Template:February2025Upgrade

Overview

Watch this video to get a general overview of the new features in this release.

To watch this video in full screen, please click on the full screen button on the bottom right.

Upgrade Highlights

• A new header experience featuring a simplified and streamlined navigation is available for users to try out (Beta).
• A new Test to Production (T2P) feature to track and promote configuration changes is available for internal staff to try out (Beta).
• The new interface for SmartFolders (introduced March 2024) is now enabled for all users.
• The new rich text editor (introduced November 2024) is now enabled for all users.
• Enhanced performance optimization options.
• New configuration settings designed to seamlessly align with your unique processes and preferences.

Global System Upgrades

The new features listed below are enhancements to the SmartSimple system and will be immediately available to SmartSimple users upon the application of the upgrade to their server:

Major Updates

New SmartFolders Interface

In March 2024 we introduced an updated SmartFolders interface featuring a modern design, consistent UI patterns, and improved performance. This new interface will now be enabled for all users. For a limited time, users will have the option to switch back to the classic interface. However, the classic version will be deprecated and permanently unavailable following the June 2025 upgrade.

The new SmartFolders interface is now enabled for all clients.

New Rich Text Editor

The new Rich Text Editor introduced in November 2024 will be enabled for everyone to ensure a secure editor experience. The classic rich text editor will be deprecated and permanently unavailable following the June 2025 upgrade.

The new Rich Text Editor is enabled for all clients.

Minor Updates

Standardized Lookups

We have standardized the list of contacts and organizations displayed across AJAX and binocular icon lookups to reduce confusion. Before the upgrade, the AJAX lookup for contacts used the global lookup list view located at Global Settings > Users > Lookup List Views. After the upgrade, you may navigate to the desired UTA > Configuration Settings > Level 1 tab > Standard Fields > Edit “Contacts”. There you can change the lookup list view to be what is desired for both lookups within that UTA. If you are using a linked record list, the lookup list view is chosen from within the custom field.

The search input for a contact or organization will now utilize the list view defined within the UTA standard field and will be consistent with the functionality of the binocular icon. For a "Special - Linked Record List," both the search input and the binocular icon will adhere to the settings specified in the custom field configuration.

Indexing Pages in Search Engine Results

Added a new toggle to simplify specifying whether login, signup, or template pages should appear in search engine results. By default, all pages will not be indexed going forward. If you want a login, signup, or template page to appear in search engine results, toggle on the new setting called Index page in search engine results. Otherwise the system will add a tag that instructs search engine robots not to index or follow links on those pages.

Note: This feature is only available in production environments.

On-Demand System Upgrades

The following features are available immediately with the application of the upgrade, but must first be enabled or configured by a Global Administrator:

Major Updates

ReCAPTCHA V3

We added a new option to use ReCAPTCHA Version 3. This new option provides bot detection with no user interaction. CAPTCHA Settings are located at Global Settings > Security tab.

A new option is available to use ReCAPTCHA 3, providing seamless protection against spam and abuse without causing user friction.

New Header (Beta)

We are introducing a new header experience featuring a simplified and streamlined navigation along with a new icon for Global Administrators. In addition, the area containing the header icons now gets a new accent color and the organization of items in the menus have changed. Try out the new header on your backup environment by going to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Branding > Toggle on Enable new header experience.

Compare the optional New Header released in beta (top) to the old header (bottom). Some notable changes include the new accent area for icons, the gear icon for Global Administrators, and the language and organization switchers moved under the user menu.

If the new header contains more links than the available space, the extra links will now be grouped under a dropdown labelled "More".

Minor Updates

New Test to Production Feature (T2P - Beta)

Added a new Test to Production (T2P) feature designed to track and promote configuration changes on a project-by-project basis online without relying on the existing desktop tool. This enables teams to implement changes independently within a project and later promote those changes easily to another SmartSimple environment. For example, you can seamlessly transfer a subset of changes from a dedicated development environment to a production environment. This beta feature is now available for clients to explore and test. Let us know what you think while we finish polishing up the feature for a full production release. To learn more, read  our latest T2P article. Note: You can use this tool alongside the existing desktop tool as we continue testing, refining, and preparing this new tool to be production ready.

The look of the new Test to Production(T2P) tool while it is recording configuration changes. Note the button to pause recording is located inside the orange banner message.

On the export screen, you can choose a subset of changes to export from a project. Optionally, you may also promote changes not recorded against a specific project.

Transfer Files Between Upload Fields

Added the ability to transfer files between “Upload - Multiple Files Storage” custom fields. This can be done manually with access to this feature managed through role permissions. Additionally, files can be moved automatically based on the selected date range, status, and type. Clients utilizing the Data Exchange feature may want to use this new option to minimize the size of exchanged packages and avoid including all files with each transfer.

