WarningReleaseNotes

New widgets

Discussion widget

This new widget is designed to enable  discussions within  apps. You can create discussion threads or reply to existing threads on different  objects such as incidents or service requests.

The graphic appearance of discussions is identical to the one in .
         

•  and  discussions present functional differences. One is designed for Back Office users while the other is intended for all users.
• Read and unread discussions are separated in the display. Just like in , unread discussions are considered read once they are displayed in the widget.

General operating principle

To add a Discussion widget, you must first configure a dedicated data source connected to .

Configuration of the data source for discussions

The data source to be added is available in the data source library in the Applications section.
         

Its configuration depends on the widget to be used, i.e. the Discussion widget.

• If discussions are linked to a specific  object, e.g. an incident or service request, you should specify the Master/Detail section.
• If you want to display the entire list of discussions, you are not required to complete this section.
• The filter enables you to display all discussions or only the discussions for the logged-in user.
           

Implementation

The widget to be added is available in the widget library in the EasyVista section.
         

Configuration and design of discussions

• Standard configurations are available in the Content section. You can choose whether or not new messages are authorized, if the search bar should be hidden or displayed, whether or not to display the [ Allow Follow ] button (see the Description in ), and specify alternative labels for different widget fields.
           

• Design parameters are found in the Theme section. The Element drop-down list is used to select the specific part of the discussion you want to configure.
             

• You can follow and unfollow discussions in the same way as in .
           

Indicator for unread discussions

You can now add an indicator to show users the number of unread messages from their personal and followed discussions.

The example below uses the Menu widget.

• The indicator appears as follows:
           

• The KPI is configured in the Data Picker by selecting the NB_NOT_READ field of the data source and by specifying that the first row of the table must be used.
           
           

Interactions with Service Manager

• Discussions created using the new widget are Front Office discussions while discussions managed in  are solely Back Office discussions.
• The avatar defined in  is prioritized for discussions. If it is not available, then the one from  is used.
• The link to the  form is automatically generated by the system.

• If you are a discussion moderator in  (with access rights to the Administration >  Manage Discussions menu), you will inherit the same status in . You will be able to delete discussions displayed by the widget as long as the All discussions view was selected in the data source configuration.

Knowesia Widget

The Knowesia widget allows you to integrate Knowesia resolution scenarios into an  App page. The content displayed can be either Knowesia projects or procedures.

        See Knowesia Documentation (FR) for more information about the principle of operation

         A Knowesia widget integrated into an app page
         

Properties of the Knowesia widget

Root From Knowesia Website: Your Knowesia URL Knowesia Type: Project or Procedure Url: GUID of the URL allowing you to determinate the project or the procedure to display Theme: Knowesia theme you want to use when your Knowesia site has several themes Connection Account For Knowesia: Account identifier to use Add More Parameter: Optional additional parameters Use the Latest Version: Allows you to force the display of the latest version of the Knowesia procedure

What's new in widgets

Tab widget

New options now enable you to define the width of tabs and to insert padding between tabs.
         

• Custom drop-down list: Used to define the width of tabs based on different options.
           
  • Default Size: This corresponds to the previous Auto mode in earlier versions. In this mode, each tab is resized according to the length of the tab name.
             
  • Adjust Width: Used to adjust the width of tabs to occupy the entire width of the widget. Note: Lengthy text will be displayed across two or more rows.
             
  • Custom: Used to define a specific size for each tab. A field for entering the size of the tab will appear for this option.
             

• Space Between Tabs: Used to add padding between tabs. Note: This option is not available if the Scrollable Tabs mode is enabled.
           

Search Filter widget

The Search Filter widget is fully compatible with the configuration defined in previous versions and its operating principle remains unchanged. In addition, you can now use it to:

• Run a search on several data sources.
• Run a search in the Knowledge Base and in discussions.
• Specify a page for viewing the search results.

Moreover, design parameters have been improved to enable you to apply the style chart of your company.

Operating principle

• The page dedicated to the display of search results contains the same number of Data Viewer widgets as the number of data sources added to the Search Filter widget. 

• The widget applies the search filter to the different data sources simultaneously. 

Widget configuration

New properties have been added to enhance the configuration of the widget.
         

• Target Page: Used to specify a target page for the search results. This page can be specifically used for displaying search results. For example, it can display several Data Viewer widgets, one for each data source used for the search.
       

• Data Source and Fields: Used to select data sources.
           

Design parameters

• You can define the background color, text color, search icon, and the size of different items.

• Select the item you want to define (e.g. text) from the Element drop-down list in the Theme section. Modify the graphic properties of the text to be displayed before and after the search is run.

• Configuration of individual items
           

• Overall design parameters
           

Search run in the Knowledge Base and in discussions

The search is based on the following two data sources.
         

