We’re thrilled to announce the release of GPS Tools 7.0. It is a ground-up rebuild. It brings a modern React 19 architecture. It also includes a premium minimalist design and powerful new features for your Joomla 6 website.
Whether you run a hiking blog, cycling community, or outdoor adventure portal, GPS Tools 7.0 delivers the tools you need to create an exceptional experience for your visitors.
What’s New in 7.0
🎨 Premium Minimalist Design
GPS Tools 7.0 introduces a Swiss-inspired design philosophy, clean, elegant, and purposeful. Every pixel has been considered to create an interface that looks as good as it performs.
- Light and dark mode support adapts to your site’s theme
- The stone/slate color palette provides visual harmony
- Responsive layouts work beautifully on desktop, tablet, and mobile
- Three layout modes: Full, Compact, and Mini, for every use case
⚡ Modern React 19 Architecture
Under the hood, GPS Tools 7.0 is powered by React 19 with TypeScript, delivering:
- Lightning-fast interactions with no page reloads
- Smooth animations and transitions throughout
- Optimized performance with lazy loading and code splitting
- Modern admin panel that makes track management a pleasure
🗺️ Dual Map Provider Support
Choose the mapping solution that works best for you:
OpenStreetMap with 15+ tile providers:
- Thunderforest (Outdoors, Landscape, Transport)
- Stadia Maps (Smooth, Dark, Terrain)
- CyclOSM, OpenTopoMap, and more
Google Maps with 7 style presets:
- Standard, Silver, Retro, Dark, Night, Aubergine
- Custom JSON styling support
✏️ Draw Tracks Directly on the Map
No GPS device? No problem. GPS Tools 7.0 introduces drawn tracks, create routes by clicking points directly on an interactive map. Perfect for:
- Planning future adventures
- Creating suggested routes for visitors
- Building track content without uploading files
📊 Interactive Charts & Analytics
Visualize your adventures with beautiful, interactive charts powered by Chart.js 4.5:
- Elevation profiles with gradient fills
- Speed over distance/time analysis
- Heart rate monitoring visualization
- Synchronized chart-map interactions: hover on the chart to see the position on the map
📍 Enhanced Waypoint System
Mark important locations along your tracks:
- 11 waypoint types: Summit, Viewpoint, Water, Rest, Food, Camp, Photo, Warning, and more
- Color-coded markers for instant recognition
- Interactive popups with waypoint details
- Timeline table view for quick navigation
📸 Photo Gallery Integration
Bring your tracks to life with photos:
- Upload multiple images per track
- Lightbox gallery for immersive viewing
- Geolocation mapping to show where photos were taken
- Drag-and-drop uploads in the admin panel
💬 Community Features
Build engagement with built-in social features:
- Nested comments with threaded replies
- Like/dislike ratings with visual feedback
- Email notifications for subscribers
- Moderation tools for administrators
🔌 Flexible Embedding
Display tracks anywhere on your site:
Content Plugin Shortcodes:
{gpstrack id="123" map="1" chart="1" stats="1"}
{gpstracks category="hiking" limit="6"}
Three Modules:
- Map Module: Interactive overview map with clustered markers
- Tracks Module: Card-based track listings with filtering
- Categories Module: Display your track categories beautifully
🛠️ Developer-Friendly
For developers extending GPS Tools:
- Comprehensive REST API for programmatic access
- Event system with 15+ hook points
- TypeScript types for frontend development
- Clean MVC architecture following Joomla 6 best practices
System Requirements
- Joomla: 6.0 or later
- PHP: 8.1 or later
- Database: MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.4+
- Browser: Chrome/Edge 90+, Firefox 88+, Safari 15+
Upgrading from GPS Tools 6.x
GPS Tools 7.0 includes automatic database migration. Your tracks, waypoints, and comments will be preserved during the upgrade. We recommend:
- Backup your site before upgrading
- Review component settings after installation (some options have been reorganized)
- Update any custom templates for new CSS class names
- Test third-party integrations using the GPS Tools API
Get GPS Tools 7.0
Ready to transform your track showcase?
- Download: https://shondalai.com/my-account/downloads/
- Documentation: https://docs.shondalai.com/gps-tools
- Support: https://shondalai.com/get-support/
Thank You
GPS Tools 7.0 shows months of development, countless design iterations, and a commitment to building the best track visualization tool for Joomla. We’re incredibly grateful to our community for your feedback, feature requests, and support.
We can’t wait to see what you create.
Happy trails!
The Shondalai Team