New and Noteworthy 8.0

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Engine Cockpit

Our new Engine Cockpit has now become a mighty successor of the AdminUI with a rich feature set. It's completely based on web technologies and simply open in your favorite browser or even on mobile devices.

• Configuration: System and app configurations can be reviewed and modified effectively.
• Administration: Manage your security systems in the cockpit. Add Users, change roles, edit properties, all can be done with the new security tools.

More features

Setup Wizard

With the new theme and the introduction of the Engine Cockpit, the Engine Config UI doesn't really fit in our product toolset any longer. Because of that, we decided to reengeneer this initial setup as a new Setup Wizard.

• Write Yaml: As our new configuration lives in yaml files, the new wizard saves your settings correctly.
• Better integration: The Setup Wizard is part of the Engine Cockpit, so all parts of the wizard are integrated in the cockpit as well.
• Improved Interface: The user interface matches the theme of the 8.0 release.
• Better guidance: We are now giving you better feedback to smoothly configure your engine.

Portal

We re-styled the Portal application completely and implemented a lot of new features.

• Group Chat: Establish chats with other workflow users instantly, even case related
• Announcements: Promote planned maintenance and other global announcements conveniently, in multiple languages
• Express data providers: Add your custom data source to provide data for Axon.ivy Express form widgets

Run in Container

Running the Axon.ivy Engine in an isolated container has become a lot easier.

This means that the barriers between Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift and all other container orchestration platforms have been broken down!

• FULLY ISOLATED: Software running in a container is completely isolated from the outside world.
• REPRODUCIBLE SYSTEMS: Your system setup becomes fully reproducible in one go since the whole system configuration is defined in a so-called image.
• PORTABLE: Build once, run everywhere! Once a docker image is generated it can be run on every system that supports Docker.
• DOCUMENTED INFRASTRUCTURE: The entire Axon.ivy Engine system setup is part of an image and thus fully documented.

Debian Engine Installer

The Axon.ivy Engine is now available as a Debian package. Now Engine operators can benefit from the rich tooling on the preferred platform of most cloud providers.

• SIMPLE: Install & run the Engine with one click.
• BEST PRACTICE: Run the Axon.ivy Engine as systemd service and restricts the access to Engine and workflow application files.
• UPDATEABLE: Install the latest hotfix version without risky manual steps.
• SECURE: Keep your manual changes in configuration files during updates.
• FRIENDLY: Organize files compliant with the Linux file structure and re-use the JVM provided by the system.

Highly Configurable

Successfully deploying your application in your customers environment is now easier than ever. The days of manual installations and the related chatty documentation are over!

• FILES: The complete configuration of an Axon.ivy Engine is now stored in simple human readable YAML files. Now it is very easy to document the whole truth about the current engine environment within an ivy.yaml file.
• ZERO DOCUMENTATION: In the past you had to document the installation of an Axon.ivy Engine because certain settings (e.g. Security System) could only be configured via the Admin UI. Now you can use the ivy.yaml file as your system documentation.
• OVERRIDABLE: Configurations are always overridable with environment variables. This is especially useful in container environments.
• TRACKABLE: Configuration changes get logged, showing what has been changed and where. Besides auditing configuration changes, this can also help tracking down problems after changes.

Instant Deployment

We believe that highly automated deployments are important. Customers should be able to use the latest features instantly. While developers and operations need a high confidence about the proper execution of their runtime artifacts.

That's why we extended our deployment interface:

• Atomar: The complete feature set of an application can be deployed at once. Just drop a zip file that contains multiple projects that belong to the same application into our engine deploy directory and it will be rolled-out.
• Controllable: The new deployment option file gives you the chance to fine tune the deployment process. It allows to enforce configuration updates and to steer the target Process Model Version to use. Now there are no technical reasons to migrate workflow data into a new Process Model Version.
• Self-documented: Deployment options can be stored in YAML files or in Maven plugin configurations. The deployment process is therefore documented, visible and reproducible in any environment. A separate documentation in a guide becomes obsolete.
• Automated: The deployment to the engine is steered by simple file operations. So almost any scripting environment can be used to automate deployments. The roll-out of a new application version should never take more effort than one click.
• Via HTTP: Deployment to remote engines has never been easier! Just upload your new application with one HTTP file transfer and you're done, perfect for your CI/CD environment!

Modern Platform

We updated the platform of the Designer in order to bring even more fun and productivity into your daily work. Stay ahead!

• DARK: Modern themes of the Eclipse platform can be used. You may give the new dark theme a try during your next nightly coding session.
• HDPI: High resolution displays are now supported. Feel free to use a brand new device to work with Axon.ivy.
• SCRIPTING: Scripting editors now support linking and quick navigation to referenced classes and methods. Use the F3-Button or Ctrl + click to jump instantly to a resource.
• MARKETPLACE: The now included Eclipse Marketplace allows you to access the universe of Eclipse tools. This will make you even more efficient.

Native MAC & GTK3 Development

Run the Axon.ivy Designer with the operating system you know and love most.

• MAC Designer: We released the first native Axon.ivy Designer for Mac OS X. Now you can digitalize your business on a Mac without starting a virtualized OS.
• Linux GTK3: The latest designer has been optimized to work with the most popular desktop environments on Linux. As a result, we were able to update the embedded browser, delivering way more accurate results when modern CSS & JavaScript is used.
• Process Editor: Many new native UI components are now available for all platforms: Context Menu, Inscription Masks
• Html Dialog Editor: It dropped its strict coupling to the JavaFX-based WYSIWYG editor and therefore runs on all platforms.

Customizable Designer

We made the latest Axon.ivy Designer much more flexible, so that it serves best for your development needs.

