RELEASE NOTES R180 - scheduled for September 25th 2012

[mario_gudelj]

We are announcing a new Business Catalyst release, scheduled to go live on Tuesday, September 25th.

This release includes some great improvements to our module templates, new features for our email marketing system, admin interface improvements, a few infrastructure updates and lots of bug corrections.

Read through the following sections to get detailed information about this release:

• Features and enhancements
• Issues fixed by this release

You can jump to the corresponding section by clicking the above links.

Features and enhancements

Modules improvement

Starting with our September release, we have enabled users to use a html page or a static template as a module list template (layout) for all modules that are using templates today. The new addition allows partners to create different views for the same data for a personalize experience. To use this new functionality, just create a new module template and update your module properties by specifying the template to use.

Ex: {module_blogsitepost,2 template="/ModuleTemplates/Custom/MyTemplate.tpl"}

Note: although you can use any extension you feel comfortable with, we recommend using a .tpl extension for two reasons: help locate the template better and avoid having these templates being displayed in Page list.

Email marketing application improvements

This is release is packed with new features and enhancements to our email marketing system.

1. Dynamic modules in email campaign - you can include modules (a subset of 19 modules) in the Email Campaigns content; the system will render these modules right before the campaign is sent, making sure your customers always receive the latest content;
2. Fresh, new email templates - the release includes a set of new of new email templates that look much better; along with these new templates, the template selection page was re-done to show better thumbnails;
3. Improved recipients selection - we have improved the recipients wizard step, replacing the checkbox list with a smart search and select control; additionally, with this release you will be able to  select multiple lists (including Customer Reports) to exclude from your campaign.
4. Improved campaign status screen - before sending the campaign, you will now be able to view the exact number of recipients before sending the campaign (Note: reports and list requiring a long time to compute will be approximated); additionally, while the campaign is sending, we are displaying a meaningful status, that indicates that the campaign is being sent.
5. Email clients reporting - the campaign report screen has also been improved to include a report showing you the email clients used to read your campaigns.

Admin console improvements

We have updated our new admin user interface and replaced the insert module and insert tag panels with the new Business Catalyst toolbox almost everywhere. With the new toolbox we'll make it easier for partners and business owners to insert and customize module or tags into pages, templates or system emails. The toolbox user interface will opened by default for partners for faster access to tags and modules.

Other changes

• Some  FTP improvements (better error codes, performance, etc) and SFTP support
• DNS improvements (support for setting up Google Apps email out of the box, several bug fixes)
• When you change your email address on adobe.com, it syncs automatically with BC
• Various improvements of the caching engine for static assets

Issues fixed by May release

• Issue 2869695 - Fixed an issue that broke the comments submitted by visitors by placing <br> tags after a random number of characters;
• Issue 3317538 -     Fixed an issue preventing the social media modules from being reinitialized after pressing "Add to cart"
• Issue 3317105 -     Files with spaces in the name do not get invalidated properly on FTP/API delete
• Issue 3317478 -     Fixed an issue causing hardcoded http paths to generate security alerts when on https
• Issue 2567045 -     Fixed an issue with Product Purchased with Details data field
• Issue 2567131 -     Fixed an issue causing web app creation forms to generate  [No Name] duplicates
• Issue 3319245 -     Fixed the search function on Help & Support
• Issue 3320623 -     Fixed an issue causing decimal prices to be incorrectly saved when editing/creating an order in admin and having the site admin language set to a country language that uses "," as decimal separator instead of "."
• Issue 3325526 -     Fixed an issue causing the CRM Session verification to fail for session IDs that contain +
• Issue 3162093 - Fixed a problem [AdminV4] HTML files for campaigns can't be edited
• Issue 3009528 -     Updated multiline fields to allow line breaks
• Issue 3010606 -     Changed FTP blog layouts  listing  to properly handle cases of invalid layout group names
• Issue 3315646 -     Fixed an issue causing {tag_blogcategorylist}to not limit the number of results as set
• Issue 3316323 -     Small bug/improvement at offline payments on copy/pasting the PDF password
• Issue 2900590 -     Fixed an issue causing a correct web app item address to change to another one on some sites
• Issue 3319299 -     Fixed some performance problems causing Edit Web Apps Settings -> Autoresponder  interface to freeze
• Issue 3320422 -     "Free shipping" not validated when enforcing shipping validation
• Issue 2918069 -     Cannot save values properly for webapp items when the custom field uses comma separated checkbox list, and it has more then 265 characters for the list of values
• Issue 2925458 -     Web App edit form is adding "X_" to the existing classes inside the description field. Every edit will add another x_ ending up in something like class="x_x_x_classname"
• Issue 2567035 -     Can not list files in FTP when there are invalid characters or similar in the directory
• Issue 3313655 -     Import fails if the username column values are already in the CRM
• Issue 3315485 -     Varnish cache is not invalidated when overwriting files with %20 in the path
• Issue 3315372 -     When adding a new item in the admin the address fields is pre-populated

