Recently, Joomla! 8 - The future is planned now article was published in the Joomla Community Magazine.
It talked about Joomla 8 and the planning process behind its future development.
The article also invited community members to share their feedback and ideas for the upcoming version.
As a developer, I work with Joomla every day.
I hear a lot of feedback from users - what helps them, what slows them down, and what they wish was better.
In this video, I’ll share a few ideas based on real user feedback - simple ways to make the Joomla admin faster and easier to use.
1) Ajax Save → Save Instantly with Ajax
Let’s start with saving items - and we’ll use file editing as an example. Imagine you're editing a file and working on a specific line. You click Save and then switch to the frontend to see how the change looks. But after saving, the editor scrolls back to the top. You lose your place - and you have to scroll back down every single time. It’s a small thing, but it quickly becomes annoying and breaks your focus.
With Ajax saving, that doesn’t happen. The page stays where it is, the save is faster, and you can stay focused on what you’re actually doing. And it’s not just about editing files - the same applies when you're adjusting article settings, editing module parameters, or working with any other content.
2) Ajax Actions → Quick Actions via Ajax
The same thing happens with almost any other action. Every time the page reloads, we lose our focus - and it takes a moment to figure out where we were. With Ajax-based actions, that’s no longer an issue. Everything feels faster and simpler - but more importantly, we stay in control. There’s no interruption, no need to refocus. We can just keep working.
3) Edit in Place → Edit Content Inline
Just like Ajax saving, inline editing can make a big difference. Let’s say we want to quickly change the position of a module. Right now, we have to open the module list, click into the specific module, and change the position manually. If you need to update several modules, it becomes time-consuming and repetitive.
With edit in place, you could simply change the position directly from the module list - no need to open each item. And of course, this applies to many other items that often need quick edits. It’s a small change, but it saves a lot of time and makes the whole process much smoother.
4) Faster Access to Some Sections → Speedier Navigation to Key Sections
Another area that could be improved is faster and clearer access to certain sections. Let’s take the extension installation as an example. Right now, it takes two clicks instead of one - which isn’t a huge issue by itself. But the real challenge is for new users. When they click on the System menu, they see a long list of links to different sections all on one page. This can be overwhelming and confusing for beginners.
It takes them a while to find their way around, simply because there are too many options displayed at once. So this is definitely something to think about - maybe there’s a simpler, more user-friendly way.
5) Unobtrusive, but Still Accessible Help → Subtle, Accessible Help When You Need It
Inline help is another place where small changes could make a big difference. Imagine you find a setting you need to adjust, but there’s no simple explanation nearby. You click the inline help button, but instead of getting a quick description, you lose your focus completely. That breaks your concentration and interrupts your workflow.
This can be solved easily - for example, by showing help text in tooltips. If you’re an experienced administrator, the help won’t get in your way or clutter the form fields. But if you really need guidance, just hover over the setting and the explanation will appear right there. The key is that you don’t lose focus - nothing interrupts your concentration.
Conclusion
These are some really interesting insights that show us how to work more comfortably and efficiently in the Joomla administration - without anything getting in the way or interrupting our flow.
Updated by users
6) Displaying tags in article list
Displaying tags or other relevant information associated with an article in the article list is also an important feature. When browsing through the list of articles, it allows users to quickly get an overview of which articles are linked to specific topics, keywords, or other relevant data. This feature enhances navigation and helps users identify connections between different pieces of content at a glance.