Version 9.0 Upgrades and Enhancements

Upcoming Enhancements in Version 9.0.18

See also: Version 9.0 Platform Release Notes Release Notes for all versions Doc Notes for documentation changes

1 For Users and Designers

1.1 Multi-Value Line Charts

Multiple sets of values can now be displayed in a single graph, making it easier to do comparisons and see trends at a glance.

Learn more: MultiLine Charts

1.2 Zero Values Supplied for Reports Grouped by Month or Month in Year

When a report groups data either by month (or by month in year), a zero value is now supplied for any month that has no data. This change keeps report formatting consistent, making them easier to read.

Learn more: Date Groupings in Report Groups

2 For Designers

2.1 Labels (titles) Available for Workflow Template Variables

In the past, workflow template variables for the current state, previous state, action taken, and available actions in current state always contained internal names. An additional set of variables now makes available the labels attached to those values, as well.

The new variables are:

• $workflow.current_state_title
• $workflow.previous_state_title

• $workflow.action_taken

• $workflow.available_action_titles_for_current_state

Learn more: Template Variables in Workflows

2.2 Captchas Supported in Web Forms

A Captcha displays an image and asks the user to type the text it contains. (Providing the correct text shows that a person is filling out the form, rather than an automated "robot".) Captchas can now be included in a Web Form simply by putting a mark in a checkbox.

Learn more: Web Form Settings

2.3 Enhancement to Pass Thru Authentication

When configuring the Pass Thru Authentication (PTA) service, it is now possible to POST the pass-thru parameters to the platform. (This behavior supplants the earlier requirement for making an AJAX call to the PTA and performing a conditional branch based on the results, so that it is now simply a matter of hosting a form on a website, and submitting the user's identification information in a standard HTTP POST request.

3 For Admins

3.1 User and Role Management Separated in Access Profiles

The old "Access Control/User Management" permission has been divided into two different permissions, to allow for more fine-grained control of administrative privileges. One permission (User Management permission) allows an admin or manager to create users and teams. The other (Access Control permission) is used by an application designer or "super admin" to create the roles used in the application.

4 Deprecated Functionality

4.1 Removal of On View and On List View Data Policies

In general, Data Policies that are triggered by On View and On List View are an exercise in redundancy. They generally add system overhead (a great deal of overhead), without adding any real value. For example, if a field is calculated, the calculation need only occur when the record is created or updated. If it is invoked every time a record is displayed, the system works overtime to re-calculate values that have already been stored.

To improve overall system responsiveness, therefore, the On (record) View and On List View triggers for data policies have been retired.

The change does not affect legacy applications. In addition, the capability can be enabled on a case by case basis, when exceptional circumstances warrant it.