TYPO3 CMS is one of the most powerful open source content management systems used by organizations worldwide. Its flexibility, extensibility and robust feature set make it an ideal choice for building complex, enterprise-grade websites and applications.
As TYPO3 adoption grows, so does the need for developers skilled in working with this platform. Acing your next TYPO3 developer interview could be your ticket to an exciting new career opportunity. But how do you stand out from the crowd and demonstrate your TYPO3 CMS proficiency?
This comprehensive guide covers the 25 most common TYPO3 interview questions that recruiters ask to assess your skills. From architecture and templating to caching and signal slots, these key topics will prepare you to tackle any question confidently. Read on to get interview-ready!
1. What is TYPO3 CMS and what are its key features?
TYPO3 CMS is a free and open source content management system written in PHP. Some of its standout features include:
- Extensive flexibility and customizability through extensions
- Built-in multi-site and multi-language capabilities
- Robust access control and permission management
- SEO-friendly URLs and metadata support
- Integrated templating engines like Fluid and TypoScript
- Drag-and-drop page building for simplified content editing
- Powerful caching for optimal performance
- Scheduled task execution through the scheduler
- Thriving global community with extensive documentation
2. Explain the architecture and components of TYPO3 CMS.
TYPO3 follows a layered architecture comprising the system layer, core layer, extension layer, template layer and access layer:
- System layer – Includes PHP and MySQL which provide the base platform
- Core layer – Contains the main TYPO3 source code and APIs
- Extension layer – Allows adding new features via extensions from TER or custom ones
- Template layer – Handles frontend presentation and styling through Fluid and TypoScript
- Access layer – Manages permissions and access rights for content and functions
The core components include the backend interface, frontend rendering scheduler, extension manager configuration tools and the database abstraction layer.
3. What is TypoScript and how is it used in TYPO3?
TypoScript is a configuration language specific to TYPO3 that controls frontend output. It allows customizing display and behavior without directly editing PHP code.
For example, TypoScript can be used to:
- Modify page title and metadata
- Configure menus and language selection
- Set up responsive image renditions
- Import external resources like CSS, JavaScript
- Create content elements and define their rendering
TypoScript scripts consist of hierarchical objects and properties It can extend and override default TypoScript provided by extensions.
4. Explain the Fluid templating engine in TYPO3.
Fluid is a template engine that separates presentation from logic in TYPO3. It uses an easy XML-like syntax to create flexible layouts and views for the frontend.
Key advantages of Fluid include:
- Logic-less templating improves maintainability
- Layouts and partials allow better organization
- ViewHelpers provide reusable functionality like formatting or links
- Supports conditions, loops and other structures for dynamic rendering
- Escape output by default to prevent XSS vulnerabilities
- Integrates with other components like TypoScript
Fluid templates are defined in .html files and rendered to the frontend using the <f:render> ViewHelper.
5. How does Extension Manager work in TYPO3?
The Extension Manager allows easy installation and management of TYPO3 extensions directly from the backend. Its key features are:
- Browse and search for extensions from TER (TYPO3 Extension Repository)
- One-click install, update or uninstall of extensions
- Manage dependencies between extensions
- Trigger extension updates through CLI or manually
- View ratings, descriptions and authors of extensions
- Disable or uninstall incompatible extensions during upgrades
- Provides a central repository for all active extensions
The Extension Manager ensures extensions follow TYPO3 conventions and enhances stability and security.
6. Describe different types of extensions in TYPO3.
There are 3 main types of extensions in TYPO3:
1. System extensions – Provide core functionality like site handling, frontend editing. Installed with TYPO3 core.
2. Global extensions – Add common features like news, forms, SEO. Installed via Extension Manager.
3. Local extensions – Custom extensions specific to a project. Can be created via Extension Builder.
Extensions contain backend modules, configuration files, models, controllers and templates to extend TYPO3 capabilities. They must follow strict development guidelines outlined in TYPO3 Core API.
7. What are the benefits of using TYPO3 over other CMS platforms?
Some key advantages of using TYPO3 include:
- Open source model encourages community innovation
- Modular architecture allows limitless customization
- Powerful access control and permission management
- Multi-site and multi-language support out of the box
- SEO optimizations like speaking URLs, metadata support
- Extensive documentation and training resources
- Active development model with Long Term Support versions
- Thriving developer community and rich extension ecosystem
- Enterprise-level scalability, security and reliability
8. Explain how to create custom extensions in TYPO3 using Extension Builder.
The Extension Builder allows developers to quickly generate extension code and files in TYPO3. The steps are:
- Install and enable the Extension Builder globally
- Create a new extension project and define name, key, author etc.
- Model domain objects and their relationships via the graphical interface
- Generate extension code and directory structure
- Customize auto-generated files like controllers, models, TypoScript as needed
- Fill out extension metadata like title, description and category
- Test extension thoroughly before deployment
The Extension Builder accelerates extension development by providing a basic framework to build upon.
