Magento Poznań Meetup IV –  recap 

For the curious ones, there certainly is yet another option available to learn or even to teach about Magento Open Source eCommerce, and that is to connect with individuals who have valuable experience and a willingness to share. By engaging with these individuals, everyone involved can benefit and create value.

Feel free to join us at the Magento Meetup in Poznań next time! 

We’re immensely grateful for the fantastic experiences we’ve had so far. Regardless of your level of expertise, there’s something for everyone to enjoy during our evening together. And hey, there might even be pizza! 😉

For those who missed the last meetup or would like to get a quick recap, here is a chance to do so! 

During the last meeting,  we had  the opportunity to listen to three captivating speeches:

1. Krzysztof Ratajczyk from Panda Group – Migrating complex shipping methods to Magento 2 – issues, challenges, team communication. Case study.
2. Adrian Wyganowski representing Snowdog – Hyvä  – How to deal with the CMS? Problems and solutions.
3. Jakub Winkler from Q-solutions Studio – Database dump tool

Krzysztof and Jakub are experienced Magento developers with 12 years of experience and strong support for Magento Open Source projects under the Mage-OS label. 

Adrian started his adventure with Magento 3 years ago by attending Magento Meetups and is now one of the frontend experts with strong Hyvä experience, reaching out to Hyvä Themes beta version. 

3 different personalities, various experiences, and one goal to bring value to Magento Technology and Community. And Magento keeps striving toward the future thanks to Community actions represented strongly by Mage-OS.

Mage-OS framework 

Maciej Kalkowski provided a recap of the latest news regarding Mage-OS. Soon, individuals will have the opportunity to register as Mage-OS members and utilize the Mage-OS (Magento) Framework as their foundation. We will be closely following the Magento Meetup in NY to gather further details. It’s important to note that the Mage-OS Association is incorporated in Poznań, Poland, with the goal of advancing Magento as a robust and forward-thinking e-commerce platform.

Shipping Methods: Leveraging Panda Group’s Scaling Expertise

Krzysztof delivered a compelling narrative, showcasing his bio as a Magento Expert, Scrabble master, and owner of a dog named Fino :), as well as recounting how Panda Group successfully expanded a client’s e-commerce venture from one EU market to another. 

Effortlessly conducting market entry tests, creating a cohesive technology stack, and implementing innovative shipment methods for various markets, all while migrating from Magento 1 to Magento 2.

Please find below the recipe for the successful e-commerce business expansion:

1.  Optimizing a technology stack for one market ready to scale up for others. This time, it was:
   • Magento 1 eCommerce in one EU market, a warehouse, and a showroom with their own stock in the same country.
   • Effective customer journey management entails integrating a brick-and-mortar showroom with a Magento eCommerce store. 
   • By merging a showroom and warehouse, we can consolidate stock for larger, bundled furniture items. This streamlined approach enhances convenience and accessibility while maintaining a diverse product range.
2. Testing new markets with the same e-commerce business model and with minimal resource engagement. 
3. Crossing borders step by step to finally reach 6 markets in the EU since 2014. 
4. Adding dozens of new shipping rules to the initial ones destined for one country!
5. Migrating from Magento 1 to Magento 2 operating both instances simultaneously to keep selling with no burdens. 

The above scaling process started in 2014 and is still happening as the business is growing. Panda Group delivers technical support for business growth, proving that a reliable Technical Partner is a significant value in a long-term perspective. 

The methodology Krzysztof explained can be presented in 3 words – step by step. He firmly believes that every problem, no matter how challenging, can be solved by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable pieces. And it really works. 

For more information please check our CASE STUDY here soon

Hyvä. How to deal with the CMS? Problems and solutions.

Adrian analyzed the contrasting approaches of Magento and Hyvä in terms of CMS management. To summarize, the Hyvä approach should be implemented from the outset of the Magento Luma approach.

We are well aware that the default frontend of Magento is excessively complicated and disappointingly slow. Its excessive JS code prevents it from achieving satisfactory performance, which is in stark contrast to the exceptional Hyvä solution.

The main goals when it comes to Hyvä frontend for Magento are:

1. Making Magento faster and lighter.
2. Decreasing Magento eCommerce time to market.
3. Making developers and eCommerce managers happy 🙂 

Hyvä and Tailwind libraries

Hyvä presents a new approach to CMS thanks to Tailwind libraries. Tailwind is undoubtedly a utility-first framework, comprising numerous classes. The documentation serves as a valuable resource for day-to-day tasks, enabling smooth workflow and efficiency.

The primary benefit of Tailwind lies in the generation of styles, though it is important to recall that not all code resides in a repository, distinguishing it from the conventional CMS approach.

Automating the addition of Tailwind classes is achievable. Additionally, custom classes can be utilized to enhance functionality. However, they are not available out of the box. The Tailwind code is still illegible. When used in CMS the number of styles grows as it happens with classic CSS.

Page Builder for Content Management 

This eCommerce manager’s favorite CMS as it is easy, and working out of the box. It allows for adding simple elements. Page Builder presents the final look of the block/site. Enables using CMS blocks and widgets.

However, ready elements are useful for rather basic elements. Adding custom elements might be complicated, styles are placed in the final file. The components are hard to edit. 

For more about Page Builder, please read here: 

Page Builder for Magento Open Source 

Magento OS built-in Page Builder module 

Magento default Widgets 

Widgets are a built-in feature in Magento and can be treated as templates which is a great option according to Adrian. They are resilient to inexperienced users, making them durable and user-friendly.

Current widgets can be effortlessly edited, and new ones can be added with ease. Frontend developers can create custom fields for end users to fill in conveniently through the admin panel. 

Widgets seamlessly integrate into layout containers and can be included in CMS blocks/sites as well as Page Builder. Additionally, they work effortlessly with Tailwind and JS, enhancing their functionality. 

Magento toolbox

Jakub has wholeheartedly served the Magento Community for 12 remarkable years, actively participating in Open Source projects fueled by his own ingenious ideas. He staunchly upholds the liberty of Magento Open Source and holds great admiration for the operational excellence of Mage-OS.

He presented several tools helpful for Magento open-source eCommerce development.

Database dump tool 

When it comes to transferring databases, ensuring client data safety is of utmost importance. It is crucial for the tools used in database dumping to provide this essential feature to comply with GDPR requirements.

While existing tools have their constraints with availability like MySQLDump or lack of data anonymization like N98-MAGERUN, Jakub’s proposed tool dealing with the following challenges:

1. Relations between tables.
2. Modules speed.

The goal is to support the Open Source eCommerce with a tool enabling to:

• automate customers’ data anonymization,
• group tables and relations between tables,
• perform data filtration, and junk data removal,
• create a custom dump,
• export the data. 

Nanobots DbDumper is to effortlessly generate advanced database dumps for Magento 2 Open Source Projects. While it currently supports Adobe Cloud and Adobe Commerce, the process of downloading files may require manual intervention for now; it is going to be changed in future releases of the module.

Here you can find more information about this tool M2 Nanobots dbdumper 

Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration tool 

Other tools presented can be used for M1 to M2 migration, however only simple and configurable products, no bundled ones. The tool allows to migrate fast and easily within days instead of weeks or months. 

Here you have the tool for Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration.

Conclusion

Attending the Magento Poznań Meetup was undeniably worthwhile. We eagerly anticipate our next encounter to exchange knowledge and experiences. In addition to the insightful presentations, we gathered next to the Fridge. It is a great place to engage in meaningful discussions while savoring delicious pizza, as always 🙂