SobiPro 
Version
1.0.8/1.1.0 Beta3 (last update on May 13, 2013)
Rating
Compatibility
Reviews
72
License
GPLv2 or later
Non-Commercial
Type
Date Added
30 April 2011
Editor's Note
- This extension has additional addons listed in an extension specific category.
- Requires: CURL library, OpenSSL and XSL Support
With SobiPro you can easily create multiple directories or content types. 10 integrated core field types and the possibility to install additional field types gives you everything you need to run any kind of directory. SobiPro allows you to build a business directory or a restaurants guide, a real estate management or a members and profiles directory, a documentation and FAQ area or a download management system, a simple weblinks list or even a blog. Almost any type of directory or content presentation for your Joomla! powered website can be realised with SobiPro.
With a wide range of additional SobiPro applications you can enhance your directories with a lot of features such as a review and rating or a notification system. Various module types are available to present your directory content in different ways.
Earn money with SobiPro. Let your customers submit and manage their content from front-end. Search, filter and view the content depending on Joomla! user groups.
The real power of SobiPro is the amount of customization you have available for your specific website content needs. You can customize all output views of SobiPro through the powerful professional SobiPro template system. SobiPro comes with a default template which doesn't need any customisation. But if you want to set yourself apart from your competitor, design your own template for your directory or make your directory mobile ready by using a responsive SobiPro template!
Please note: XSL Support is required. CURL library and OpenSSL are necessary only for specific features of SobiPro (e.g. Repository) but not for standard use.
For Joomla 3.x we've just released SobiPro 1.1 Beta. Please note, that this is a Beta version which should not be used on production sites.
Images
Firstly thanks to the superb support I received in SobiPro club membership forum. I am currently working for a web development company in Sydney. And during my work I have to extensively used this SobiPro tool. Thanks to you guys I was able to get a very complicated and big project done at ease. I have always received fast response in the forum.
I do have to caution everyone that SobiPro uses XSLT, XML, PHP, javascript extensively. So if you do not have enough experiences with these tools, you will start to face problems. But do not worry. Just ask questions in the forum. And always make a backup before doing changes on the XSLT and XML because just one tiny error will cause issue. :)
Thanks again guys. It has been a pleasure working with SobiPro. For a developer, the small learning curve should be nothing and once you get used to its coding one will start to find the huge possibility it can provide you. Good lucks guys. And I will love to see SobiPro fully accessible WCAG 2.0 AA by default out of the box ;) someday. If that happens, my life will be so easy.
I do have to caution everyone that SobiPro uses XSLT, XML, PHP, javascript extensively. So if you do not have enough experiences with these tools, you will start to face problems. But do not worry. Just ask questions in the forum. And always make a backup before doing changes on the XSLT and XML because just one tiny error will cause issue. :)
Thanks again guys. It has been a pleasure working with SobiPro. For a developer, the small learning curve should be nothing and once you get used to its coding one will start to find the huge possibility it can provide you. Good lucks guys. And I will love to see SobiPro fully accessible WCAG 2.0 AA by default out of the box ;) someday. If that happens, my life will be so easy.
SobiPro is so flexible that you can use it in so many situations. Instead of trying to develop custom extensions to deal with your business requirements, think of using SobiPro :).
I d like to thank Radek for this wonderful extension and for his ongoing work to make SobiPro an even better extension.
I d like to thank Radek for this wonderful extension and for his ongoing work to make SobiPro an even better extension.
I looked at a number of directory solutions for the website I wanted to create. I actually decided to build the site with Joomla because I wanted to use SobiPro and I have not been disappointed. Yes, it can be a complicated system if you want to customise your directory - but take it from someone with no coding experience - you will be able to make your directory do everything that you want it to do if you take a bit of time, join the SobiPro Club for at least the first few months and utilise their Club forums for support. I thought I would have to hire a developer to help me with customizations but I ended up being able to do it all myself, spending only the fee to become a Club member. It's an excellent program and the support on the forums is top-notch. No need to look further than SobiPro for a directory solution.
this directory looks good at first until you try it out, sobiPro has been developed for almost 2 years and is still not finished, key features are missing and don't work well and confusing. it is missing membership options, and packaging options for different type of listings.
the development of features is very slow.
for merchant gateway you are limited to paypal
the documentation needs a lot of help, doesn't make sense you have to read it two or three times, even then.
for an extension that i pay for i expect something better.
the development of features is very slow.
for merchant gateway you are limited to paypal
the documentation needs a lot of help, doesn't make sense you have to read it two or three times, even then.
for an extension that i pay for i expect something better.
