Name: Page Cache Extended - Version: 3.4.0.0-FREE / 3.5.9.1-PRO / 4.2.2.0-PRO / 5.1.2.0-PRO - Type: Plugin - License: GPLv3
Description: Provides page cache with useful features - Joomla! Extensions Directory
Overview of all downloads of the extension: PCE - Page Cache Extended Downloads
With Page Cache Extended you can improve the page loading time significantly!
Plugin: PCE - Page Cache Extended
Function: Improves the page loading time and gives you more control of the cached pages.
Languages: German and English
Page Cache Extended generates copies of the rendered pages and loads the entire output on further requests from the previously generated cache files. By loading the content from static files, no database queries have to be processed. This improves the loading speed greatly!
This plugin is based on the core plugin "Page Cache" but was extended with useful features. You can specify which pages should be cached with the help of an exclusion list for components and URLs. It is also possible to use the list like a white list to include the selected components or URLs.
The HTML code in the cached files can be minified to improve the loading speed even further. HTML comments (e.g. copyright references) can be kept in the optimized code. In addition, you can set a specific cache time independent of the global cache time which can be set in the Global Configuration.
PCE saves the complete HTML output additionally already compressed in the gzip format as a separated file. If the browser of the visitor supports the gzip encoding, then the data can be returned immediately without the time consuming compression process.
The plugin supports the clearing of the cache directly in the frontend by a self-defined token. Individual pages can be specifically updated by entering the token in the URL. Thus, not all cached pages need to be purged completely.
Page Cache Extended, in combination with Device Specific Content (DSC), can create device-specific cache files (mobile, tablet and desktop). For this, DSC simply has to be installed additionally. PCE automatically detects the installation and uses DSC to create device-specific static files.
Features
- Complete pages are cached to increase loading performance
- Caching process can be excluded for specified menu entries, components, URLs and cookie (partly PRO)
- Toggle selection - entered data are not excluded, but included
- Cache files can be minified to decrease loading time
- Individual cache time for the static files
- Browser cache mechanism can be used
- Static files are additionally saved in the gzip format
- Cache of specific pages can be cleaned directly in the frontend with the help of a token
- Individual pages can be cached device-specific (Device Specific Content plugin required)
- Language: German and English
Installation
Install PCE with the help of the installer component as usual. Then activate the plugin in Extensions -> Plugins -> System - PCE - Page Cache Extended. Use the options in the "Settings" tab to adjust the plugin for your needs!
The plugin stores the static files in the folder cache/pce and the files in gzip format in cache/pce-gzip.
Clean cache in the frontend
Enter a value in the option "Clean Cache Token" to activate the frontend cache cleaning feature. Clean the cache of the loaded page in the frontend by adding ?cleancache=TOKEN to the URL in the address bar - replace TOKEN with your self-defined token!
Please note:
- Make sure to disable Joomla!'s cache plugin "System - Page Cache". You cannot use both plugins at the same time!
- The cached pages are only provided to guest visitors, not to logged in users. Users always see the current, not cached state of the website.
- If you use the SEF functionality, then the plugin must be ordered after the SEF plugin "System - SEF" (just like the core cache plugin). Tip: Select the value "Order Last" in the settings in the Ordering dropdown.
Changelog
Latest release
Version 5.1.2.0-PRO - 2024-09-12
- + Implemented AfterPurgeEvent trigger for the warm-up feature.
Version 5.1.2.0-PRO - 2024-09-12
- + Implemented AfterPurgeEvent trigger for the warm-up feature.
Version 5.1.1.0-PRO - 2024-07-01
- + Improved Pro Security Token validation check. The Pro package contains a token file with an individual security token linked to the user account that is checked against the validation server for authenticity. If the file is missing or the token is invalid, you cannot edit the settings and use the extension. The Pro Security Token field has been extended to handle incorrect tokens and blocked accounts. If you encounter an error message related to the token, download the Pro version with your Pro subscription from the linked download page and install it again!
- Attention: The Pro extension will not work correctly if the token file or custom field is missing or modified. Never edit or remove the files to ensure correct functionality.
Version 5.1.0.0-PRO - 2024-04-17
- + Subscriber Interface: The plugin has been rewritten to utilise the subscriber interface, enhancing its integration and performance capabilities.
- + Subscribed to two new events: onPageCacheSetCaching and onPageCacheIsExcluded
- + Added the event dispatcher for the event handling.
- + This major update involves fundamental changes to the plugin architecture to improve efficiency and modularity. The new minimum required Joomla! version has been increased to 5.1.0.
Version 5.0.0.0-PRO - 2023-11-02
- + First Pro release for Joomla! 5.x based on PCE Pro version 4.2.1.0-PRO
- + The plugin "Behaviour - Backward Compatibility" is not required. The extension only uses supported classes in Joomla! 5.
Version 4.2.2.0-PRO - 2024-07-30
- Increased technical requirements for Joomla! 4: Increasing Technical Requirements 2024 - Core & PHP for Joomla! 4 Pro Extensions.
- ^ Updated the installation script to enable the uninstall process in higher core versions.
