XperienCentral R48

R48 is entirely focused on the beta version of the new rich text editor. This completely rebuilt rich text editor will replace the old one in a future release. Since this is a significant change, we will first undergo a period of beta testing to ensure the transition from the old to the new editor is as smooth as possible.

The beta version is available starting from R47. This means it can be deployed by GX in an R47 environment or newer for testing, without requiring a server restart (and deploy). The backend adjustments necessary to use the new rich text editor have already been included in R47. Contact GX Software to beta test the new rich text editor.

Another important improvement in R48 includes security updates following the annual security audit conducted by EY on R46.0. More information about this security update can be found in this article. The results of that security audit have been incorporated into R46.1 and R48.

Finally, various bug fixes and improvements have been included to maintain the stability of XperienCentral and make its use more efficient.

Beta version new rich text editor - sneak preview

The new rich text editor is a complete rebuild of the editor used to edit the contents of a content item. It will take several more releases before this editor fully replaces the old one, but here is a sneak preview of three new features that will be available in this editor. This is certainly not a comprehensive overview!

Inline Tables

The new rich text editor supports inline tables. This means tables can now be created directly on the canvas via the rich text toolbar, as shown in the screenshot below. The inline tables support the usual options, such as adding and removing rows and columns, splitting and merging table cells, and toggling the table header.

Additionally, a table cell of an inline table can contain any arbitrary element: an image, a content overview, but even a layout or a new inline table. Inline tables and layouts can be nested without limitations.

The screenshot below shows an inline table with an image and several cells that are split horizontally and vertically. Via the editor's toolbar, a table of the desired size (number of rows and columns) can be inserted directly.

Outline view

The new editor supports an 'Outline view' option. In this view, individual components (inline tables, elements, and layouts) are marked with a gray bar indicating the component type, making the structure of the content item clear at a glance. This view can be toggled on or off in the upper right corner. Additionally, when the mouse hovers over a component, it is highlighted and the component type is indicated by a similar bar in blue. In the screenshot below, the outline view is on while the mouse is hovering over the paragraph.

Shortcut for adding an image

Adding an image to a content item is now also possible via a shortcut on the editor's toolbar itself, as shown in the screenshot below. Images can be dragged directly from Windows Explorer to XC or selected from the Content Repository. Subsequently, a regular image element is added with the linked image.

Remarks in Forms

Starting from R48, form steps contain an additional field labeled 'Remark'. This field can be used to leave extra instructions for editors, for example, regarding the operation and/or setup of the form. If a form contains a step with a remark, this form is indicated in the tree structure on the left with a yellow marking, as shown in the screenshot below:

Editing a link title (for accessibility)

Previously, setting the link title was only possible if the link was created via the canvas. In the 'Links' tab of the 'Change Properties' screen of a content item, the field for the link title was not shown and thus could not be adjusted. As a result, the link title of a link (which could not be edited via the canvas) could not be set, which is often necessary for accessibility purposes. Starting from R48, the link title of all links can be adjusted via the 'Links' tab. Additionally, the link title is now shown by default when creating a new link via the 'Links' tab.

Mandatory fields in Routings

When adding a routing to a form, each routing contains a mandatory field, such as a 'Page' for a 'Go to page' routing or a 'URL' for a 'Go to URL' routing. This field was marked as mandatory with an asterisk (*) after the field name. However, actually filling in a value was not mandatory, which meant forms could contain routings without filling in the necessary parameters. Starting from R48, it is enforced that a value must actually be provided for the parameters to be set in a routing. This prevents errors or unwanted behavior in forms with incorrectly configured routings.