Content Blocks has excellent documentation, but it lacks multimedia resources such as videos. Some concepts can be explained more effectively through visual guidance. Many users prefer video tutorials because they can learn by watching and following along step by step, making it easier to verify that everything is done correctly.
Therefore, we should provide topic-specific learning videos. These videos would help newcomers get started with the concept of Content Blocks. For more experienced users, additional in-depth videos could explain the underlying mechanisms and provide a deeper understanding of how Content Blocks work.
What must be achieve by 31st of August 2026?
We (Wolfgang Wagner and Nikita Hovratov) will produce approximately 15 - 25 videos in german language between 5 and 15 minutes long each. These videos will be published on YouTube within a structured playlist. For english speaking users there will be an english transcription. The tutorial will be based on TYPO3 version v14 and Content Blocks v2, but most of what is shown will also be applicable to TYPO3 v13.
Topics included are (may vary):
Integrator part (Wolfgang Wagner)
Getting started
Install Content Blocks
Create a new Content Block
Content Blocks “Basics”
Collections
Fluid Styled Content integration
Language labels
Developer part (Nikita Hovratov)
Concept of Content Blocks
TCA abstraction explained
Record Types
Page Types
Extbase Plugins
b13/container integration
File Types / extending File fields with type overrides
JSON Schema
All videos will be linked within the documentation.
What is the potential impact of your idea for the overall goal?
Lowering the entry barrier: Video tutorials make a complex new concept tangible and reduce the perceived difficulty of getting started with Content Blocks.
Reaching both key audiences: The integrator perspective (Wolfgang) covers practical usage and implementation, while the developer perspective (Nikita) explains the underlying architecture. This ensures both target groups find relevant content.
Expanding the TYPO3 learning ecosystem: The TYPO3 ecosystem is heavily text-based. These videos add a complementary format that many developers and integrators prefer for learning new concepts.
International reach: German videos with English transcriptions serve both the strong German-speaking TYPO3 community and international users.
Direct integration with documentation: By linking the videos within the official Content Blocks documentation, they become a permanent and discoverable resource, not an isolated YouTube project.
How does your Idea align with the strategic goals for TYPO3 v14.
Thanks for the feedback, Peter! I totally understand the desire for English-language videos.
Producing the videos in German is a deliberate choice. Both Nikita and I are native German speakers, and we want to deliver the best possible quality in our first language. At the same time, there’s a growing effort within the TYPO3 community to make documentation and articles available in more languages beyond English. With these videos, we want to serve the German-speaking part of the community, which makes up a significant share of TYPO3 users.
All videos will of course include English transcriptions so they remain accessible to a non-German-speaking audience as well. Down the road, it would also be conceivable to add an English audio track using AI dubbing. However, this can’t be fully automated and requires manual work to keep audio and video in sync. That would be a separate undertaking.
Thanks for sharing your perspective! I completely understand the wish for English content.
That said, our decision to produce the videos in German is intentional and quality-driven. Both Nikita and I are native German speakers, and we believe the tutorials will be significantly better when we can explain things naturally in our first language. Especially with a complex topic like Content Blocks, clarity matters more than anything.
There’s also another perspective that’s often overlooked: over the years, I’ve received a lot of feedback from people in the German-speaking TYPO3 community who struggle with the fact that almost all documentation and learning resources are only available in English. Some of them have serious difficulty following along, and a few can barely use the existing resources at all. These people deserve proper learning materials in their language too. With these videos, we can close that gap for a significant part of the TYPO3 user base.
Of course, international users won’t be left out. All videos will include English transcriptions, and as I mentioned before, adding an English audio track via AI dubbing is something we could explore as a follow-up. We see this as a starting point, not a limitation. If the videos prove successful, an English version would be a natural next step.
All modern browsers offer options to translate webpages to other languages. It may not be 100% perfect but good enough to understand the text. For videos this is not as sophisticated enough to be really usable.
Why not produce videos with multiple audio tracks or look into AI tools which can produce translated and lip-synced versions in different languages? I’d rather have less videos and instead more available languages.
As I said, audio tracks in different languages can be added at a later stage. Automatically generated translations are still not of a high enough quality. That might be sufficient for short videos, and if you don’t have high expectations.
For videos that are sometimes 10, perhaps 15 minutes long, that’s not good enough. You can take my word for it; I’ve tested it often enough. Manual post-processing is inevitable.