Legacy mode: the old and new document library frontends
Document Library Pro 4.0 introduced a completely new frontend for your document libraries. It replaces the jQuery DataTables library that earlier versions used, and it is what powers the new search, filter, sort and pagination features.
Legacy mode keeps the old jQuery DataTables frontend in place. This article explains who has it enabled, how to switch, and which options belong to each mode.
Do I have legacy mode enabled?
It depends on whether you are a new or an existing customer:
- If you installed Document Library Pro 4.0 or later for the first time, legacy mode is off. Your libraries use the new frontend straight away.
- If you updated from an earlier version, legacy mode was switched on automatically during the update. This is deliberate. It means your libraries keep looking and behaving exactly as they did before, and nothing changes on your site until you choose to switch.
To check, go to Documents → Settings → Advanced and look at the Frontend library option. If it is ticked, you are in legacy mode.
How to switch to the new frontend
- Go to Documents → Settings → Advanced.
- Untick Frontend library.
- Save your changes.
- If Caching is enabled on the same page, click Clear cache.
Important: If your document libraries look unchanged after switching, it is almost certainly the cache. Document Library Pro stores the rendered library, so the old table can keep being served after you change the setting. Clear the cache using the button on the Advanced tab, and clear any caching plugin or server cache you use as well.
We recommend switching on a staging site first if you have customized your document libraries with CSS, templates, or code snippets, as the new frontend uses different markup and CSS classes.
What you gain by switching
The new frontend adds the following, none of which are available in legacy mode:
- Indexed search, which is faster on large libraries and searches every field rather than only what is loaded on the page.
- Searching inside the contents of your documents (Advanced plan only).
- Multi-select filters, so users can choose more than one value per filter.
- Filters inside the column headers, as well as above the library.
- Active filters displayed above the library.
- Filter counts next to each filter option.
- Multi-column sorting.
- Infinite scroll as an alternative to pagination.
- Unique URLs, so a searched, filtered or sorted library can be linked to directly.
- Select all in the table header when multi-downloads are enabled.
Options that only apply to legacy mode
The following settings disappear when you switch to the new frontend, because they are not needed or not supported:
- Lazy load - the new frontend loads one page of documents at a time as standard, so there is nothing to enable.
- Accent-insensitive search - the new search treats accented and non-accented characters as interchangeable without a setting.
- Diacritics sorting - handled by the new sorting index.
- Search filters - replaced by the Filter locations option and the filter editor on the Search tab.
- Image lightbox - the lightbox currently applies to legacy libraries only.
FAQ
Do document grids use legacy mode?
No. Grid layouts always use the new frontend, whatever the Frontend library setting is set to. This means that if you display both tables and grids on your site while legacy mode is on, the two will use different frontends and may not look identical.
Can I use legacy mode for some libraries only?
The Frontend library setting applies to your whole site. If you need to move over gradually, we suggest testing on a staging site rather than mixing the two on a live site.
Will legacy mode be removed?
Legacy mode is there to give you time to move across at your own pace. We recommend switching to the new frontend when you can, so that you benefit from the new features and from future improvements, which will be built on the new frontend.
My custom CSS stopped working after switching
The new frontend uses different HTML and CSS class names, so custom CSS written for the old table will not apply. See styling the document library and the CSS selectors article for the current selectors.