Published Release Notes

Top-level (named) pages may no longer be classless

Newly created top-level (named) pages may no longer be classless or have a blank pxObjClass property. This change can affect applications upgrading from versions prior to Pega 7 to the latest version, especially when:

• Application logic relies on a blank value in the pxObjClass property.
• An activity assumes a new top-level page is classless and explicitly sets pxObjClass in a Property-Set step.
• A data transform assumes a new top-level page is classless and explicitly sets pxObjClass using a Set action.

To avoid application failures, remove or update any logic that expects a blank pxObjClass. Where possible, use the new engine API that finds a page by both name and class:

findPageWithException(PageName, ClassName);

Activities and data transforms continue to create a top-level page when one does not exist. The class name is now derived from the Pages and Classes tab.

Designer Studio

Many refinements to the Designer Studio were made around performance and user experience. Based on feedback, we have made a number of bug fixes and strategic improvements that improve the overall user experience.

• The Developer Portal connects to the PDN's RSS feed without needing a DigiCert certificate for validation. The RSS feed is just headlines; to open and read any of the articles, users will still have to log into the PDN.
• Expression Builder has been enhanced to work with IE8.
• New applications built in Version 7.1 will automatically redirect users to the PRPC login page upon logout. A new template has been added, to allow developers to customize their applications to redirect users to a logout page, if they wish.
• Performance improvements were made when saving and validating rules.
• Performance of the Guardrails Dashboard has been improved.
• The display of circumstanced rules in Application Explorer has been enhanced.

Integration

Critical customer-driven product improvements were made to SOAP services, SOAP connectors and connector wizard, CMIS connectors, and the Pega Image Viewer. These fixes addressed a handful of functionality gaps discovered in PRPC 7.1 and earlier releases by internal and external customers.

• A Connect-CMIS instance which was created using a reference to an ATOM Server Instance may now use Global Resource Settings.
• The Execute Synchronously (one-way operation) has been enhanced for SOAP Services.
• The Silverlight version of PegaImageViewer has been enhanced to print ranges of multiple pages at once.
• The SOAP Wizard has been improved to show all the ports which are available in the WSDL file.
• Two way SSL has been enhanced for the Connect-REST rule.

Reporting & Data

This release fixed many existing unlocalizable elements in 7.1 reporting interfaces (The Report Viewer, Report Editor, Chart Editor, and the Report Browser) and now they are fully localizable. Changes were made to make Listview, summaryview,  and report viewer display possible WCAG 2.0 level A and AA support.

• Parameters may now be used in a sub-report join condition.
• Report Definition localization has been enhanced.
• Standalone ListViews with embedded SmartInfo have been improved to resize appropriately when the SmartInfo section is expanded.
• The data section of a report will now display in all of the available space when a fixed header option is selected.
• When localizing a listview with filters, tool tips are translated.

System Management

Refinements were made to out-of-place upgrade documentation and processes, as well as for how handling is performed for all of the database vendor specific nuances related to a deploying into a split schema environment.

• A script was created to run the data schema upgrade for z/OS systems.
• In a split-schema configuration, indexing has been enhanced.
• The product installer has been enhanced.
• The stand-alone Static Assembly Utility does not require a password for its process.
• The UpdateManager tool has been improved.

User Interface

This release had a focus around improving support for accessibility for all the PRPC UI Components as well as extending capabilities for responsive design with grids and tabs. A series of cosmetic changes and fixes are included.

• Improvements have been made for action items being opened in a dynamic container.
• Row repeat functionality in sections has been improved to better handle source properties.
• Screen layouts have been optimized for the iPhone platform
• The display on dynamic containers has been enhanced to provide the same behavior for both single-mode and multi-mode.
• The Launch Harness feature has been improved to launch into a pop-up window.
• The operator menu will now display from the Case Manager portal.
• The Primary Page functionality has been enhanced for control-defined Repeating Tab Headers.
• Using local actions defined as modal windows has been enhanced to work in an iPAD using a Safari browser.
• When using a modal dialog to open a flow action in a repeat grid, to add an item to the list, users may now cancel out of this dialog if no changes are needed.

Case Management

This release had a focus on extending key capabilities to improve the ease of configuration based on early adopter feedback.  Improvements were made in run-time performance, especially in high volume situations with complex case configurations.  A series of cosmetic changes and fixes are included.

• The Wait shape now supports dynamic references.
• Issues were addressed with the CreatePDF and the CascadingApproval Smartshapes.
• Attachments have been improved.
• Issues with the Create Case Type functionality were addressed.
• The Pega Pulse functionality has been improved, including its performance.
• When auditing a work item, History is now the default tab.

Data Management

Improvements to data handling were made for the Data Pages, autopopulate properties, and reference properties.  Lightweight lists were optimized.

• Property references are now maintained on the Work Page.
• PageList properties can reference a Data Page.
• Auto-populate properties can be used in a seciton to show results from a Data Page.
• Data Pages can run in “Page” mode as well as “List” mode
• The "Rules Not Using Lightweight List" report was enhanced.
• A PageList property that references a Data Page may be used to populate a grid.
• Related autopopulated properties can now be referenced.

Designer Studio

Numerous usability improvements were made for this release. A group of cosmetic, functional, and performance enhancements were also included.

• Treegrid controls work more quickly in IE9 and IE10.
• On application ruleforms, the 5.4 "Place Properties on Thread Page" checkbox will work in 7.1.
• Message error handling has been improved.
• Log messages have been cleaned up.
• Connectors may now be used in Data Pages.
• Move Rules wizard has been enhanced to work in Version 7.1.

Decision Strategy Manager

Fixes were made that improve the configuration and execution of Batch Decisions. In particular,  the capability to use Structured Data has been enhanced. Some notable improvements have also been made to the UI of Visual Business Director.

• The structured data input configuration will now work even though there is no data.
• VBD has been enhanced to work with Version 7.1.
• The structured data input configuration will now work with nested structures.
• Association rules from Version 6.3 will now work with 7.1 structured data.