Owner's reply
Thank you for your opinion about SobiPro and us.
We are sorry that SobiPro is overwhelming you. But a highly sophisticated component as SobiPro, with such a lot of features and possibilities, need some learning curve before all aspects of the software are discovered.
But although you can do really a lot of things with SobiPro, it is still a directory component and NOT a membership component as you seemingly expect. We recommend the usage of a membership component as there are several out there which work flawlessly together with SobiPro.
Of course packaging options can be realized with SobiPro template's engine.
SobiPro is now 17 months old. In this time we have not only released the stable version 1.0 of SobiPro but also 24 addons. If we consider all updates of SobiPro and its addons, we published every 9,8 days a new or updated software. Also we are working on the new SobiPro version 1.1 which contains a lot of additional features and will be Joomla! 3.0 ready. Saying that our development is slow, is not only untrue, it is insulting :-(
I use Sobipro for some month now and i am very happy with it. It is easy to install and easy to use. Even customizing it isn't that hard and the learning curve goes up very soon. The documentation is really good and the support is very fast and competent. With becoming a clubmember I get many extensions witch fits nearly all my needs. Even without being a clubmember there are enough extensions to build a good directory, for free.
For me Sobipro is the best extension for Joomla so far!
For me Sobipro is the best extension for Joomla so far!
SobiPro is a bigger learning curve than Sobi2 but that is because it is very powerful. I have several clients using SobiPro and they are all very happy with it. For me it is an opportunity to sell extra styling and flexibility so their directory looks different to others.
Even when we ran into a problem and asked the Sobi Team to investigate, their findings were that another extension was causing the problem. Did they just wash their hands of the problem? No they didn't. They worked a solution out and then decided to include it in future releases. What is more - they did this on a Saturday!!!
I am a Gold Subscriber and I feel that the subscription is worth every penny when you get a great product with great service. Thanks to the SobiPro Team.
Even when we ran into a problem and asked the Sobi Team to investigate, their findings were that another extension was causing the problem. Did they just wash their hands of the problem? No they didn't. They worked a solution out and then decided to include it in future releases. What is more - they did this on a Saturday!!!
I am a Gold Subscriber and I feel that the subscription is worth every penny when you get a great product with great service. Thanks to the SobiPro Team.
I've been using the Sobi extensions for years now, and the reason is because they do what they are supposed to do!
I've set up SobiPro on a new site and it has been working great. I ran into some minor problems, and Radek spoke with me over skype to resolve issues. This level of expertise and support is so important in the extension development industry.
Great job with the extension, Radek! You rock!
I've set up SobiPro on a new site and it has been working great. I ran into some minor problems, and Radek spoke with me over skype to resolve issues. This level of expertise and support is so important in the extension development industry.
Great job with the extension, Radek! You rock!
When I seen this product I thought great, I had used there products before and the sobipro seemed like a great option.
I did not even bother with the free version and brought a 3 month subscription.
I installed no problem read and re-read instructions, not for the basic joomla user.
tried using forum for answers some of the questions was answered by other members others where not answered at all.
Struggled to set up took me a couple of weeks to get right.
used the Repositories to update some items out of date.
Thought all ok until getting feedback from users. When adding a new entry in directory when submitted a 500 error is seen the entry is saved in the backend.
Back to forum 2 days later and about 4-5 emails (other posts in forum)I had to give access to backend to Sobipro to sort. In the middle of forum support my subscription run out, now I have a product that still does not work, the forum is a waste of time and is sad as this is a great product but they are let down in the way the handle problems.