• Lighter:
  • The Xpert.ivy 3.9 import feature has been retired.
  • The project reporting feature is no longer included. But you can install it via the pre-configured update site.
• Up to date:
  • Many developers switched to GIT as their primary source control management system. Now we ship the EGit team provider together with a new version of Subclipse for SVN users.
  • Independent features of the designer such as GIT or SVN can now be updated. Now you are not bound to the Axon.ivy Designer release cycle to get the latest third-party improvements anymore.
• Totally yours:
  • You do not require some core parts of the Designer at all? We isolated features of the Designer so that you can uninstall them.
  • Why don't you craft your custom Axon.ivy Designer with the essentials for you and your team?

Custom Fields

Customizing a task and case list based on process data is easier than ever before. Put data in the custom field store of the task or case and it becomes automatically searchable. In addition, it can also be helpful for workflow process reporting.

• MEANINGFUL NAME: Name the custom field as you like.
• SEARCHABLE: You won't miss any search capabilities. Simply use TaskQuery and CaseQuery API to filter, aggregate and order by custom fields.
• STRONG TYPING: All custom fields are strongly typed. You can choose between STRING, TEXT, NUMBER and TIMESTAMP.

TaskQuery.create().where()
        .customField().stringField("branchOffice").isEqual("Zug")
      .and()
        .customField().numberField("creditLimit").isGreaterThan(10_000);

Legacy Support: Forget the additional properties, the limited old custom fields, the strange business fields and the legacy categorization. You don't need them anymore. But we are fully backward compatible. All legacy API calls will be mapped to custom fields. All inscribed inscriptions in your project will automatically be converted.

New Web Service Client Tooling

The tooling to call remote Web Services has been completely re-worked and is more powerful than ever.

• Simple: Clean and intuitive configuration mask on the Web Service Call activity
• Secure: Integrated authentication features for HTTP-BASIC, HTTP-DIGEST, NTLM and WS-Security.
• Compliant: A huge set of Web Service specifications (WS-*) are supported and ready to use
• Reliable: Logs and monitoring capabilities let you easily identify fragile Web Service communications
• Open: Additional client features can easily be contributed by process developers

Java 11 LTS

Axon.ivy now runs with Java 11. Which is the most recent LTS runtime for Java.

• Featured: Use the latest language features such as var and make use of modern libraries built upon Java 11.
• Secure: Rely upon the latest maintenance releases to run your solution.
• Light: The Java runtime environment is quick as fox since optional features are released as such and the remaining core was put on a strict diet.

Improvements

• Improve Logging in User Synchronization
• On demand synchronisation of AD users
• Streamline process element inscription tabs to SWT
• Validate macro fields
• Validate Database Activity output tab at design time
• Change order of output arrows/paths in Alternative Gateway
• Log Error Message in Elasticsearch Bulk Request
• First case and task of a case map must not appear in task list after session timeout
• Provide an API to start a CaseMap
• Support HTTP POST request to start CaseMaps and Sidesteps with arguments
• Support ivyProjects in application directory located in project specific Docker Image
• Configure Business Calendar in YAML config files
• Auto create application and deploy application zip during engine startup
• Support plain JSF pages without html dialog/process
• HTTP deployments to a remote engine using Maven or curl
• Consume engine to build from maven repo
• Create a new application at deploy time
• Support Overrides for Html Dialogs defined in a parent project
• Simple import/download of Portal/Sample projects
• Provide demo portal application only in demo mode
• Permanent substitute/deputy users
• Change security system of application security
• Add isLike(...) for number (ID) in TaskQuery- and CaseQuery-API
• Add new descriptive property "owner" to the case
• After I reserved a task and then resume it and get interrupted the task should still be reserved for me
• Make Documents/Files Location configurable
• Call WS methods that can only be generated in wrapper style
• Simplify REST file upload API and error its failure tracking
• Calling REST Service from browser that already owns an authenticated ivy session
• Support async REST services
• REST Client should consider SSL Client settings of Designer and Server when using https
• Use SameSite Cookies to prevent potential CSRF security
• Renew/Change the session ID after login
• Update Elasticsearch to 7.3
• Official Support for Postgres 11
• Upgrade jQuery to v3.3.1
• Upgrade Tomcat to 9.0.24
• Support SQL Server 2017 and drop support for SQL Server 2008
• Support Oracle 19c and 18c and drop support for Oracle11g
• Support PostgreSQL 12
• Upgrade Designer to Eclipse 2019-09 (4.13)
• Use Ivy Serenity Theme as new default theme
• Upgrade primefaces to 7.0.10
• Platform independent jvm.options file to configure an Engine
• PostConstruct script for highly customized Task creation logic
• Improve drag & drop support under Linux
• Improve performance of prefixed LIKE queries on PostgreSQL system databases performance
• Allow project specific JAX-RS extensions such as an exception handler
• Add Marketplace to Designer
• APT package for fast engine distribution under Ubuntu/Debian
• Support High DPI (HDPI) displays in Designer
• Document how to log rest client messages on the engine
• Store and access ivy projects as single IAR file on the engine performance
• Support GIT in Designer
• Officially support Maria DB
• Make project reporting an independent installable P2 unit
• Improve graphical performance on process editor for Linux
• Limit substitutes/deputies to current and future tasks of substituted user
• Validate .project file
• Make read and connection timeout for Elasticsearch connection configurable
• Keep Line Break style of existing MOD files
• Support MySQL 8.0 as SystemDB
• Respect editor preferences for Html Dialog views
• Automate Designer pre-requisites installation under Linux

Bug Fixes

Bug Fixes