Uberflip uses 2 different frontend technologies to render Hubs for visitors. This article outlines the difference between the two front end versions and what this may mean for you.
What is Hub frontend V1 vs. V2?
The Hub frontend is the technology that powers the visitor-facing elements of all Uberflip Hubs. This includes basically everything in your Hub that your visitors can see and interact with: the home page, the navigation menu, Stream and Item pages, Item and CTA tiles, and so on.
There are currently two versions of this technology:
- Front End V1 was the original version of Uberflip's Hub front end technology. It was originally developed in 2012, when Uberflip first launched the Hubs product.
- Front End V2 is Uberflip's next-generation Hub front end framework, which was redesigned from the ground up. Front end V2 brings essential additions such as:
- Built in accessibility features
- Improved page speed
- Improved SEO performance
The differences between these two versions are almost entirely "under the hood": while Front End V2 Hubs are more accessible and faster, they are designed to look and feel just like Front End V1 Hubs.
What are the benefits of V2 over V1?
Increased page performance and improved SEO are both benefits of V2 Hubs, but most important is the accessibility upgrades.
Uberflip is committed to growing our accessibility capabilities, so you can deliver great content experiences to everyone. Uberflip uses Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to inform our accessibility choices.
Website Content Accessibility Guidelines were developed as part of a global initiative that aims to make online content more accessible for everyone. This includes the use of screen readers, tabbed browsing, closed captioning, and more. To align with these standards, Front End V2 brings:
- Aria labels
- Screen reader compatibility
- All necessary accessibility tags
- Accessibility features like skip links and improved tab abilities
- Improved page flow structure
- And more
Accessible content benefits everyone, including you and your Hubs. Webpages created within the Uberflip platform need to be at minimum Double-A compliant.
V2 Hubs are also required to access some newer functionalities that aren't available on V1 Hubs.
Is there anything on V1 that isn't included in V2 Hubs?
The following legacy features are not supported on V2 hubs. These are older, low use features that are being phased out:
- Metrics (legacy)
- Left-side navigation Hub menu (only top nav is supported in V2 Hubs)
- Hubs Lab - Sticky Footer
- Hubs Lab - Hide banner on iframe embed
- Hubs Lab - Dark Theme
- Item Tile share links
- AddThis sharing integration
Do I need to upgrade my V1 Hubs?
Upgrading is not required. If you’re currently using any V1 Hubs, you're free to continue using those Hubs as they are.
As of March 2020, all newly created Hubs run on Front End V2. So if all of your Hubs were created after that—you’re already living in the future.
How can I know which Hub version I use?
If you want to check which version of the Uberflip Hub Front End your Hub is running, use the following method:
- In any browser, visit your hub's home page
- Right-click anywhere, then click on View Source or View Page Source (depending on your browser) to view the page's source HTML
- When you're viewing the page source code, press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on Mac) and search for
<body - In the source HTML, the string <body should be highlighted (there should only be one result) Take a look at the text that appears after this string to identify your Hub Front End version:
- If you see
<body class="hub-page, your Hub is running Front End V1:
- If you see
<body id="uf-hub-page", your Hub is running Front End V2:
- If you see