9. How does dependency injection work in TYPO3?
TYPO3 uses dependency injection (DI) extensively to manage class dependencies. The benefits are:
- Reduces tight coupling between classes
- Promotes reusability of services
- Simplifies mocking and testing
- Allows overriding services easily
Dependency injection works as follows:
- Services are registered as injectable classes in the container
- The container instantiates services and injects dependencies
- Classes typehint dependencies which get auto-wired by the container
- Allows swapping implementations easily
TYPO3 uses the Pimple DI container by default but also supports more robust ones like Symfony DI.
10. What are Signals and Slots in TYPO3 and how are they used?
Signals and Slots provide a way to extend TYPO3 core functionality without hacking code.
- Signals are events triggered at certain points during execution
- Slots are custom functions that are executed when a signal is emitted.
For example, TYPO3 emits a signal during persisting of database records. A slot could catch this signal and log these operations.
This allows enhancing default behavior in a decoupled way. Signals and slots are registered via TypoScript and PHP API.
11. How can you optimize performance in TYPO3 sites?
Some tips for boosting TYPO3 performance are:
- Enable caching for frontend pages and database queries
- Optimize images via extensions like ImageOptimizer
- Configure compression and concatenation for CSS/JS files
- Enable HTTP/2 for improved asset delivery
- Limit extensions loaded to only essential ones
- Use CDNs to distribute static content
- Implement server-side caching via Redis or Memcached
- Defer non-critical JS for faster page loads
- Monitor with tools like New Relic or Blackfire.io
- Use PHP 7+ and MySQL 5.7+ for better PHP/database performance
12. Explain different types of Frontend Cache in TYPO3.
The main types of frontend caching in TYPO3 are:
- Page cache – Caches fully rendered webpages
- Content cache – Caches content elements and partials
- Full page cache – Caches entire page output including cookies
- HTTP headers – Adds caching headers like Cache-Control
Additional options include:
- Static file cache – Caches files like CSS, JS and images
- Database query cache – Caches resultsets from database
- Hash cache – Caches identifier mapping like page ID to URL
Caching reduces server workload and accelerates output delivery. Cache types should be configured based on specific needs.
13. How can you integrate third-party libraries like jQuery in TYPO3?
There are two approaches to integrate external libraries:
TypoScript
- Place library files in
typo3conf/ext/sitepackage/Resources/Public/JavaScript - Add TypoScript setup:
How to prepare to conduct an interview
- Demonstrate empathy. Most importantly, make them feel like they are respected as an expert on their own experience and point of view. Demonstrate genuine interest and curiosity. This is about them not you. Be empathetic. This can get emotional, that is good! .
- You have to listen. If you want to get the subject’s thoughts and feelings in their own words, you have to be quiet. Give them time. Relax in the silence.
- Elicit answers by asking open-ended questions. Follow-up questions, like “Tell me more about…” or “How did you feel about…”, are used to get more information.
- Look for the story. Ask about things that happened, and what they did. Get more specific by asking, “Can you remember a time when…” To build a story, look for information about what happened before and after. What challenge or problem did they face? Then you can picture how they solved it.
- If you’re not sure, just ask! Experts love to talk about what they know. And they’re usually very happy to explain it to others. When someone talks, if you don’t understand a word or phrase, ask them about it. Don’t miss the chance to learn; it will help the content you make based on this conversation. Even if you know what a word or topic means, ask them to explain it to people who might not.
Preparation is essential for a content marketing interview. Research your subject and find out what is interesting about them. Knowing a bit about your interviewee will help you build rapport and demonstrate your curiosity about them.
- Be clear about the goals of your interview. Who are you writing for? What do you want them to know? What are your main points? What is the person you’re interviewing promoting?
- Do research about your subject beforehand. What have they been writing about lately on their blog or social media account? This is a good way to break the ice and shows that you are interested and ready.
- Make sure you have your notebook or Google Doc ready, no matter how you like to take notes.
- Check your recording devices work. Listen back to make sure!
- If online for a podcast or a video. Decide what quality is good enough or acceptable? .
- If you’re using it for research or written material. “Good enough” is OK! Use a phone, anything is ok.
In this activity, we assume youre creating a written article from a recorded interview.
- Otranscribe. com: You can export your video or audio file and use this in-browser tool to record your interview’s time.
- Trint.com – A paid service to transcribe audio to text.
Why do interviews matter?
To create compelling content marketing, we need convincing stories. In the Community Writers Program for TYPO3, we’re demonstrating how someone can be successful using TYPO3. The best examples will paint a picture for the reader about someone they can relate.
When you can quote your subjects, in their own words, you have the best kind of content.
- We can make content that sounds like it was written by experts even though we’re not experts ourselves by using an expert’s answers to the right questions.
- Quotes can also be used as testimonials, proof points, or supporting information in other articles. They can also include a link back to the source, which adds to the strength of the content network you’re building. This makes organic search results better and adds credibility to a subject.
What do you think makes a great interview? Pick an example you like and consider why you like it. Here’s one from TYPO3.com – Sustainable websites make sustainable businesses – jweiland.net This is an article about the importance of relationships, and the profile emphasizes that. This profile shows how Jochen Weiland’s open source community involvement leads to business success.
TYPO3 CMS Interview Questions and Answers 2019 Part-1 | TYPO3 CMS | Wisdom IT Services
FAQ
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