New optional functionality allows you to manually transfer files between two "Upload - Multiple Files Storage" custom fields.

Language Selection Within Settings Pages

Added a new configuration option to enhance efficiency by allowing you to filter the list of available languages displayed on settings pages. Navigate to Global Settings > System tab and specify the languages you want to make available on configuration pages. Once set, the system will display only the selected languages when entering translations on settings pages. This eliminates the need to scroll through a list of 100+ languages, saving time and improving usability.

A new optional language filter for settings pages, designed to save administrators time by simplifying the selection of your preferred languages.

Dock Mode Visibility

Added a new feature to control the visibility of Dock Mode. This mode (which is available on Level 1 records such as grant applications) allows users to open related items (such as Notes) in a right-hand panel. To configure role-based permissions for the availability of Dock Mode across the system, go to: Global Settings > Security tab > System Feature Permissions > Features > Enable Dock Mode.

A new option to hide Dock Mode for a simplified user experience.

Options for Improved Performance

To enhance performance in systems handling large volumes of data, you now have additional options to process updates asynchronously. When enabled, formulas, status triggers, auto-assignments, and workflows will now run in batches asynchronously. This feature is accessible in two locations:

• SmartConnect API settings: Within the update function.
• Autoloader settings: Located on the Process tab.

Options to Enhance System Performance

We've introduced a new option to hide the record counts displayed in the left navigation for Level 1, Level 2, User, and Organization records.

This setting can be found under Global Settings > System tab > Scroll to the "System Performance Options" section.

Additionally, this section includes two other performance-enhancing options:

• The ability to load records only after performing a list view search.
• The option to restrict list view searches to a single column.

These features are designed to help improve system efficiency and responsiveness.

Note for Admins

Special Button Custom Field

Added the ability to create a Level 2 from a Level 1 or 2 within a UTA using the "Special - Button" custom field and the @opportunityid@ variable. This may be achieved with the following syntax:

/Apps/app_editevent.jsp?appid=@apptype@ &islevel2=1&objecttype=23&nextlevel=1&companyid=@companyid@ &objectid=@ opportunityid@ &eventtypeid=83216&eventid=0

SmartConnect API Enhancements

We’ve introduced two new interface options to the SmartConnect API settings:

• Run in Background: This option queues changes to run in batches, enhancing overall performance.
• Bypass Field Type Validation: This allows updates to records even when the data format does not match the expected field type such as number or date.

Additionally, we’ve added the ability to skip creating a new record if a matching record already exists using fields values as record identifiers, for improved performance. For example, suppose you sent the following request for a user record: othersettings : {"uidfields": "sf_Phone;;cf_fieldintitle2", "noupdateifexist":1}

If the phone field (sf_Phone) and the custom field (cf_fieldintitle2) match a user record, the record will not be created. Update operations are not processed when using record identifiers. Note: the above are update functions only.

Enhanced Keyboard Focus

Enhanced keyboard focus on checkboxes and radio buttons to improve visibility and accessibility.

Improved visibility for focus state on checkboxes.

Office365 Email Relay Setup and Support

Failed emails will now be requeued up to 2 times if Office365 timeouts when used as an SMTP relay. Additionally, also fixed an issue regarding setting up Office365 SMTP OAuth 2.0.

Report Export

Updated the report export to include support for system variables and basic variables, such as @currentdate@ within the header and footer.

Execute Workflow on Upload

Updated workflows linked to the "Multiple Upload Files" custom field to execute only once for files uploaded in a batch.

AI Vision

Updated the AI Vision feature to use GPT-4o for improved performance.

Session Timeout

When a user’s session times out and they logged in using Single Sign-On (SSO) with assertion enabled, the system will now send a logout assertion.

Deprecated Email Broadcast Link

The email broadcast link previously available on the settings page of user signup pages has been deprecated and is no longer accessible.

The email broadcast link on user signup pages has been deprecated.

PDF Validation

Added malicious content detection for uploaded PDF files.

Upcoming Changes to Legislative Lookup Service

The Legislative Lookup service, which has relied on free data from Google, will be changing within the coming weeks due to Google sunsetting their Civic Information API (targeted for April 2025). We will continue providing state legislator data for both the upper (Senate) and lower (Assembly) houses using a feed from openstates.org however Federal Legislator Data: This will no longer be available. If you have organization mappings with entries like city\X in the mapping column, those fields will stop returning data in the coming weeks. You may wish to remove these mappings and hide the associated custom fields. This setting can be adjusted under: Global Settings > Organizations. The specific fields to review are listed in the "Custom Field" column. To learn more visit Legislative Information Lookup Article.

