Published Release Notes

More action types on the bottom bar

Pega Infinity Mobile Client™ now provides more flexible bottom bar configuration with a broader choice of actions, so that your apps can be more useful. For example, users can now create work items, open work items, or log out directly from the bottom bar of a mobile app.

For more information, see Configuring the bottom bar.

Data synchronization does not resume after mobile app restart

If an offline-enabled mobile app that you build with Pega Infinity Mobile Client™ is stopped during an initial data synchronization session, the data synchronization does not resume when the mobile app is restarted. Users must not stop the mobile app before initial data synchronization finishes.

For more information about data synchronization, see Offline capability and Guidelines for creating an offline-enabled application.

Ability to support advanced device features with Pega Infinity Mobile Client

Pega Infinity Mobile Client™ now provides a development kit that you can use to make mobile apps support advanced device features that are typically available to native applications, for example, an embedded laser scanner or a projector module, and integrate functions of external software solutions, for example, a cloud-based file storage.

For more information about enhancing mobile apps with device feature support, see the documentation for the development module in the latest Pega Infinity Mobile Client distribution package on Digital Delivery.

Swipe actions in repeating dynamic layouts in a mobile app

Lists that are based on repeating dynamic layouts now support swipe actions. The menu of available actions, such as Edit or Delete, does not obscure the view and is displayed only when a mobile app user swipes a row. Users benefit from easier navigation and they can do smaller tasks quickly, without leaving the main screen.

For more information, see Configuring swipe actions for a mobile app.

Indicate download size in offline-enabled mobile apps for iOS

When you publish a client-based mobile app in the Apple App Store that needs to download additional resources before it starts, the app must indicate the size of the download and obtain user consent. To comply with this requirement, you can now build offline-enabled mobile apps that prompt the user before they perform the initial data synchronization. If the user chooses not to download data, the application closes.

For more information about disclosing the data size and how the data size is calculated, see Defining advanced offline configuration for an access group.

Support for decision tables in offline-enabled applications

You can now use decision tables to reduce the implementation time of your offline-enabled applications. By using decision tables you can further automate case processing and derive the logic from the data model. Decision tables can be referenced in a flow rule as a type of decision shape or called from the declare expression rule. No additional configuration is required to use decision tables in offline-enabled applications.

For more information, see Decision table support in offline mode.

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.