diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9f11b75
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+.idea/
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 111daa7..2dfee5a 100755
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ This module is meant as base classes, it can be used on its own but usually you
 *These will get auto-installed when using composer:*
 
 * SilverStripe 3.0 or newer
+* PHP 5.4 or newer
 * [silverstripe-excludechildren module to hide pages from the sitetree](https://github.com/micschk/silverstripe-excludechildren)
 * [silverstripe-gridfieldsitetreebuttons to manage SiteTree items in a gridfield](https://github.com/micschk/silverstripe-gridfieldsitetreebuttons)
 
diff --git a/code/GridFieldPage.php b/code/GridFieldPage.php
index b5018db..0932e66 100644
--- a/code/GridFieldPage.php
+++ b/code/GridFieldPage.php
@@ -1,123 +1,34 @@
 <?php
-class GridFieldPage extends Page
-{
-    
-    private static $can_be_root = false;
-    private static $allowed_children = "none";
-    
-    private static $defaults = array(
-       'ShowInMenus' => false,
-    );
-    
-    private static $searchable_fields = array(
-        'Title', 'MenuTitle'
-    );
-    
-    private static $summary_fields = array(
-        "Title", 'MenuTitle'
-    );
-    
-    /**
-     * add an arrow-overlay to this page's icon when open in the CMS
-     */
-    public function getTreeTitle()
-    {
-        return str_replace(
-                'jstree-pageicon',
-                'jstree-pageicon gridfieldpage-overlay',
-                parent::getTreeTitle());
-    }
-    
-    /*
-     * Display status in the CMS grid
-     */
-    public function getStatus($cached = true)
-    {
-        $status = null;
-        $statusflag = null;
-        
-        if ($this->hasMethod("isPublished")) {
-            $published = $this->isPublished();
-            
-            if ($published) {
-                $status = _t(
-                    "GridFieldPage.StatusPublished",
-                    '<i class="btn-icon btn-icon-accept"></i> Published on {date}',
-                    "State for when a post is published.",
-                    array(
-                        "date" => $this->dbObject("LastEdited")->Nice()
-                    )
-                );
-                //$status = 'Published';
 
-                // Special case where sortorder changed
-                $liveRecord = Versioned::get_by_stage(get_class($this), 'Live')->byID($this->ID);
-                //return $this->Sort . ' - ' . $liveRecord->Sort;
-                if ($liveRecord->Sort && $liveRecord->Sort != $this->Sort) {
-                    // override published status
-                    $status = _t(
-                            "GridFieldPage.StatusDraftReordered",
-                            '<i class="btn-icon btn-icon-arrow-circle-double"></i> Draft modified (reordered)',
-                            "State for when a page has been reordered."
-                        );
-                    //$status = 'Draft modified (reordered)';
-                }
-                
-                // Special case where deleted from draft
-                if ($this->IsDeletedFromStage) {
-                    // override published status
-                    $statusflag = "<span class='modified'>"
-                                . _t("GridFieldPage.StatusDraftDeleted", "draft deleted") . "</span>";
-                    //$status = 'Draft deleted';
-                }
-                
-                // If modified on stage, add 
-                if ($this->IsModifiedOnStage) {
-                    // add to published status
-                    $statusflag = "<span class='modified'>"
-                                . _t("GridFieldPage.StatusModified", "draft modified") . "</span>";
-                    //$status = 'Draft modified';
-                }
-                
-                // If same on stage...
-                if ($this->IsSameOnStage) {
-                    // leave as is
-                }
-            } else {
-                if ($this->IsAddedToStage) {
-                    $status = _t(
-                            "GridFieldPage.StatusDraft",
-                            '<i class="btn-icon btn-icon-pencil"></i> Saved as Draft on {date}',
-                            "State for when a post is saved but not published.",
-                            array(
-                                "date" => $this->dbObject("LastEdited")->Nice()
-                            )
-                        );
-                    //$status = 'Draft';
-                }
-            }
-        }
-        
-        // allow for extensions
-        $this->extend('updateStatus', $status, $statusflag);
-        
-        return DBField::create_field('HTMLVarchar', $status.$statusflag);
-    }
-    
-    public function getCMSActions()
-    {
-        
-        // hide delete-draft button if page is published 
-        // (deleting from draft while having a published page, 
-        // removes the page from the gridfield and makes it un-reachable from the CMS
-        // The Gridfield gets records from draft only (AllChildrenIncludingDeleted breaks 
-        // gridfield sorting & filtering)
-        $actions = parent::getCMSActions();
-        if ($this->isPublished()) {
-            $actions->removeByName('action_delete');
-        }
-        return $actions;
-    }
+require_once(__DIR__ . '/GridFieldPageTrait.php');
+
+/**
+ * Extend this object to implement grid field capability for Page objects. Optionally, you can apply the
+ * GridFieldPageExtension instead.
+ *
+ * @author	Michael van Schaik, mic@restruct.nl
+ * @since	2017-04-26
+ */
+
+class GridFieldPage extends Page {
+	
+	private static $can_be_root = false;
+	private static $allowed_children = "none";
+	
+	private static $defaults = array ( 
+	   'ShowInMenus' => false,
+	);
+	
+	private static $searchable_fields = array(
+		'Title', 'MenuTitle'
+	);
+	
+	private static $summary_fields = array(
+		"Title", 'MenuTitle'
+	);
+
+	use GridFieldPageTrait;
+
 }
  