Other Fixes

Fixed an issue with Adobe Sign signer's sequence.

Fixed an issue in Chrome on iPhone that prevented users from uploading files to the multiple file upload custom field.

Fixed an issue in SSO with modifying roles when Role Mapping is configured.

Fixed an issue where users could not open messages when clicking on a system notification under the bell icon.

Fixed an issue in archived emails list view.

Service Packs

February 14th 2025 (202502.02)

Temporarily reverted a change regarding the behavior of variables @fieldname.value@ and @fieldname.combovalue@. As of the February 2025 upgrade, if these variables were not found, they returned empty; now, they will display the variable name like they did before the February upgrade when no data is found. This reversion was made to accommodate clients running template formulas referencing custom fields that share duplicate names within the same object. Note that custom field names should always be unique within the same object. If you wish to hide these variables when empty you can still append them with the code to hide if not found.

<!--hideifnotfound-->@fieldname.value@

February 20th 2025 (202502.03)

• Fixed an issue where the enforced language setting (located at Global Settings > Users tab > Default Personal Settings) was not being enforced as expected in some scenarios.

• Fixed an issue where some emails on hold went directly into the Failed tab and displayed the "Invalid address" error message.

March 13th 2025 (202503.01)

• Deprecated the Classic tab located under Global Settings > Branding tab > Colors and Styles. The Label Alignment setting remains available.

• Updated the messaging for a batch update in progress so that it automatically hides a few seconds after the batch update completes.

• Updated the Field Change History (found on Level 1 records under the Logs link) to include a "Source" column. This is useful for viewing where a change was initiated and for tracking changes that may not have been made directly by a user.

• Added new variables to validate pages and word counts on documents uploaded to the multi-file and single file storage custom fields. For example, you can now use SmartCheck validation on application submissions to ensure a client uploaded a document that contains at least two pages of information or contains at least 100 words. File types that can be checked include Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx), Rich Text (.rtf) and Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf).
  The syntax to retrieve this information from the uploaded files based on the field name is: @field.pagecount@, @field.wordcount@.
  The syntax to retrieve this information from the uploaded files based on the field ID is: @#fieldid.pagecount#@, @#fieldid.wordcount#@.
  
  Note: If there is more than one uploaded file, you will get an aggregate of pages and counts across all files. PDFs must contain searchable and selectable text. If using these variables in SmartCheck validation, custom field validation, browser scripts or comparisons, be sure to wrap the variables with the parse number syntax: ssParseNum(@#fieldid.pagecount#@)

• Added a new option to exclude the date-timestamp from the file name on e-signature documents that are saved to an upload field after the signing process. To see the new setting, navigate to the "Special - Web Page View" custom field where the document is generated for e-signature. The new setting is called Append date-timestamp to signed document file name.

• Added the ability to specify the visibility of the "Special – Like Button Rating" custom field within SmartFields which is used to generate PDFs.

• Added new syntax to use the identity verification feature in DocuSign, allowing clients to request the recipients/signers verify their identity. This includes options for ID verification using government IDs, bank IDs, phone authentication, access code authentication, and knowledge-based authentication.
  
  Note: Clients must configure workflows in their DocuSign account and update their existing Web Page Views with the new syntax, including the DocuSign identity verification workflow IDs. To learn more, read our article on identity verification for DocuSign: https://wiki.smartsimple.com/wiki/DocuSign#Identity_Verification

• Added a count for invitations within the left-side panel of object pages.

• Updated the "i" icon tooltip on workflow task connectors to show conditions on hover.

• Updated system uploads to check that the uploaded file's extension matches the actual file type.

• Updated single sign-on (SSO) with more precise and consistent date/time management across time zones.

• Updated copy behavior so that when a record is copied, the associated media files are reprocessed automatically by the media library, allowing them to be played inline without manual intervention.

• Updated the autoloader to improve error handling when incoming data contains unexpected JSON data formats.

• Fixed an issue with the @objtoken_loginurl@ variable where it was not taking the user to the desired record if the user was not already logged in.

• Fixed an issue where the axis was not displaying correctly when creating a custom field with the "Chart" type set to "Horizontal Bar".

• Fixed an issue where workflows were not automatically triggered when the status of a Level 1 record was updated using a P3 script.

• Fixed an issue with the rich text editor in workflow emails where the styles did not load as expected.

• Fixed issues around creating and updating associations using SmartConnect API version 1.

• Fixed an issue where rich text fields were not rendering in Edit Mode when accessed through alternate login pages.

March 20th 2025 (202503.02)

• Fixed an issue where the first character of historical field values was being truncated in the stored data during updates made via API calls.

• Fixed an issue with the new Data Exchange (DEX3) where packages failed to send with the error message: "Source import settings not found."