• EasyVista KB data source
           

• EasyVista Discussions data source
           

Menu widget

Several graphic properties have been improved.

Rounded cell corners

The Theme > Cell Border Radius property now enables you to define rounded corners precisely for all menu items.

• Cell Border Radius = 7
           

• Cell Border Radius = 18
           

• Cell Border Radius = 32
           

Improved definition of the hover state

• The window for configuring the design of menu items now appears as shown below.
           

• New options enable you to define the colors to be displayed when the cursor hovers over each menu item.
           

Slider widgets

The behavior of the Sliding Image, Sliding Panel and Sliding Page widgets has been reviewed and enhanced to make these widgets easier to use and to improve the behavior of images.

Note: These new functionalities may have a negative impact on existing Slider widgets currently implemented in your apps.

What's new in the Sliding Image widget

Images are now managed in the same way as for other widgets and functionalities.

• You can define their position, zoom level, etc.  See Background images in HTML fields.
           

• The Image Picker now displays images available on the server.
           

What's new in the Sliding Panel widget

The Sliding Panel widget now enables you to access background images and their properties via the text editor to define the display of panes combining images, text and buttons, etc.
          

Generic modifications to Slider widgets

New properties for selecting colors for navigation dots  and arrows  on either side of the image have been added.
         

Data Viewer widget

Descriptions retrieved from  are now correctly line wrapped. The description no longer appears in a single line.

HTML Composer widget

This widget is deprecated and can no longer be used in new apps. 

If it is currently implemented in your apps, it will continue working as usual.

Widget display

Widget height

Widget height will now automatically resize according to the widget's contents and the height of the screen.

Operating principle

• With simple columns
           

• With complex columns
           

The first widget has a fixed length of 600 that pushes the black bar to the bottom. The widget in column 2 is automatically resized according to the available size and therefore also pushes the black bar to the same position at the bottom.

New properties

• Use Available Height: The Use Available Height is used to resize the widget so that it occupies the space available.
  • Note: Once you enable this property, you will no longer be able to modify the widget height.
             

• Use Content Height: The name of the Set Full Height property has been changed to Use Content Height. This makes the functionality clearer and indicates that the height of the widget will automatically resize according to its contents.
  • When this property is enabled, you can use two options to enter minimum and maximum values for the widget height. 
  • Because the automatic resizing of the widget height may be an issue if there are no contents (the widget would be invisible), you can specify a minimum size to force the display of the widget.
             

Specific case of the Data Viewer widget

The Data Viewer widget works in a different way for these two properties. The same principle is applied to the height. However, the difference is due to the vertical scrollbar used to view records.

• When the Use Available Height property is enabled, the widget uses the standard browser scrollbar.
           

• When the Use Content Height property is enabled, the widget uses an integrated scrollbar whose width is thinner.
           

Transitions in the HTML Script and Data Viewer widgets

New functionalities have been added to HTML Script and Data Viewer widgets to enable users to implement animations and graphic effects when the cursor hovers over certain areas, as seen on numerous websites.
For example, on devices such as mobiles and tablets where the hover state is not supported, a given catalog can display a special version of the thumbnail obtained by using an overlay on hover.

Implementation

• New properties have been added to sections to display HTML code. Select Enable... HTML Hover (1) to access them.
           

• New functionalities in the text editor. New icons can be used to define the contents of HTML fields based on the animation properties selected for the section.
           

• The Transitions Editor, used to select and define transitions
           

Entry animation in widgets

A new functionality now enables you to insert, for each widget, entry animation that will be run when the page containing the widget is loaded.

Operating principle and configuration

• The new Enable Entry Animation property has been added to the Theme section.
           

• You can define the configuration in the Animations Editor.
           

Specific case of the Data Viewer widget

Data Viewer widget cells can be animated to add a visual effect when displayed.

• The new Enable Custom... Animation property has been added to the Tile and Line sections. Note: We recommend that you avoid adding entry animations in both the Theme section of the widget and the Tile or Line display mode.
           

• You can define the configuration in the Animations Editor.
           

Management of background images

Background images

• You can now define the configuration of background images in pages in the same way as other background images.
           

• You can use the Background Image Properties drop-down list to define the Repeat, Size, and Position properties within a single dialog box.
           

Operating principle in HTML fields

A new mechanism now enables you to insert background images in an easy standardized way in all HTML fields using the CSS background-image attribute.
          Add text directly to an image using the following HTML code.
         
         

• You can now click a new icon in the text editor toolbar to select the background image directly.
           
           

• In the dialog box that will appear, you can modify the image and its parameters.
  • Repeat: This is used primarily for small images, when you want to tile the image to cover the entire background area.
             