Known issues and limitations

• Product list layout outputs the products using an unordered list, requiring CSS for better formatting
• Favorites module does not support multiple templates (layouts)
• Module detail views do not support multiple templates (layouts)
• Recursive modules are not supported in email campaign preview
• Dreamweaver design view, ignores the custom template and always renders the tags from the default template (layout)

For more information about this, follow the release announcement on the Business Catalyst blog: Introducing our feature packed September release!

[Peter-AM]

Thanks Mario, what is missing from the post and this notification is a fundamental pieces of information "TIMES". This is not just your info but also the release by Jackson Palmer on the blog - totally missed there also

• We need to be notified of the sceduled timing of this release not just a vague date which is not specific globally
• 25th but we are global - what time specifically 0100am PST is very different to 1030pm PST , the latter being 26th in AU
• Why - because campaigns scheduled for around this time can be impacted, and also if the sites go offile during the maintenance window campaigns can be a wasted exercise.
• Previously mid week schedules have been a matter of heated discussion, yet the support guys say that schedule ahas not been decided upon
• Not planning is planning to fail, and we have witnessed that all to ofetn in the past. BC unfortunately has a history of failing to plan and inform, and this does little to activate confidence in the community.

I have discussed with Dragos on numerous occassion how the missing ingridents at BC like communication, UX, planning and most importantly understanding from the customer perspective (rather than backroom coders).

eg at 645am 26th of Sept 2012 we have a email campaign scheduled ( and can be rescheduled ), the issue I see is without your maintenance window timings being published in a timely manner how can we tell if we move to a sooner or later timing. You have to agree it is disasterious marketing to blast out a campaign and find systems down when customers open newsletter offers and want to shop then.

If the time schedule is listed somewhere else even more shame that it is overlooked as an inclusion here plus that Chat team are not informed and kept up to date and the blog is just fluff sales and chest beating. That is not support of partners regargless of paid or free status.

To much time is wasted with this sort of unthinking about unpublished / incomplete notifications, Live chat guy wasted > 15 min of his and my time becuase they don't know either, how many others are being inconvenienced by fialing to plan and notify information to  act upon, this communication in the blog is good info but by itself useless and creates more doubt and lack or faith. Just look at the "hope in the comments"

[Liam Dilley]

Hey there,

Same process as every release.

That date over that date. Will be we hours AU and NZ time for example so when you go in the office on 26th that is the time to check out the update.

Times are never given because they do it ASAP and can span over the course of the day, be delayed before that date or even pulled due to an issue they find in testing over the coming days before the release.

Over the course of the coming days and specifically on the release day patches and updates or again pulling of the release may occur.

I do not see any difference from this releases announcement then others.

In terms of what is happening key aspects of this release have been shown at say the AU Townhall meeting, and discussed in a variety of ways before release, especially with this one as it is the first of the new roadmap, outlined by Bogdan a little while ago.

Closer to the release specifics are outlined and during a release or any issue http://status.businesscatalyst.com is updated, as you can see with the last maintanance which took place. Of which we got emails about, as we do recent releases and now more recently when email issues for clients with the email servers occur.

New key features rolled out such as the Tax Rounding is not by default and activated by choice to allow management as a new thing again to avoid on release issues.

This was formed by posting and asking partners in the partner forums.

Bigger updates are now shown off to partners who are able to help provide feedback and previewed, Like Jason of Simpleflame with the new web app system due early next year spending a good amount of time on it and providing the team with feedback.

Considering these and other things I think the above is a bit of an overaction. Last release I saw the breakdowns and progress etc and was quite happy with it. Today is 18th of September, not the day before the release.
I appreciated the detailed heads up at this stage and more detail about it will follow.

[Peter-AM]

Clear as mud, it is just to hard to place a time in a post of the planned scheduled start time and estimate.

It is a guide and what other large and small hosts provide, but as you have just confirmed to hard for Adobe to get Around to it or even answer for themselves, and as I stated earlier the chat support guys  no idea! How is it that you know more than support that are paid Adobe staff. Gotta make one wonder.

