Hello JoomShaper Technical Support Team,
We are preparing to upgrade our website from Joomla 5.4.10 to Joomla 6, but we have encountered a compatibility issue with Shaper Melvin 2.0.3.
The problem occurs specifically when disabling the Joomla “Behaviour – Backward Compatibility” plugin, as required during the preparation for the Joomla 6 upgrade.
With this plugin enabled, the website works correctly.
However, as soon as we disable it, the frontend stops working and displays an HTTP 500 error:
ClassNotFoundError: Attempted to load class "JFactory" from the global namespace.
Interestingly, the website works correctly with the Cassiopeia template, even with the backward compatibility plugin disabled.
The problem therefore appears to be related specifically to Shaper Melvin or its dependencies.
- Legacy Joomla API calls
After examining the template files, we discovered that Melvin still contains legacy Joomla API calls.
For example, in /templates/shaper_melvin/index.php:
$doc = JFactory::getDocument();
$app = JFactory::getApplication();
$menu = $app->getMenu()->getActive();
Similar calls are present in /templates/shaper_melvin/error.php.
We also found references to other legacy classes, including JText, JRoute and JUri.
These calls depend on Joomla’s backward compatibility layer and prevent the template from working when that layer is disabled.
- Current installation
- Joomla: 5.4.10
- Shaper Melvin: 2.0.3
- Helix3 Framework: 3.1.0
- Helix3 Ajax: 3.1.0
- SP Page Builder: 6.10.0
All extensions listed above are updated to their latest available versions.
- Compatibility with Joomla 6
According to your website, Shaper Melvin 2.0.3 is compatible with Joomla 6.
However, the presence of these legacy API calls raises concerns about whether the template can actually operate without Joomla’s previous backward compatibility layer.
Could your development team please clarify:
- Is Shaper Melvin 2.0.3 fully compatible with Joomla 6 without the old backward compatibility plugin?
- Why does the latest template version still contain legacy Joomla API calls such as JFactory, JText and JRoute?
- Is there an official patch or updated package that removes these dependencies?
- What is the recommended procedure for upgrading an existing Melvin-based website to Joomla 6 while preserving its design and configuration?
We would prefer an official solution rather than manually modifying multiple PHP files.
Our website contains customized layouts, CSS, menus and SP Page Builder content that we need to preserve.
We can provide the complete error logs and template files if necessary.
We would appreciate a response from the JoomShaper development team, as this issue currently prevents us from proceeding with the Joomla 6 upgrade.
Thank you for your assistance.
Best regards,
Mario Lisi