Will I be subscribing again maybe if they change there support but for now I will either pay a programmer to fix the issue or I will go to another Joomla component.
I did not even bother with the free version and brought a 3 month subscription.
I installed no problem read and re-read instructions, not for the basic joomla user.
tried using forum for answers some of the questions was answered by other members others where not answered at all.
Struggled to set up took me a couple of weeks to get right.
used the Repositories to update some items out of date.
Thought all ok until getting feedback from users. When adding a new entry in directory when submitted a 500 error is seen the entry is saved in the backend.
Back to forum 2 days later and about 4-5 emails (other posts in forum)I had to give access to backend to Sobipro to sort. In the middle of forum support my subscription run out, now I have a product that still does not work, the forum is a waste of time and is sad as this is a great product but they are let down in the way the handle problems.
Will I be subscribing again maybe if they change there support but for now I will either pay a programmer to fix the issue or I will go to another Joomla component.
Owner's reply
Thank you for let us know that SobiPro is a great product.
But it seems you confuse the different forums we offer. For all SobiPro users with a low budget, we provide a free community forum. The nature of this forum is, that questions are answered by users. Unfortunately some remain unanswered although the community activity in this forum is extremely high and it is a big free resource of information. We are really proud of our strong SobiPro community!
If you are a SobiPro club member, please make sure to write in the club forums if you expect qualified support by the SobiPro team. Just recently a club member wrote "I never found better support and help like here on sigsiu".
We hope you will be satisfied with your other Joomla component, as you were with SobiPro.
Beware: While the non-commercial SubiPro component seems to be very powerful, there is absolutely NO support from the developers unless you purchase a subscription. No, not even a FAQ for basic help. There is a public forum where the user community will give some support.
That said, the component seems to be very powerful and seems to have many extensions available. Unfortunately, there is an extremely steep learning curve. It also looks like you have to learn a new language (XSL) to customize much of the component.
Adding a basic manual or FAQ would go a long way toward improving this product.
That said, the component seems to be very powerful and seems to have many extensions available. Unfortunately, there is an extremely steep learning curve. It also looks like you have to learn a new language (XSL) to customize much of the component.
Adding a basic manual or FAQ would go a long way toward improving this product.
It works a treat after the big learning curve. I would say that they've closed it off alot and modifying the extension is not easy as it'll redownload stylesheets and javascripts over time. You can pay some money for more features which I haven't done as the free version is doing me just great.
I really like the component with its flexibility and adaptability to my needs. Almost anything can be changed, altered, styled and so on - the built-in template system is a mighty tool in itself.
However, there is one difficulty if you plan to stick to the free version of the component - its rather hard to understand what's going on and how to do things because the learning curve is quite steep - you have to go through the support and discussion forum a lot and be prepared to ask lots of questions. That is because of the fact that while the core is (and will always be) offered for free, the addidtional addons, access to documentation and prompt developer support require a subscription.
I do not mind such a business model - in fact, I fully support it because looking at the complexity of the component I can see the huge amount of work the developers put into making it. It just makes things a bit difficult at first if you want to use this solution for a private, non-commercial site.
However, if you're developing a professional, commercial website, this is the component I would fully recommend if you need a powerful directory.
However, there is one difficulty if you plan to stick to the free version of the component - its rather hard to understand what's going on and how to do things because the learning curve is quite steep - you have to go through the support and discussion forum a lot and be prepared to ask lots of questions. That is because of the fact that while the core is (and will always be) offered for free, the addidtional addons, access to documentation and prompt developer support require a subscription.
I do not mind such a business model - in fact, I fully support it because looking at the complexity of the component I can see the huge amount of work the developers put into making it. It just makes things a bit difficult at first if you want to use this solution for a private, non-commercial site.
However, if you're developing a professional, commercial website, this is the component I would fully recommend if you need a powerful directory.
Excellent component.
The more I use it, the more I am more stunned by the possibilities this extension provide.
Excellent support and documentation makes building sites with it to a pleasure.
Great respect for the developers for their work.
I recommend it to anyone who is using Joomla professionally.
