Version 8.1 Upgrades and Enhancements

These versions of the platform contain minor feature enhancements, as well as bug fixes.

See also:

• Version 8.1 Platform Release Notes
• Release Notes for all versions of the platform
• Installable Version Release Notes (for ISVs)

1 Version 8.1.8 Changes (22 Sep 2011)

[Manage] Button for Application Settings

In the App Center, the button you click to see application settings was previously named [Settings].

User name variable in ISV Welcome Message

ISVs who set up a New Tenant Welcome Email Message can now make use of a new template variable: $user_full_name

2 Version 8.1.7 Changes

Hidden fields are now always hidden

When a field is hidden in a form layout, it is no longer available for use in a Layout Rule. To use it in a Layout Rule, leave it visible, and use a conditional Layout Rule to hide it.

Appointment Dates in Your Time Zone

Start dates for appointments are now converted to the user's timezone.

3 Version 8.1.6 Enhancements

The 8.1.6 release of the platform contains these enhancements:

Email Notifications for Relay

In your Relay profile settings, you can tell Relay to send you an email when a new post arrives in different kinds of feeds.

Mobile Access Forms

When Editing a Form Layout, you can now designate the form for use during Mobile Access.

Adding a Pick List, Radio Buttons, or Multiple Checkboxes just got easier

When adding one of those "enumerated field" Display Types to an object, a text area opens up that lets you specify the values right there on the spot, one per line.

Automatic Pie Chart when Importing Data to Create an Application

In the App Center, you can import Template:CSV data to create an application. If that data contains an enumerated field (Pick List, Radio Buttons, or Multiple Checkboxes), then a Pie Chart based on the first enumerated field in the data is automatically constructed and displayed on the application home page.

New Search and Filter Capabilities in List Views

A new List View is shown everywhere that multiple records are displayed--for Settings, Documents, and Designer metadata, as well as for Object data. It provides an alphabetic index, search capabilities, and a drop-down for more advanced record filtering, in the form of a double down-arrow. No matter what kind of record-list you're looking at, you can find the thing(s) you're looking for more easily.

Dynamically updated formula fields in Grid Sections

In a record form, a formula-field is dynamically updated as record-data changes. Previously, that was not the case for a Grid Section in a form. But now, all formula fields are dynamically updated, both in a Grid Sections and in the record itself.

Sort By and Sort Order for Grids

When defining a Grid Section, it is possible to specify the column to sort the records on, and the order in which to sort (ascending or descending).

Reorganized Grid Settings

To make Grid Sections slightly easier to configure, there are now three sections:

• Sort Settings contains the sort specifications.
• Column Totals lets you specify which numeric and currency fields automatically generate totals.
• Column-Total Adjustments appears when a currency field is totaled. It adds fields for surcharges, discounts, and taxes, and automatically applies those values to compute a net total.

Powerful, flexible, and customizable print capabilities

Print one record or many, or choose a View and print all of the records it contains. Choose a Print Form or a custom Print Template to use for formatting. Print in Portrait or Landscape mode. You can even set up custom print actions with pre-set defaults and fixed choices that are hidden from the user.

Built-in Javascript Functions

Use the newly documented Javascript Functions to customize your JSP/HTML Pages.

4 Version 8.1.4 Enhancements

4.1 For Users and Designers

Parent object fields available in formula fields

Parent object fields are now available when creating Formula Fields in a child object.

Example:

Order (parent object) and OrderItems (child object)

When you create a formula field in OrderItems, all fields in the Order object are available:

• On the formula field page > click Choose field
• The parent object is displayed as Orders >
• Click that entry to get a list of fields in the Orders object

Print All

In the list view for any Object, selecting [More actions] > Print brings up a popup window that lets you specify print options. Those options let you specify individual records to print (any selections you made in the original view show as the initial set of records). In addition, you can now select a view to print the entire collection records in that view. (You can also specify the form or template to use for printing, and the page orientation.)

Longer grid sections

A grid section in a form can now be created with up to 100 rows.

(Previously, the limit was 10.)

Learn more: See "Number of Rows" in Add or Edit a Grid Section

New buttons when editing fields

[Save] and [Close] buttons are now available in the fields tab, when editing a field.

Required, Display Only Fields

Fields can now be specified as both Required and Display Only.

(Previously, specifying a field as Required rendered a Display Only setting irrelevant.)

Learn more: Forms#Fields

Ranges for numeric fields

The default minimum and maximum for numeric fields are now 0 and 999999999 (999,999,999). Respectively. Those values can be modified as needed. Negative values can be specified (e.g. -6). Values can be specified up to and including the maximum positive and negative integer values.

Learn more: Field Display Types

4.2 Mobile Access Enhancements

Native mobile app for Android and iPhone

There is now a native mobile application for Android and the iPhone that will allow you access and interact with the platform from your mobile device.

4.3 For Administrators

Custom Stylesheets

If the service provider has enabled the capability, a company can specify a custom CSS stylesheet to control how the platform appears to the company's users.

4.4 REST API Changes

4.4.1 Global Changes

Null Checkbox Fields Return Zero

When the database value for a checkbox field is null, the REST API now returns 0. (Previously, it returned an empty field.)

4.4.2 New REST Resource

REST API:document Resource

This resource downloads a document via REST.