, we have a new module from Eizmendi Joani, aka flydev: Payment Stripe Elements. This module was designed to work in tandem with the Padloper ecommerce module, providing support for Stripe payments using the 3D Secure payment protocol.

Stripe is a very popular payment processor and probably needs no introduction, while 3D Secure (or 3D-secure) is a protocol that adds extra security to the payment process. This protocol is often brought up as a way to satisfy the Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) requirement that already affects some EU based customers, the final deadline being the end of this year (31st December 2020).

You can clone or download the Stripe Elements payment module from the Payment Stripe Elements GitHub repository. The GitHub repository contains credentials you can test the payment process with, as well as other instructions. Note: v1 of the commercial Padloper module is also required.

Padloper 2 — early alpha preview screencast, roadmap, and FAQ

This is something we've been waiting for for a really long time: version 2 of the Padloper ecommerce module is finally closing in on its release date. Kongondo recently posted a new forum thread, announcing the roadmap for the module, and also providing us with a really nice peek into the current state of the module's GUI:

As always the roadmap may still change, but currently it looks like alpha testers might get their hands on the fully rebuilt Padloper 2 starting Q1 2021. There's still plenty of work to be done, but as you can see from the video demonstration, it'll be worth the wait — even in its early state, Padloper 2 looks quite amazing!

We'll post further updates regarding this module once we know more (obviously). In the meantime be sure to visit the Padloper 2 announcement forum thread for more detailed roadmap, as well as a FAQ section answering some common questions.

Site of the week: Hörakustik Andres Sinzig

Our latest site of the week belongs to Hörakustik Andres, a team with very long experience — 45 years and counting — in hearing acoustics and pediatric acoustics. Based in downtown Sinzig, Germany, Hörakustik Andres has German master craftsman qualification.

The website of Hörakustik Andres was built by FlipZoom Media. The design and craftsmanship behind the site itself are of course top-notch: the site looks great, works flawlessly, and responds quickly. Main content appears to be built using separate blocks, which gives each page rather unique look and feel. In addition to regular content, there's a customized FormBuilder form for appointment requests.

The front-end framework used on this site looks a lot like Foundation, and some of the ProcessWire modules used behind the scenes include two very popular commercial modules from Ryan, ProCache and FormBuilder.

Big thanks to David Karich of FlipZoom Media for sharing this project with us, and our congratulations to the client, Hörakustik Andres, for their new ProcessWire powered website — keep up the great work!

Stay tuned for our next issue

That's all for the 343rd issue of ProcessWire Weekly. We'll be back with more news, updates, and content Saturday, 12th of December. As always, ProcessWire newsletter subscribers will get our updates a few days later.

Thanks for staying with us, once again. Hope you've had a great and productive week, and don't forget to check out the ProcessWire forums for more interesting topics. Until next week, happy hacking with ProcessWire!

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