 class GridFieldPage_Controller extends Page_Controller
diff --git a/code/GridFieldPageExtension.php b/code/GridFieldPageExtension.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dd2ce4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/code/GridFieldPageExtension.php
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+<?php
+require_once(__DIR__ . '/GridFieldPageTrait.php');
+
+/**
+ * Applies grid field functionality for pages as a SilverStripe Data Extension instead of requiring you to extend the
+ * GridFieldPage object. This is useful in case you don't wish to change existing class inheritance but still have this
+ * functionality.
+ *
+ * @author	Patrick Nelson, pat@catchyour.com
+ * @since	2017-04-26
+ */
+
+class GridFieldPageExtension extends DataExtension {
+	use GridFieldPageTrait;
+}
diff --git a/code/GridFieldPageTrait.php b/code/GridFieldPageTrait.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..457d388
--- /dev/null
+++ b/code/GridFieldPageTrait.php
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Contains core functionality required to implement grid field capability for Page objects. Implement this by either
+ * extending the GridFieldPage class or applying the GridFieldPageExtension to your page via SilverStripe API:
+ * https://docs.silverstripe.org/en/3/developer_guides/extending/extensions/
+ *
+ * @author	Michael van Schaik, mic@restruct.nl
+ * @author	Patrick Nelson, pat@catchyour.com
+ * @since	2017-04-26
+ */
+
+trait GridFieldPageTrait {
+
+	/**
+	 * Page instance will vary depending on context (i.e. is this trait on page or page extension?)
+	 *
+	 * @return GridFieldPage
+	 */
+	private function getGridFieldPage() {
+		if ($this instanceof GridFieldPageExtension) {
+			return $this->getOwner();
+
+		} elseif ($this instanceof GridFieldPage) {
+			return $this;
+
+		} else {
+			// Shouldn't happen but in case someone silly incorporates this trait in the wrong context ;)
+			return GridFieldPage::create();
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * add an arrow-overlay to this page's icon when open in the CMS
+	 */
+	public function getTreeTitle() {
+		return str_replace(
+			'jstree-pageicon',
+			'jstree-pageicon gridfieldpage-overlay',
+			$this->getGridFieldPage()->getTreeTitle());
+	}
+
+	/*
+	 * Display status in the CMS grid
+	 */
+	public function getStatus($cached = true) {
+
+		$status = null;
+		$statusflag = null;
+		$page = $this->getGridFieldPage();
+
+
+		if($page->hasMethod("isPublished")) {
+
+			$published = $page->isPublished();
+
+			if($published) {
+				$status = _t(
+					"GridFieldPage.StatusPublished",
+					'<i class="btn-icon btn-icon-accept"></i> Published on {date}',
+					"State for when a post is published.",
+					array(
+						"date" => $page->dbObject("LastEdited")->Nice()
+					)
+				);
+				//$status = 'Published';
+
+				// Special case where sortorder changed
+				$liveRecord = Versioned::get_by_stage(get_class($page), 'Live')->byID($page->ID);
+				//return $page->Sort . ' - ' . $liveRecord->Sort;
+				if($liveRecord->Sort && $liveRecord->Sort != $page->Sort){
+					// override published status
+					$status = _t(
+						"GridFieldPage.StatusDraftReordered",
+						'<i class="btn-icon btn-icon-arrow-circle-double"></i> Draft modified (reordered)',
+						"State for when a page has been reordered."
+					);
+					//$status = 'Draft modified (reordered)';
+				}
+
+				// Special case where deleted from draft
+				if($page->IsDeletedFromStage) {
+					// override published status
+					$statusflag = "<span class='modified'>"
+						. _t("GridFieldPage.StatusDraftDeleted", "draft deleted") . "</span>";
+					//$status = 'Draft deleted';
+				}
+
+				// If modified on stage, add
+				if($page->IsModifiedOnStage) {
+					// add to published status
+					$statusflag = "<span class='modified'>"
+						. _t("GridFieldPage.StatusModified", "draft modified") . "</span>";
+					//$status = 'Draft modified';
+				}
+
+				// If same on stage...
+				if($page->IsSameOnStage) {
+					// leave as is
+				}
+
+			} else {
+				if($page->IsAddedToStage) {
+					$status = _t(
+						"GridFieldPage.StatusDraft",
+						'<i class="btn-icon btn-icon-pencil"></i> Saved as Draft on {date}',
+						"State for when a post is saved but not published.",
+						array(
+							"date" => $page->dbObject("LastEdited")->Nice()
+						)
+					);
+					//$status = 'Draft';
+				}
+
+			}
+
+		}
+
+		// allow for extensions
+		$page->extend('updateStatus', $status, $statusflag);
+		return DBField::create_field('HTMLVarchar', $status.$statusflag);
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/composer.json b/composer.json
index 121e852..9b93ac2 100644
--- a/composer.json
+++ b/composer.json
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
         "name": "micschk"
     }],
     "require": {
+		"php": ">=5.4.0,<7",
         "silverstripe/framework": "~3.0",
 		"silverstripe/cms": "~3.0",
 		"micschk/silverstripe-excludechildren": "*",