Anypicker control is now available
Valid from Pega Version 8.4
The new Anypicker control displays a drop-down list of values that you can group into expandable categories for faster browsing. To save time and improve search accuracy, the Anypicker control filters the available values based on the characters that the user enters.
For more information, see Adding an Anypicker control.
Referencing Rule tool in Dev Studio
Valid from Pega Version 8.4
The Referencing Rule tool now runs in Dev Studio without the need for Adobe Flash Player. This enhancement integrates the Referencing Rule tool into your work environment, which improves productivity by reducing context switching.
For more information, see Finding rules by dependency.
PDF/UA support
Valid from Pega Version 8.4
PDF documents that you generate in Pega Platform™ are now in PDF/UA format. This enhancement improves accessibility for users who rely on assistive technology, such as screen readers.
For more information, see Setting PDF file versions.
Upgrade impact
With an upgrade to Pega Platform 8.4 and later, the underlying PD4ML library in Pega Platform changes from v3.10 to v4.x. Following an upgrade, most standard HTML-CSS conversions to PDF work seamlessly; however, if you use the following custom coding in their application to convert HTML to PDF, you may find that PDF generation works differently than expected or no longer works:
- Application layer Java in activities that directly link to the underlying PD4ML library
- A Rule Utility Function
- PD4ML tags in HTML fragments
For example, the following PD4ML proprietary CSS keywords are no longer supported in v4.x:
- pd4ml-page-break-border-top
- pd4ml-page-break-border-bottom
What steps are required to update the application to be compatible with this change?
After you upgrade to Pega Platform 8.4 and later and find your PDF generation works differently than expected or no longer works, you should consult the latest documentation available at pd[4]ml support site. You may also consider using the Compact CSS instead of the application skin for PDF generation; for details, see Creating PDF files by using a compact style sheet.
Custom activities protection
Valid from Pega Version 8.4
Unauthorized users can no longer access or use custom activities. This enhancement improves system security and makes application maintenance more intuitive.
Changes to the Attach Content control in Pega Client for Windows
Valid from Pega Version 8.2
Users who access offline-enabled Pega Platform™ applications from Pega Client for Windows can now use the Attach Content control within a case view to attach files with a native file picker control or take screenshots with a device camera. Images are immediately attached to the case, and image file names are based on a time stamp. If a device has no camera, the client skips the source selection step and the native file picker control opens.
For more information, see Harness and Sections forms – Adding an Attach Content control.
Support for Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) push notifications in Android custom mobile apps
Valid from Pega Version 8.2
You can now create Android custom mobile apps that use push notifications with the Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) services. The push notifications for Android custom mobile apps based on legacy Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) are deprecated, as GCM services will be officially removed from use on April 11, 2019. To continue to use push notifications, you must migrate your custom mobile apps to FCM services. Before building your custom mobile app, you must register your Android app for push notifications in the Firebase console, obtain the FCM server key and Google Services JSON file, and use the key and file in the Android certificate set to build the custom mobile app.
For more information, see Migrating Android custom mobile apps that use push notifications to Firebase Cloud Messaging, Push notifications in Android mobile app, and Android certificate set.
Manage test ID access with an access group role
Valid from Pega Version 8.2
Test IDs for user interface components are available only to users who have the PegaRULES:TestID role added to their access group. This requirement allows administrators to limit access to test IDs to users who create or run tests. At run time, applications do not include the test ID data for users without the PegaRULES:TestID role, which reduces the amount of code that is downloaded to the client.
For more information see Managing Test ID access with an access group role
PEGA0107 alert enables performance monitoring of offline-enabled apps
Valid from Pega Version 8.2
You can now monitor the performance of offline-enabled apps by analyzing PEGA0107 alerts from Pega Predictive Diagnostic Cloud™. PEGA0107 alerts are equivalent to PEGA0069 alerts in the context of offline-enabled applications, but PEGA0069 alerts are not generated for offline-enabled applications.
For more information, see PEGA0107 alert: Client page load time for offline-enabled applications and Pega Predictive Diagnostic Cloud Improvement Plan overview.
Text file rules support the Google Closure Compiler
Valid from Pega Version 8.2
Text file rules support Google Closure Compiler as the default option for minification of JavaScript code. Minification reduces the size of JavaScript in text file rules for faster download. Access the Closure Compiler by selecting it in the Text File rules - Completing the Main tab.
menu in a text file rule. For more information, seeMashup code preview in App Studio
Valid from Pega Version 8.2
When you create a mashup channel for your application, you can now eliminate issues with the code and create better looking applications, by using the portal preview in App Studio. You can preview a channel to verify that different types of devices correctly display the mashup code. The preview functionality uses a default wrapper that functions as a portal for displaying a frame with the mashup code. You can modify the appearance of the default wrapper, and adapt the mashup user interface in design mode to meet your requirements.
For more information, see Configuring the Mashup channel and Previewing an application.