The more I use it, the more I am more stunned by the possibilities this extension provide.
Excellent support and documentation makes building sites with it to a pleasure.
Great respect for the developers for their work.
I recommend it to anyone who is using Joomla professionally.
I really have tried many components - sometimes with great success, sometimes a complete failure and lots of experiences between. But with SobiPro I have been happy from the first day. Not to say that this is 100% perfect. No open source software is 100% perfect. But what really makes me cheer and praise this component is the excellent support you get when you have questions or problems. That is what really matters when you run open source, isn't it? And bottom-line all my questions have been answered, all problems have been solved. I love it!
So thanks a lot all you people at Sigsiu! You do a great job!
So thanks a lot all you people at Sigsiu! You do a great job!
To my mind (and for my team), SobiPro is a component that offers all the fabulous opportunities and maybe even those that the developers never thought about...
I do not pay $60 a year (a bit more ;)) and I am very happy to pay...
I am a passionate, it's true, of OpenSource in general, especially Joomla! and some extensions such as SobiPro but first of all I'm a company manager...
So, when I pay for a component (with varied degrees of satisfaction), I ask myself some questions :
- Is it a quality component ?
YES! Without any doubt, a high quality component that I would not have been able to provide or maybe it should take years for me to achieve that result (if I succeed) but....... My customers, such as myself, do not have that time!
And yes, among other things, I buy time and knowledge and I sell my time adding my work and expertise.
- Does it fit to my needs?
YES! If you want to make a directory... but not only!
Several templates are available for ads, restaurant guide, real estate directory… and more importantly, it is very easy to adapt depending on your needs, thanks to all the features provided. It allows to create different and independent directories, each with different options and features (including forms, custom templates for each directory) but all directories are in the same home directory, without the need to duplicate the component or to create sub-domain for each directory.
- Is the support efficient?
YES! Developers improve constantly the component and the associated plugins and mods... but not only!
The forum is monitored by specialists. They answer quickly and with efficiency...
Once, we discovered a bug in an update, we informed the team immediately, (another good point for sobipro : you can follow “in live” the progress of the work of developers) and the day after, they posted a new update fixing the issue. What else!
- Will the developers stop and leave us?
Okay, we can never be sure of anything but Sobi is present for a certain time and they seem to have always new projects that seem to be interesting.
Furthermore, the component is reliable, with a clean code (some other developers should follow their example…), with a good SEO.
- Is the component profitable?
YES, YES, YES, I use SobiPro currently on two very big websites (almost 3 and still full of projects), well I do not know if I should say that but regarding the time saved, the functionalities offered, the precious help provided by the support team, I cannot say that the subscription is expensive.... And SobiPro, for those who have forgotten this, is a FREE component!
To be completely objective, the only area where they may be a bit worse is the design but:
- This concept is very subjective ...
- It is very easy to modify the design of the features provided in the component.
- I think it is not their work (nobody can do everything) and they have to give work for others ;) ...
- Even if the design had been worked over, I would have anyway completely redesigned to fit the client needs (the duplication of the default template allows to modify the CSS and other elements without modifying the default elements, really handy for updates!)
Moreover Sobipro offers different templates according to your needs (car ads, restaurant guide, real estate directory, community members ...)
So please SobiPro team, focus as you did on the heart of the component and we will do the rest.
We tested other components including ads component that were 10 times more expensive but 100 times less efficient, with no real support, with a dirty poorly written code (modifying CSS styles not as easily as it has to be modified directly into PHP files and not in a CSS file !) and without any consideration of SEO
Also, I wish to emphasize that, even if I'm a "professional", the component is very intuitive, and affordable for non-pros who crumble under the capability and reliability.
Finally, and very important, even if SobiPro is dedicated to a specific purpose, thanks to the features and templates available, with a bit of imagination and a bit of work you can transform easily the component for other purposes, it is a creation tool!
I strongly advise anyone to use SOBIPRO, it offers so many possibilities !
Merci Sigsiu !
I do not pay $60 a year (a bit more ;)) and I am very happy to pay...