  • Size: This is important for defining whether or not white spaces should be displayed around the image.
    • Initial Size: The image will be resized to occupy the entire area, even if this requires stretching it, i.e. the aspect ratio is not respected. 
    • Scale to fit: The whole image is displayed in the widget. Depending on the aspect ratio of the image as regards the widget size, white spaces may be inserted.
    • Scale to cover: The image is scaled correctly to cover the entire area available without any white space. This means that part of the image may be cropped.
               
  • Position: This is important if the value of the Size parameter is Scale to cover. As the image is scaled to cover the entire area of the widget, you can define which part of the image should not be cropped in order to remain visible.
             
  • Opacity: Used to define the color filter to be applied to the image.

      A slogan that appears in white over an image is not always legible.
             

         ==>  You can improve legibility by increasing the opacity value to 50%.
             
             

[ New Request ] command button

Previously, users could add the [ New Request ] button only if the data source associated with the widget was the one used for the Service Catalog, without the possibility of passing any parameters.

The system has been significantly enhanced to offer you the possibility of defining elements in the new request more precisely. You can now place the button in a widget whose data source is different from the SD_REQUEST table. Furthermore, you can now customize the button's design parameters.

Operational overview

Insertion of the new button

• You add the button in the same way as in previous versions using the EasyVista > New Request tag in the text editor. It is now available for all types of data sources.
           
• When you select the New Request option, a new dialog box will appear. In the first tab, you define the functional parameters of the button. In the second tab, you define its design parameters.

Widget pointing to the Service Catalog	Data source different from SD_REQUEST

• The first step is to enter the name of the button and select the relevant service if the button is associated with a data source different from SD_REQUEST. Note: If the data source points to the SD_REQUEST table, you do not need to select the service because it is automatically identified via the current record.
           

• If you do not need to specify any parameter, you can simply click  to insert the button.
           

Parameters

You can now add parameters corresponding to the fields of a given record updated in the SD_REQUEST table.

• You define a parameter as follows:
  • Specify the destination field in the SD_REQUEST table, e.g. key fields, fields associated with the key, AVAILABLE_FIELD_ fields, E_xxx fields.
  • Specify the elements characterizing its value.

• A parameter can have four types of values:
  • A data source field to which the widget points
  • A field belonging to another data source in the app
  • A dedicated tag selected from a predefined list
  • Text

• Once you add a parameter, several drop-down lists will be available.
  • Destination field: Used to select the destination field in the SD_REQUEST table.
             
  • Parameter type: Used to select the type of parameter. The elements to be specified will depend on the type of parameter selected.
             
     
  • Column: Used to select the table field.
             
     

• Click  once you have defined the parameter. The new parameter will be added to the Properties tab.
           

• Each new parameter is displayed in the tab progressively during its configuration.
  • Colors are used to represent each drop-down list.
  •  Used to delete the parameter.
              

Parameter pointing to a field in the current data source

The Column drop-down list displays fields from the data source to which the widget is pointing. 

• The field can be a string. 
• Keys are also displayed when the data source is linked to .
           

• If the destination field is a key: A PK field will automatically be added to the list of fields. This is the primary key you should select in the source table.

• If the destination field is a string: The system will search the source table to find the corresponding key.

• Note: Once you have defined a field from a given table as the destination field for a parameter, you will not be able to select other destination fields from the same table. 

Parameter pointing to a field from another data source in the app

You must select the data source you want from the Data Source list which displays all data sources available in the app.

Caution : The system identifies the data source using the current record displayed. The corresponding data source must be initialized. For example, it must be displayed in a Data Viewer widget on the current page.
         
 

Parameter pointing to a tag

This option is used to obtain system information on the client connection. Currently, two tags are available, - the login and the email address of the logged-in user.
         

Parameter pointing to text

This option enables you to enter a user-defined string. For example, you can enter a marker that can be used subsequently in the workflow editor.
         

Button design parameters

You define the design parameters of the button in the Style tab. You can select the background color and text color for the normal display and on hover.
         

Modification of existing buttons

You can modify the parameters of an existing button in the interface using the Button Editor which will appear when you click the relevant button in the text editor.
         

• The first tab displays the button properties.
           

• The second tab displays the design parameters.
           

Specific case of a button in SD_REQUEST

If the main data source points to the SD_REQUEST table (button functionality in earlier versions), you can use the new functionality fully but you cannot select the service because it will be grayed out. This is normal because it is automatically identified using the current record displayed. 

• You can add parameters.
           
   
• You can use tags from the previous version (1). However, new buttons will be inserted as buttons so that you can modify them (2).
           

Use case

A button for submitting a request for a badge is added to user forms. The recipient of the badge is the user selected in the form.

• Button configuration
           

• Button for submitting a request for a badge
           

Data source management

No Data message

• You can now customize the No Data message to be displayed when no data is returned in the data source.
           

• The message is displayed when the app is run.
           