We'll move out the client campaign to a safer time slot.

[Liam Dilley]

A time weeks before the update of which for several reasons could be hours before or after as applying a system update is really variant. Of which you get a more clear time closer to the date. A time frame which they give and not keep to due to the variations of what may happen of which

System maintance as I said for example closer to the time of it you get emails etc of the time frame.

Honestly see your complaining about what BC are doing.

Like I said the last maintance you got this and others before it recently with the changes and the system status during the process. So why the post in the man er you did? Like I sad, way to harsh.

[mario_gudelj]

I just want to mention that this is not a regular quarterly maintenance. It's just a standard release and there is no customer impact during these releases. The sites stay up and there is no impact on campaign delivery. Unless of course something goes totally wrong but it shouldn't.

Cheers,

-mario

[Peter-AM]

Thank you for the clarity on this Mario. The way most people have been commenting on this implimentation it gives the impression it is major, particularily when looking at the blog commets and the Live Chat made no mention of it being no customer impact. Appreciate you commenting here

[Liam Dilley]

No Hecta, overaction in my view.

You been using BC for a while, all the other releases, other then faults etc which I mentioned when has it gone majourly offline on a release?

Like I said, if there is any impact the system status page will state it.

[Lynda-S]

Kudos BC! Looking forward to the email marketing improvments. Thanks! =>

[Derek_R]

Yes! Sounds great! Thanks.

[WillzShireDDC]

Awesome Mario!!

Looking forward to the 26th for this marketing release.

QUESTION...

Will the new release allow use of my own custom designed Email Marketing Templates?

It looks like it allows that already but I can't figure out how to make my custom template work yet.

Please provide instructions or where to find instructions how to insert my own Email Marketing templates into the BC system.

Thank You

[mario_gudelj]

Hey there,

It's actually quite simple. You log in to your Partner Portal and go to Tools > Newsletter Template. Create a template there and assign it to whichever site you want to make it available on. I guess you may wan to design it outside of that area and then paste the code there.

Cheers,

-mario

[WillzShireDDC]

Thanks Mario,

I actually did it today inside the BC Email Marketing area. it sent me the test and worked.

But I'll also do as you instruct in the newsletter template area - Yes I designed it outside and pasted code and re mapped the images.

I remember now about the newsletter area.

Mahalo

Will

[mario_gudelj]

Hey Will,

A lot of partners create campaigns on customer's site and label them as "Template - Do not delete!". Then the client simply clicks on Copy Campaign button from that template and adjust it for sending. You may want to explore that option as well.

Cheers,

-mario

[Liam Dilley]

You always rock Mario.

[BrandonQSmith]

I see under known limitations that detail layouts in modules aren't supported. Does this mean we'll still be limited to just one detail layout in web app items? I don't think it's a big deal, but it would be nice to have.

[mario_gudelj]

Hi Brandon,

That is correct. You get unlimited list layouts only.

-mario

[alex-lapero]

Is there anyway to minimize the Toolbox User Interface? I am already getting complaints from users who have limited screen real estate and the toolbox is now blocking the right side of the editor and they have to scroll..

[Nicole_-_BCGurus_com]

Best release yet! Thanks BC!

[Liam Dilley]

I still think 3 updates 2 years ago. Th big one that had things like web app improvements, SEO friendly urls etc were the best.

Best ones are at the tail end of the roadmap.

[Peter-AM]

looks pretty sweet here - looking forward to sending a campaign in celbration of some great features, thanks

[petersonrw]

The TOOLBOX feature needs to be able to be hidden. I have a user with a small screen and the TOOLBOX takes up too much screen real estate to effectively allow them to edit pages.

[mattbennell]

HI Mario

There was a mention in the July release blog stating that Inventory management for attributes would be likely

"Product Inventory Control per Attributes: we are planning to update the current e-commerce module to enable store owners to manage inventory based on product attributes; this feature is expected to be included in the September release."

I don't think it made it to this release - is there any timeline of this one?

Thanks

Matt

[Liam Dilley]

Not quite ready yet. Nearly there, so soon!

No exact eta yet though, but its close.

[snarzom12]

This is the reply I got on http://getsatisfaction.businesscatalyst.com/adobebc/topics/stock_control_for_products_with_attribute...

Alexandru Costin (Official Rep) 12 days ago

Hi,

We are planning to release in beta in October (around Oct 20th), and then one month later to make it production quality.

You can check the recordings of our conference to see it working (Closing keynote)

http://www.businesscatalyst.com/_blog...

Alexandru