Published Release Notes

Default value of the threadpoolsize agent affects batch indexing

After you patch Pega Platform to version 8.5.2 or higher, the system changes the default value of the threadpoolsize agent, which controls the number of concurrent activities (threads) in the system, from 5 to 15. Batch indexing in Pega Platform™ does not require all 15 threads, so you can change the agent value to increase system performance by managing the indexing/distributed/batch/numworkers dynamic system setting.
If your deployment does not support that setting, and batch indexing does not use Queue Processors, the system uses the threadpoolsize value for batch indexing instead.

For more information, see Editing a dynamic system setting.

Nested conditions visible in the condition builder

Condition builder now supports the option to view nested conditions in a read-only mode, so that you can conveniently analyze and understand logic in your application. For example, if you create a condition that uses another When condition rule as a value to compare at run time, you can preview the configuration of that When condition. You can use this feature with When conditions nested at multiple levels, so that you can analyze even complex logic in your application.

For more information, see Defining conditions in the condition builder.

More detailed configuration of persona access in App Studio

App Studio now supports more precise configuration of access for personas so that you can improve the security and usability of your application. You can now define what actions a given persona can perform on a case, a data object, or a configuration set. You also save time because you define settings for an entire group of users that a persona represents. For example, you can configure a customer service representative (CSR) persona to view only cases that process insurance claims from VIP customers, without the option to modify the cases. As a result, you ensure that users of your application can interact only with relevant data, in a way that best meets your business needs.

For more information, see:

• Manage access for personas more efficiently in App Studio (8.6)
• Configuring access options for a persona

Improved support of browser actions in Cosmos React UI

Pega Platform™ applications that use the Cosmos React now maintain user settings for the duration of the session. For example, if a user applies filters and sorting to a table, and then opens a new document, the application retains the table settings when the user navigates back to the page by clicking the browser back button.

This change improves user productivity by reducing the need to repeatedly apply the same settings.

Improved modal dialog boxes

In Theme Cosmos applications, modal dialog boxes for case creation now support width customization. In addition to a bigger default width, the FlexModalTemplate format now includes the following CSS helper classes, which enable developers to adjust the width of dialog boxes:

• modal-width-1_5x – sets the minimum width to 960p.
• modal-width-2x – sets the minimum width to 1280p.
• modal-width-max-content – sets the minimum width to the maximum width of the content.

In this way, users can now more comfortably create entries that require more descriptive information, for example, bugs. In addition, the background of all modal dialog boxes is now translucent, which highlights the focus of the dialog box as the only active part of the UI.

For more information, see Modal dialog box.

Decision tables authoring in App Studio

App Studio now supports the option to create decision tables that return values for a calculated field. For example, you can automatically calculate a life insurance rate for a customer by using a decision table that evaluates multiple factors, such as age, medical history, and current occupation. At run time, your application evaluates the values that the customer provides against the values in the decision table, and then responds with the most suitable result. By building decision tables in App Studio, you increase the flexibility of your low-code application and save time and resources, because a single decision table can provide results in multiple scenarios. You can also save and then reuse decision tables to speed up your application development even more.

For more information, see:

• Calculate values automatically in App Studio with decision tables (8.6)
• Calculating values with decision tables
• Authoring decision tables in App Studio

Improved case previews and case utility enhancements

The collapsible preview panel in Cosmos applications has been enhanced. The preview panel now helps users complete assignments in the previewed case directly from the panel, to save time. The preview also includes a clickable case stage link which displays an overlay with the case life cycle and all its steps for better context.

Additionally, to help save screen space when a case is fully opened, the collapsed or expanded state of the utility panel now persists for all cases that you open in the same browser tab.

For more information, see Enhance the case processing experience in Cosmos Rules applications (8.6).

Multiple sessions in separate browser tabs or windows

Theme Cosmos applications introduce an enhancement to the existing ability to work on multiple cases simultaneously in separate browser tabs or windows. You can now open an entire application in, for example, two separate browser tabs, without one session refreshing and overriding the other. As a result, users gain more flexibility and freedom in how they work. 

For more information, see Adding a dynamic container to a portal.

Improved tabbed layout group

Tabbed layout groups now generate semantic markup, which helps conform to accessibility standards. As a result, the tabs in the preview panel support numbers, for example, for items that might require attention, and a horizontal scroll bar if the number of tabs does not fit the display.

For more information, see Enhance the case processing experience in Theme Cosmos applications (8.6).

Improved search results and screen space economy

Theme Cosmos applications now display search results in a new tab with a variety of filters. Consequently, users do not lose their content when they raise a search query, and can adjust their results by selecting from out-of-the-box filters, such as status or type.

The summary panel now also gives users more freedom in managing screen space by being collapsible. The collapsed panel moves to the top of the page and aligns the summary tabs horizontally, so that users can conveniently interact with complex lists.

For more information, see Enhance the case processing experience in Cosmos Rules applications (8.6).