Published Release Notes

Core Engine

This release contains fixes related to clipboard and declarative features, including data pages and autopopulate.

• A rule may be changed using Private Checkout, and then checked into a higher RuleSet Version for that RuleSet.
• Agents may now use a 24-hour time period for scheduling, as well as a 12-hour time period (which required the selection of AM or PM).
• Caching and performance have been enhanced.
• Declare expressions will work with embedded page lists when creating forms.
• Mandatory parameters on a data page can handle blank values.
• Properties may be auto-populated using a reference property which is created with a Property-Ref method in an activity.
• System will use "private edit" rules in developer's personal RuleSet when that rule overrides the "standard" rule available to all.
• The Page-Remove method will now remove Data Pages at the Thread level and the Requestor Level.
• When copying a page using the "Set" action on a data transform, the Declare Indexes defined on that data will be updated.
• When creating a data page, the Reload Once per Interaction checkbox can be checked to set the refresh strategy. 

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.

Support for rule rebasing

You can now rebase the rules on your development server with the most recently committed rules from a centralized system of record (SOR). For example, after rules are merged on the SOR, you can rebase your development application to refresh your application with the merged rules. Development teams working in two separate development environments can share their changes, keep their local rulebases synchronized, and reduce the probability of conflicts with other development teams.

For more information, see Rule rebasing.

Add new commands in the Facebook channel preview console

Now you can not only edit existing commands in the preview console for a Facebook channel but also add new command responses and associate them with intents. For example, you can add a new response command in the preview console in a case in which you entered a command and no response was found for the generated intent. This functionality gives you more control over the Facebook channel configuration and makes the preview console easier to use.

For more information, see Simulating a chatbot conversation.

Enhancements to PegaUnit test cases and test suites

Several enhancements have been made to PegaUnit test cases and test suites.

• You can now use advanced filters on the Automated Testing landing page and when you add test cases to a test suite to search for information.
• After you run a test case on the Edit Test Case form or a test suite on the Edit Test Suite form, the header now displays the expected and actual run-time values.
• You must now specify at least one assertion before you can save a test case.
• You can now compare a property to multiple values so that the assertion passes if any property meets the defined criteria.
• You can now use the is greater than and is less than comparators for date and date-time properties.

For more information about PegaUnit testing, see PegaUnit testing.

Execute Tests service now supports application name as a parameter

You can now use the application name and version as a parameter when running the Execute Tests service (REST API). When you build an application on Pega® Platform in a continuous delivery pipeline, you can use the Execute Tests service to validate the quality of the build by running PegaUnit test cases that are configured for the application.

For more information about the service, see Running PegaUnit test cases and test suites with the Execute Tests service in Pega 7.3.1.

Monitor application health on the Application Quality landing page

On the Application Quality landing page, you can view various quality-related data in one place so that you can monitor the quality of your application and correct any issues. The Application Quality landing page contains a summary of guardrails compliance, PegaUnit test coverage, and results of PegaUnit tests.

For more information, see Application Quality landing page.

View PegaUnit test reports

The Reports tab on the Automated Testing landing page contains tables and charts that display the percentage of rules on which PegaUnit test cases are configured, and the results of PegaUnit test execution. By looking at the data on this tab, you can see which tests failed and investigate them.

For more information, see Viewing PegaUnit reports.

Integrated Application Security Checklist helps you deploy a secure application

Pega^® Platform now provides an Application Security Checklist that you can refer to when you prepare your application for deployment. By completing the recommended tasks in this checklist, you can track your progress, access instructional information for tasks, and verify that your configurations are secure.

For more information, see Preparing your application for secure deployment, Compliance Score tab, Designer Studio — Home page.

Import and export artifacts to and from a repository

You can import and export development artifacts to and from a repository. Use the Import wizard, the Export wizard, or the service-enabled system management command-line tool to move artifacts. For more information, see Tools for migrating rules and data.