New Umbraco 7.6, we've tested it

In Umbraco are about to unravel the new version 7.6 of the content manager. At Novicell we have already tried it and we will tell you here the most interesting news.

New Colors

With this version Umbraco launches new corporate color code with those who seek to get closer to an enterprise image, leaving aside the cheerful (and somewhat naive) style of previous versions. Although it may seem like a minor change, it says a lot about what is happening at the Umbraco HQ, where they have realized that the CMS is now ready to compete with the big names in the league and for that they have dressed up.

New photo in the installer

It's just a new photo, but it says a lot. The technology sector needs more female representation, that's a fact. In Umbraco they want to push in this direction and in the installer's photo we can see a group of programmers from the community.

New template editor

Another strategic change made by Umbraco in recent times has been to get a little closer to low-technical users, thus softening the learning curve of the CMS. In this version we see the template editor, which was previously a pure text editor, full of features that liven up the life of someone not so technical

New content and image selectors

This is a minor change, but one that text editors will greatly appreciate, as it helps to see more detail about the related content that the user has selected, such as the full name and path of the node. The selector itself has also been modified.

Optimization, bugs and security

More than 100 changes related to optimization, bugs and security. Our favorites are:

• Two-Factor Authentication
• Image Processor update to allow image background
• Redesign of the user password change system
• New indexes in the database
• GUID for macros. Umbraco 100% GUID is getting closer
• Validation in template editors
• New default text size in RTEs. Those with the glasses appreciate it.

You can see the full list of changes here: https://our.umbraco.org/contribute/releases/760

Is it worth upgrading to the new version?

This depends on two factors:

• What version are you using now
• What functions does your current website have.

If you're on a version older than 7.3, you should upgrade now. First for stability and speed, then for functionality. If you're on a version older than 7 in general... you should have updated a long time ago. If this is your case, the update will be complex, but the longer it takes, the more complex it will be to update the website.

If you have a fairly “flat” website, with some static pages and little else, you can wait to update. If you use Umbraco Forms, if you have technical staff at home who want to work on the web, or if you make intensive use of the Grid system, then you should upgrade, you will soon recover the investment dedicated to the upgrade.

When do I update?

You'll have to be patient. Umbraco 7.6 is in RC (release candidate). When it finally comes out in its final release, you'll also have to wait a bit. We recommend waiting for one or two patch releases (7.6.1 or 7.6.2).

If you are currently working on a project that will be released within the next three months, then this may be a good time to move to Umbraco 7.6.