Version 4.2.1.0-PRO - 2023-10-18
- + Added Skip Query URLs option: With this feature enabled, the plugin will not cache URLs that contain query parameters (
example.com?x=y). - Provides flexibility for website administrators who want to ensure dynamic content based on URL parameters is not cached, ensuring users see the most current version.
- Prevents an excessive buildup of cache files due to dynamic URLs, optimizing server resources and storage.
Version 4.2.0.0-PRO - 2023-10-12
- + Improved Installation Script: Updated the installation script to check for the highest compatible version of Joomla automatically! This feature aims to prevent issues that may arise from using incompatible core versions, thereby ensuring a smoother installation process.
Version 4.1.0.0-PRO - 2023-02-23
- Increased technical requirements for Joomla! 4: Increasing Technical Requirements - Core & PHP for Joomla! 4 Pro Extensions
- ^ Improved cache cleaning process - Clean Cache Token now cleans the default cache folder in
/administrator/cacheand also the frontend cache folder/cache. - ^ Code optimisations
Version 4.0.2.0-PRO - 2022-09-04
- + Added Pro Security Token validation check. The Pro package contains a token file with an individual security token linked to the user account and checked against the validation server for authenticity.
- ^ Multiple internal code optimisations.
Version 4.0.1.0-PRO - 2021-11-16
- + Added the built-in Download Key Manager support to enter your Pro Update ID without installing the update helper plugin.
Important: Please copy your personal Pro Update ID using the second copy button in the Pro ID Manager and enter the key in System - Update - Update Sites - Select the entry of the Pro extension and enter the ID into the Download Key field. - ^ Code optimisations
Version 4.0.0.1-PRO - 2021-09-30
- # Ensure that all trigger events have been executed before the rendered output is cached (especially events from other plugin groups). Thanks to mowe (Moritz) for reporting it!
Version 4.0.0.0-PRO - 2021-08-17
- + First Pro release for Joomla! 4.x based on PCE Pro version 3.5.9.0-PRO
Version 3.5.9.1-PRO - 2021-09-29
- # Ensure that all trigger events have been executed before the rendered output is cached (especially events from other plugin groups). Thanks to mowe (Moritz) for reporting it!
Version 3.5.9.0-PRO - 2021-05-04
- ^ Revised menu exclusion logic - If a selected menu entry is loaded, then the page is excluded directly. If not, then the other exclusion rules (component and URL) are processed and applied accordingly. Thanks to Michael K. for reporting it!
- ^ Changed the version number specification. The first number stands for the supported major Joomla! version. The following three numbers follow the Semantic Versioning Specification (SemVer), as it used to be previously.
Version 3.5.8-PRO - 2021-03-22
- ^ Improved "cleancache" frontend call - The cleancache frontend call also removes mobile and tablet versions for single pages if Device Specific Content is installed. Thanks to Klaus K. for reporting it!
- ^ Improved "warmupcache" frontend call - The warmupcache frontend call also creates gzip versions for all devices if Device Specific Content is installed. Thanks to Klaus K. for reporting it!
- ^ Improved execution logic to allow the frontend token calls independently of the cookie exclusion check.
- ^ Modified regular expression for internal links used in the warmup call to find more links with a non-standard HMTL form.
Version 3.5.7-PRO - 2021-03-19
- + Warm-up cache token - Enter a token to activate the frontend cache warm-up feature. Warm-up the cache in the frontend by adding ?warmupcache=TOKEN to the URL in the address bar. Note: Replace TOKEN with your defined token!
- ^ Removed the warm-up call in the frontend cleaning process (?cleancache=TOKEN)
Version 3.5.6-PRO - 2021-03-15
- + Wildcard match - * symbol for URL exclusion - The entered URL search strings can contain wildcards (* - asterisk symbol) for any characters. The plugin will perform a regular expression match if this option is enabled. Example: https://example.com/?id=* - Thanks to Bernhard for requesting this feature!
Version 3.5.5-PRO - 2021-03-14
- ^ Optimised Cookie exclusion handling - Suppose the specified cookie is set, and the value equals the settings' value. In that case, the plugin will never cache the requested pages, and the content is always generated dynamically by the application. No other rules can overwrite this behaviour!
- ^ Added missing check for the offline mode - the offline page is not cached anymore.
- ^ Updated custom field
Version 3.5.4-PRO - 2020-12-15
- + Cookie exclusion - With this option, the caching process can be disabled for a specific cookie. This functionality is useful for GDPR cookies if different content must be loaded once the visitor granted permission. The cookie name and value can be checked. Thanks to Klaus K. for requesting this feature!
- # Updated languages files
Version 3.5.3-PRO - 2020-12-11
- # Pages are only cached if the requested document is an HtmlDocument instance. Thanks to Klaus K. for reporting it!
Version 3.5.2-PRO - 2020-12-04
- ^ The way the exclusion works has been revised - now individual pages (URLs) can be directly excluded.
