Published Release Notes

Ability to view a PDF file while offline

Users of offline-enabled mobile apps can now tap a button to view a PDF file, regardless of whether the user is online or offline. The associated button, link, or icon must have a Run Script action defined that calls the pega.ui.pdf.view() function with two parameters: applicationName and pdfName. The PDF file itself must be uploaded to a Rule-File-Binary rule.

For more information, see How to set up viewing of PDF file while offline.

Accessibility support using WAI-ARIA roles

The Pega 7 Platform supports accessibility by using Web Accessibility Initiative Accessible Rich Internet Application (WAI-ARIA) roles. WAI-ARIA roles are a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) ontology that specifies roles, states, or properties for each user interface element. Roles provide semantic information about features, structures, and behaviors that assistive technologies use to convey information to users.

• The dynamic container is marked as the main content area by default. When a user tabs through a page, the user can choose to follow a skip to the main content link by pressing the Enter key.
• WAI-ARIA roles are included by default on screen layouts, and each panel of the screen layout is assigned a role that is based on its position.
• Dynamic layouts can be configured with a specific WAI-ARIA role, depending on the function of the layout in the user interface.

Exporting charts in scheduled reports to a PDF file

When a scheduled report with a chart is exported to a PDF file, the chart is not automatically included in the PDF file. This behavior is different from when you export reports from the Report Viewer. When you export a report with a chart from the Report Viewer, the chart is included in the PDF file.

For scheduled reports, you can use the pyEmbedChartUsingPhantomJS HTML rule and the pyCallPhantomJS activity rule to implement a solution that exports a chart to a PDF file.

For more information, see Exporting a chart in a scheduled report to a PDF file.

Building a Pega Mobile Client with custom modules

When you build a Pega Mobile Client mobile app using the Pega 7 Platform, you can now include Android or iOS custom modules. The custom modules must be included in the assets.zip file that contains the Pega Mobile Client branding and customization details.

For more information, see Building a mobile web app into a hybrid mobile app.

Descendant class instances now included in reports

The Report on descendant class instances option on the Data Access tab of the Report Definition rule has a new option to now include data from all descendant classes of the report's primary class. If descendant classes are mapped to multiple class tables, the generated SQL query performs UNIONs to include this data. Previously, only a single class was included in the report.

You can select a subset of descendant classes to include or exclude by adding a filter condition on pxObjClass.

Existing reports retain the older behavior for this option after an upgrade or update. To use the new option, you must set it for each existing report. New reports created in Designer Studio and out-of-the-box Pega 7 Platform template reports from which new reports are created in the Report Browser (pyDefaultReport and pyDefaultSummaryReport) default to the new option. If you have created custom template reports for some application classes, you must change them to enable the new option in reports that are created in the Report Browser for these classes.

See Reporting on data in multiple class tables.

Report Definition query filters can search embedded properties

Filter conditions on Report Definition rules that query the Elasticsearch indexes can now reference embedded properties. Previously, filter conditions could reference only the top-level properties of a class. To reference an embedded property within a filter condition, specify indexes for embedded page lists and page groups, for example, Customers(1).Addresses(1).City = Boston OR Customers(1).Addresses(1).State = MA.

These indexes are ignored in the generated query, and so can potentially match any value in a page list or group. However, filter conditions that reference multiple embedded properties in the same page list or page group, as displayed above, might not be satisfied on the same page.

Method for specifying custom search properties has changed

The method for specifying a custom set of properties that are stored in the Elasticsearch indexes and that can be referenced later in filter conditions or returned in a set or results has changed. Previously, the pySearchModel Data Transform rule was used to specify a custom search property list within a class. The new method is to specify a Data instance of the Data-CustomProperties-Search class.

After upgrading to Pega 7.2, make these changes:

• Reenter existing pySearchModel Data Transform rules as instances of Data-CustomProperties-Search data instances.
• Enable the indexing/useDataInstances Data Admin system setting by clicking Records > SysAdmin > Dynamic System Settings.

After you change the set of custom search properties for a class, rebuild the Elasticsearch index for that class on the System Settings Search landing page.

BIX extracts can be scheduled and run from the Pega 7 Platform by using agents

You can create an agent that periodically invokes the new pxExtractDataWithArgs activity to run a BIX Extract rule. The activity takes the class and extract rule name, as well as an additional input string with a list of BIX command-line parameters, as input parameters to use for the run.

Discontinued support for list view and summary view rules

The list view rule and the summary view rule are deprecated, and support for these rules has been discontinued. Existing list view and summary view reports will continue to work on supported browsers. However, the last version of Internet Explorer that list view and summary view rules support is Internet Explorer 11.

You cannot create new list view or summary view reports. Instead, create list reports and summarized reports by using the report definition rule. To prevent display issues, re-create the custom list view and summary view reports that you need as report definition reports.

Accessibility improvements

Several improvements are now available that enable application accessibility. These improvements affect the wait indicator, overlays, and collapsible layouts.

The wait indicator, or throbber, announces its status to an assistive technology such as JAWS.

• When loading, the throbber announces “Loading content” or other text that can be edited in the pyThrobberLoadingText property.
• When loading is completed, the throbber announces “Loading completed” or other text that can be edited in the pyThrobberLoadingCompletedText property.
• The loading announcement is set by default to a three-second delay, which can be modified in the pyThrobberAnnouncementDelay property.

Overlays are announced by an assistive technology and overlay content can be tabbed through by using the Tab key without closing the overlay. Overlays can be closed by pressing the Esc key. This behavior applies to all overlays and modal dialog boxes that are opened as local actions and popovers that are part of the autogenerated UI.

All users, including those not using an assistive technology, can focus the expand and collapse feature of a layout by using the Tab key. The expanded or collapsed state is announced by screen readers.