TYPO3 Extension "headless" - JSON content API for TYPO3 PWA solution

Headless allows you to render JSON from TYPO3 content. You can customize output by changing types, names and nesting of fields.

This extension provides backend part (JSON API) for TYPO3 PWA solution. Second part is a JavaScript application nuxt-typo3 which consumes JSON API and renders the content using Vue.js and Nuxt. See frontend documentation here: https://typo3-initiatives.github.io/nuxt-typo3/

If you have any questions just drop a line in #initiative-pwa Slack channel.

Features

• JSON API for content elements
• JSON API for navigation, layouts
• taking into account all language/translation configuration (e.g. fallback)
• support for EXT:news (in additional extension: https://github.com/TYPO3-Initiatives/headless_news)
• easily extensible with custom fields or custom CE's

Requirements

Extension requires TYPO3 in version at least 9.5.

Installation

Install extension using composer
composer require friendsoftypo3/headless

Then, you should include extension typoscript template, and you are ready to go. Also, please remember to don't use fluid styled content on the same page tree together with ext:headless.

JSON Content Object

In headless extension we implemented new JSON Content Object, which allows you to specify what fields you want to output, and how they will look. First of all, let's take a look at simple example

lib.page = JSON
lib.page {
  fields {
      header = TEXT
      header {
          field = header
      }
}

Output

{
    "header" : "headerFieldValue"
}

in addition, keyword fields allow you to nest multiple times fields in json, e.g.

lib.page = JSON
lib.page {
  fields {
      data {
        fields {
            foo = TEXT
            foo {
                field = bar
            }
            foo1 = TEXT
            foo1 {
                field = bar1
            }   
        }
      }
      
}

Output

{
    "data": [
        {
            "foo": "bar",
            "foo1": "bar1"
        }
    ]
}

Customizing

You can override every field in output using typoscript. This extension allows you to use standard typoscript objects such as TEXT, COA, CASE.

DataProcessing

You can use Data Processors just like in FLUIDTEMPLATE Content Object, e.g.

lib.languages = JSON
lib.languages {
    dataProcessing {
        10 = TYPO3\CMS\Frontend\DataProcessing\LanguageMenuProcessor
        10 {
            languages = auto
            as = languages
        }
    }
}

Feature toggle "FrontendBaseUrlInPagePreview"

To change the setting for this extension feature either use Localconfiguration.php: or AdditionalConfiguration.php:

$GLOBALS[‘TYPO3_CONF_VARS’][‘SYS’][‘features’][‘FrontendBaseUrlInPagePreview’] = true

This feature toggle extends current SiteConfiguration (and it's variants) with new field for Frontend Url (url frontend of PWA app). This new field is used when there is a need to preview a page such as: "view" module or right click on a page + show, or the 'eye' icon in page view.

Development

Development for this extension is happening as part of the TYPO3 PWA initiative, see https://typo3.org/community/teams/typo3-development/initiatives/pwa/

Credits

A special thanks goes to macopedia.com company, which is sponsoring development of this solution.

Developers involved in the project

• Łukasz Uznański (Macopedia)
• Adam Marcinkowski (Macopedia)
• Vaclav Janoch (ITplusX)