Version 3.5.1-PRO - 2020-06-29
- + Plugin Order - Plugin is ordered correctly in the installation process automatically
- + Warm-up cache with Device Specific Content - Cache files for all devices (desktop, tablet and mobile) are created automatically. You need to install Device Specific Content for this feature.
- + Warm-up cache - Limit number of request - This option helps to improve the cleaning time if you have many links on the front page. The value 0 does not limit the warm-up process!
Version 3.5.0-PRO - 2020-06-25
- + Warm-up cache - With this option, the cache is warmed-up after a cache purge process to improve the loading time of the first request via the browser. Thus, only cached versions of the pages are returned to your visitors! Hint: Page Cache Extended only warms-up internal links from the default home page for performance reasons!
- First release with increased technical requirements: Increasing Technical Requirements - Joomla! Core & PHP for Pro & Free Extensions
- ^ Updated language files and custom fields
- ^ Code optimisations
Version 3.4.4-PRO - 2019-11-26
- ^ Improved frontend recaching functionality for the token option "Loaded Page Only".
Version 3.4.3-PRO - 2019-08-02
- + Added "Token Type" option - Defines what is cleaned if the process is triggered by the token call (All Cached Files / Loaded Page Only) - Thanks to Michael K. for requesting it!
Version 3.4.2-PRO - 2019-05-06
- + Added "Use Compression" option - Static files are stored and delivered already compressed (using the gzip compress algorithm). This improves the response time even further but can lead to encoding issues. This option allows you to disable the compression handling if you encounter wrongly encoded output!
- ^ Force UTF-8 encoding in the minification process. Thanks to Michael K. for reporting it!
Version 3.4.1-PRO - 2019-05-03
- ^ Improved cache key retrievement - Added support for "pagecache" plugin group to manipulate the key
- ^ Added additional check for the menu exclusion option to avoid a PHP notice under certain circumstances
- ^ Empty content is not stored locally - This avoids storing of redirects (e.g. default language redirect). Thanks to Michael K. for reporting it!
Version 3.4.0-PRO - 2019-02-17
- + First Pro release based on PCE version 3.3.1
- + Exclusion - Menu Items - With this option the caching process can be disabled on certain menu items.
- ^ Static cache file is created in the onAfterRespond trigger, onAfterRender was used previously
- ^ Clean process of zero byte files do not throw an (internal) PHP warning
Version 3.4.0.0-FREE - 2021-05-11
- First release with increased technical requirements: Increasing Technical Requirements - Joomla! Core & PHP for Pro & Free Extensions
- + Plugin Order - Plugin is ordered correctly in the installation process automatically
- ^ Improved "cleancache" frontend call - The cleancache frontend call also removes mobile and tablet versions for single pages if Device Specific Content is installed. Thanks to Klaus K. for reporting it!
- ^ Added missing check for the offline mode - the offline page is not cached anymore.
- ^ The way the exclusion works has been revised - now individual pages (URLs) can be directly excluded.
- ^ Changed the version number specification. The first number stands for the supported major Joomla! version. The following three numbers follow the Semantic Versioning Specification (SemVer), as it used to be previously.
- ^ Updated manifest file structure
- ^ Updated language files
- ^ Code optimisations
- # Pages are only cached if the requested document is an HtmlDocument instance. Thanks to Klaus K. for reporting it!
Version 3.3.2 - 2019-07-30
- + Added Custom Field - Pro Button
- ^ Force UTF-8 encoding in the minification process. Thanks to Michael K. for reporting it!
- ^ Empty content is not stored locally - This avoids storing of redirects (e.g. default language redirect). Thanks to Michael K. for reporting it!
- ^ Updated Custom Fields
- ^ Updated Project Page URL
- ^ Code Optimizations
Version 3.3.1 - 2018-02-18
- + Added clean up process after check for existing data - solves a possible problem with zero byte files
- ^ Code optimization
- ^ Updated custom field - krtitle
- ^ Updated translation strings
Version 3.3.0 - 2017-01-15
- + Clean Cache Token - Enter a token to activate the frontend cache cleaning feature. Clean the cache of the loaded page in the frontend by adding ?cleancache=TOKEN to the URL in the address bar - replace TOKEN with your defined token. Thanks to Joe Campbell for the suggestion!
- + Device-Specific Cache Files - Device-specific cache files (mobile, tablet and desktop) can be created with the help of Device Specific Content (DSC). Thanks to Joe Campbell for the suggestion!
Version 3.2.0 - 2017-01-01
- + Static Files In Gzip Format - Saves the data also compressed in the gzip format as a file so that the requested data does not have to be compressed dynamically and can be transferred immediately
- ^ Updated Custom Fields
- ^ Updated Translation Files
Version 3.1.0 - 2015-11-29
- + HTML minification function - Removed external script due to a bug and rewrote the complete minification functionality
- # Fixed bug that could concatenate inline HTML elements with normal text elements
Version 3.0.0 - 2015-11-26
- First release for Joomla! 3.x
- Minified cache files are created with the help of the script PHPWee PHP Minifier - Thanks!
- Plugin was tested with Joomla! 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4
Download
Overview of all downloads of the extension: PCE - Page Cache Extended Downloads