Drilldown functionality

You can now disable the drilldown functionality for EasyVista data sources for Data Viewer widgets in Grid mode, Bar Chart, Pie and Donut Chart widgets, using the new Enable Drilldown property.

Note: By default, this property is not checked to ensure compatibility with existing apps.

Standardization of data sources

The data access engine which provides access to data sources in Studio has been reviewed to work generically, independently of the data source. At present, data sources provided widgets with an interface that was partially linked to the capacity of the associated data source.

Each data source now offers a unified interface that you can customize using a new tool, the Data Dictionary Editor. This enables you to specify by default the type of input fields in the interface.

The aim of the tool is to act as a staging area between raw data from the data source and the data received and read by the standardized and unified interface.
Wherever possible, the system will attempt to determine the type of field automatically. However, in complex situations, you may be required to specify this information explicitly. 

Operational diagram

Data Dictionary Editor

The editor which you can access optionally in each data source, is used to define the properties of each field precisely, e.g. name, type and visibility.
         

In previous versions, this button only enabled you to view the contents of data. You can now use an optimized dialog box to define elements in the data dictionary.
         

You can perform the following actions:

• Hide a field: Click the button (5) to the left of the field name or drag the field to the left pane (1) using the move handle (4).
• Display a hidden field: Hidden fields are found in the left pane (1). Click the button (2) or drag the field to the right pane using the move handle (3).
• Rename a field: Click in the field name (6) or click the icon (7).
• Define the order of fields: Click and drag the column of the relevant field to the right or left using the move handle (4).
• Define the type of field (8).

Type of fields

The new tool enables you to define the type of input fields precisely for the data source.

The type of field is known for EasyVista data sources but not for CSV files or REST data sources. In this case, the new mechanism will attempt to determine the type of field and position drop-down lists with the appropriate values. You can accept the default suggestion, modify or define the type of field if the system was unable to determine it.

Specific case for REST DateTime fields

REST DateTime fields are coded in multiple formats. They may appear as a Timestamp, e.g. number of milliseconds from a given reference data. The system is unable to distinguish them from Integer fields and, as such, the default suggestion is Integer.
         
         

• If this is the case, you should select the DateTime field manually from the Type drop-down list.
           

• The system will then search among the three possible types of DateTime fields and select the correct one.
           
           

What's new in the Data Transformer

The Data Transformer has been improved to ensure consistency with the Data Dictionary Editor.
         

Note: Supported functionalities are identical to those in the previous version.

Search mode in data sources

A new mode has been added to data sources to improve the search functionality. This mode is used to clear data from the data source as long as a search has not been run. This is the usual behavior of search tools.

You can enable this option in the data source by selecting Force Search To Get Data.
         

Search is not run: The Data Viewer widget is empty	Search is run: The Data Viewer widget contains data

Miscellaneous

Improved shortcuts

Shortcuts have been enhanced to allow users the possibility of running a mobile version of the app if it is available. Now, you can also define a simplified understandable URL for launching apps.

What's new in shortcut creation

Choice of launch page

You can now specify a launch page in addition to the name of the app linked to the shortcut.
         

Best practice for creating apps

In a certain number of cases, it may be useful to develop two versions of a given app, - one for standard devices and the other for mobile phones.

The system has been enhanced so that you can implement a single shortcut to both versions of the app using a new property.
         
         

Shortcut name for a simplified URL

By default, the URL for launching an app via a shortcut appears as shown in the example below:
          https://<server>/index.php?timestamp=<ts>&name=com.easyvista.58bfca4702d53

The system now enables you to use a new property to name the shortcut, making it easier to understand. Note: The name should only contain letters, numbers, the underscore or the dash.

        Shortcut named MyApp ==> Launch URL = https://<server>/MyApp
         

Display of Date, Time and numeric fields

In previous versions, the display configuration of dates and numbers was part of an overall configuration based on the tenant, the language in  and the Web browser.

Users can now customize this configuration using new properties available in the user information zone.
         

Link with Service Manager

The origin of incidents/requests, actions, questionnaire replies and knowledge ratings created via  or via an  app is now identifiable. Note: This functionality is available in the  2016.1.267.4 patch.

The information is stored in the ORIGIN_TOOL_ID column pointing to the SD_ORIGIN_TOOL new reference table and is available in the following tables:

• SD_REQUEST: Origin of incidents/requests
• AM_ACTION: Origin of incidents/requests actions
• AM_DOCUMENT: Origin of incidents/requests attachments
• SD_QUESTION_RESULT: Origin of questionnaire replies
• SD_EMPLOYEE_RATING: Origin of knowledge ratings

Studio

• Now, when you duplicate apps, the history will no longer be duplicated.

• The width of padding and margins is no longer limited to 30 pixels.

• The toolbar is now correctly resized according to the width available.
           

Optimized performance

The following points have been optimized:

• Duplication of apps
• Multiple calls to