I am a passionate, it's true, of OpenSource in general, especially Joomla! and some extensions such as SobiPro but first of all I'm a company manager...
So, when I pay for a component (with varied degrees of satisfaction), I ask myself some questions :
- Is it a quality component ?
YES! Without any doubt, a high quality component that I would not have been able to provide or maybe it should take years for me to achieve that result (if I succeed) but....... My customers, such as myself, do not have that time!
And yes, among other things, I buy time and knowledge and I sell my time adding my work and expertise.
- Does it fit to my needs?
YES! If you want to make a directory... but not only!
Several templates are available for ads, restaurant guide, real estate directory… and more importantly, it is very easy to adapt depending on your needs, thanks to all the features provided. It allows to create different and independent directories, each with different options and features (including forms, custom templates for each directory) but all directories are in the same home directory, without the need to duplicate the component or to create sub-domain for each directory.
- Is the support efficient?
YES! Developers improve constantly the component and the associated plugins and mods... but not only!
The forum is monitored by specialists. They answer quickly and with efficiency...
Once, we discovered a bug in an update, we informed the team immediately, (another good point for sobipro : you can follow “in live” the progress of the work of developers) and the day after, they posted a new update fixing the issue. What else!
- Will the developers stop and leave us?
Okay, we can never be sure of anything but Sobi is present for a certain time and they seem to have always new projects that seem to be interesting.
Furthermore, the component is reliable, with a clean code (some other developers should follow their example…), with a good SEO.
- Is the component profitable?
YES, YES, YES, I use SobiPro currently on two very big websites (almost 3 and still full of projects), well I do not know if I should say that but regarding the time saved, the functionalities offered, the precious help provided by the support team, I cannot say that the subscription is expensive.... And SobiPro, for those who have forgotten this, is a FREE component!
To be completely objective, the only area where they may be a bit worse is the design but:
- This concept is very subjective ...
- It is very easy to modify the design of the features provided in the component.
- I think it is not their work (nobody can do everything) and they have to give work for others ;) ...
- Even if the design had been worked over, I would have anyway completely redesigned to fit the client needs (the duplication of the default template allows to modify the CSS and other elements without modifying the default elements, really handy for updates!)
Moreover Sobipro offers different templates according to your needs (car ads, restaurant guide, real estate directory, community members ...)
So please SobiPro team, focus as you did on the heart of the component and we will do the rest.
We tested other components including ads component that were 10 times more expensive but 100 times less efficient, with no real support, with a dirty poorly written code (modifying CSS styles not as easily as it has to be modified directly into PHP files and not in a CSS file !) and without any consideration of SEO
Also, I wish to emphasize that, even if I'm a "professional", the component is very intuitive, and affordable for non-pros who crumble under the capability and reliability.
Finally, and very important, even if SobiPro is dedicated to a specific purpose, thanks to the features and templates available, with a bit of imagination and a bit of work you can transform easily the component for other purposes, it is a creation tool!
I strongly advise anyone to use SOBIPRO, it offers so many possibilities !
Merci Sigsiu !
I have been using SOBI2 for a few years and although I'm not a hardcore developer, there was so much support from the community and the developers for this that I was able to create a great directory site!
SOBIPro takes that a step further with even more enhancements....things like the built in repository for plugin updates, multiple directory capabilities and great documentation make this a very worthy successor to SOBI2! I look forward to even more great applications from Sigsiu!
To respond to the review that said SOBIPro couldn't handle large directories: I have over 1300 entries in mine using SP v1.05 and I have no issues with speed on my site. Not only has support been terrific, but the 3rd party has been working quickly to support SP like it does for S2.
Bravo, Sigsiu!
SOBIPro takes that a step further with even more enhancements....things like the built in repository for plugin updates, multiple directory capabilities and great documentation make this a very worthy successor to SOBI2! I look forward to even more great applications from Sigsiu!
To respond to the review that said SOBIPro couldn't handle large directories: I have over 1300 entries in mine using SP v1.05 and I have no issues with speed on my site. Not only has support been terrific, but the 3rd party has been working quickly to support SP like it does for S2.
Bravo, Sigsiu!
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