Published Release Notes

Improvements for test cases and assertions

The process of modifying test cases and assertions has been improved. Adjusting test cases to application changes is now much easier.

You now can:

• Select a page on which to run a tested rule.
• Change the class and rule of unit test cases.
• Create assertions that validate specific error messages on pages, properties, and activities.
• Automatically update decision result assertions with property changes made to a rule.
• Modify a rule's properties directly from decision result assertions.

For more information, see:

• Updating scenario tests
• Setting up your test environment
• Configuring page assertions
• Configuring property assertions
• Configuring decision result assertions

Simulation of data pages and third-party connections

When configuring your unit test case environment, you can now set up simulated data for connector and data page rules, instead of connecting to external sources.

By simulating such data calls, you are not dependent on any third-party server when running your tests.

This feature supports the following rules:

• Data page
• Connect-Cassandra
• Connect-CMIS
• Connect-dotNet
• Connect-EJB
• Connect-HBase
• Connect-HTTP
• Connect-Java
• Connect-JMS
• Connect-MQ
• Connect-REST
• Connect-SAP
• Connect-SAPJCo
• Connect-SOAP

For more information about simulating third-party connections, see Simulating data pages and third-party connections.

New branch quality dashboard

Pega Platform™ 8.4 introduces a new branch quality dashboard that shows the following metrics:

• The branch’s guardrail compliance score and the number of guardrail violations
• The percentage and number of unit tests that passed for the branch
• The percentage and number of rules that the tests cover
• Potential merge conflicts that can be addressed directly from the branch quality dashboard

For more information about the new branch quality dashboard, see Viewing branch quality and branch contents.

Improved mobile app user experience

Pega Platform™ can now produce a better mobile experience through performance gains and flexible access settings. Apps now support quick-loading native worklists, smooth scrolling and swiping, and query-based search, which improve productivity for mobile users. In addition, you can make your app available to users without authentication, and enhance usability for products that do not require strict security controls.

For more information, see Securing mobile apps.

More efficient mobile development

The work environment for mobile app developers in Pega Platform™ is now more intuitive. Because every new out-of-the-box application now comes with a preconfigured mobile channel, you can start building mobile apps straight away. Create a mobile channel from scratch, and then customize it to include specific requirements for your new app.

The following updates enhance the process of building mobile apps:

• Your application stores all mobile channels as rules. You can reuse these channels across all versions of your mobile apps for more convenient updates.
• You can now configure contextual search from the mobile channel.
• You can now create native mobile list pages for the app navigation directly from the mobile channel.
• You can now add pages from web portals to a mobile app navigation pane, with full support for native mobile features, such as floating action buttons.
• Mobile channels now support configuration through predefined templates, widgets, and actions.
• You can now instantly preview your mobile channel configuration to see how the app displays on mobile devices.
• Configuration of offline support for mobile apps is now available from a single, low-code page.
• The preview section now offers a low-code pane, from which you can instantly start building a mobile app.
• The mobile channel now supports adding custom iOS and Android modules.
• Admin Studio now supports a mobile page, from which you can provide your own Mobile Build Server credentials and decide whether users need to provide authentication to download your mobile app.

Improved offline support for mobile apps

The updated offline mode in Pega Platform™ now reduces implementation time, enhances the development process, and helps you create a more comprehensive mobile experience for users without a reliable web connection.

The improved offline support includes the following enhancements:

• Offline-enabled apps now use native mobile UI components, such as headers and bottom bars.
• Offline mode now supports decision trees for improved case processing. 
• Users can now process multiple cases simultaneously in separate offline tabs, which leads to higher productivity.
• Offline-enabled apps now work more efficiently because of improved caching and background synchronization.

For more information, see Working with offline apps.

Mobile features deprecated in 8.4

Following the introduction of new functionalities for mobile apps, some features are reaching end of life. To avoid additional effort during updates to future releases, do not use deprecated features.

In the 8.4 release, the following features are no longer recommended:

• Mobile Client 7 is now deprecated and planned for removal in 8.5. Use Pega Infinity Mobile Client to meet the mobile needs of your business.
• The Reuse existing web portal functionality is deprecated and planned for removal in 8.5. For improved app performance and more efficient development, use the mobile app builder in the mobile channel. Also, you must convert existing projects to use separate channels for mobile and web portals before upgrading to 8.5.

In addition, the Pega Mobile Express app has been removed from app stores and replaced with the Pega Mobile Preview app.

Support for building apps as Android App Bundles

As of August 2021, Google Play Store requires that you submit new apps in the Android App Bundle publishing format instead of the APK format. You can now build Pega mobile apps in the Android App Bundle format so that they comply with this new requirement.

For more information about generating installation packages for Pega mobile apps, see Generating installation packages. For more information about the Android App Bundle publishing format, see the Android for Developers documentation.