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Version 27.1 by Sorin Burjan on 2012/05/15
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1 The 3.x development cycle
2
3 {{toc/}}
4
5 {{info}}
6 To see the detailed list of features done in the 3.x cycle please check the [[Release Notes>>ReleaseNotes.WebHome]] for each version.
7 {{/info}}
8
9 We've setup a [[Jira dashboard>>http://jira.xwiki.org/secure/Dashboard.jspa?selectPageId=10791]] to present the work done during the previous cycle. In summary, 1444 issues have been closed by 19 committers (and other contributors providing patches), out of which 664 are fixed bugs.
10
11 = Quick and Easy application development with **AppWithinMinutes** =
12
13 After the introduction of the new class editor and the live table generator, this release brings the App Within Minutes wizard tying all the other aspects making up the App Within Minutes feature. The wizard helps you create collaborative web applications within minutes, based on XWiki's powerful structured data management system.
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15 Start by going to the App Within Minutes home page. There you can see listed the existing applications. Click on the "Create Application" button to start the wizard.
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17 [[[[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise33RC1@AppWithinMinutes-Step0.png||style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);" width="400px"]]>>attach:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise33RC1@AppWithinMinutes-Step0.png]]
18
19 In the first step you have to provide the application name, which will determine the application home page URL and the application space. Each application is mapped to an XWiki space.
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21 [[[[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise33RC1@AppWithinMinutes-Step1.png||style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);" width="400px"]]>>attach:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise33RC1@AppWithinMinutes-Step1.png]]
22
23 In the second step you define the application structure, i.e. the type of data the application will handle. At the end of this step the wizard will create for you the template and the sheet that will be used to create new application entries.
24
25 [[[[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise33RC1@AppWithinMinutes-Step2.png||style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);" width="400px"]]>>attach:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise33RC1@AppWithinMinutes-Step2.png]]
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27 In the last step you customize the way the home page of your application will look like. You can choose which columns to display in the entries live table.
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29 [[[[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise33RC1@AppWithinMinutes-Step3.png||style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);" width="400px"]]>>attach:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise33RC1@AppWithinMinutes-Step3.png]]
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31 At the end the wizard takes you to the home page of your application, which is the place from where you can manage the application data: edit the application structure, add new entries, edit or delete existing ones.
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33 [[[[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise33RC1@AppWithinMinutes-HomePage.png||style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);" width="400px"]]>>attach:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise33RC1@AppWithinMinutes-HomePage.png]]
34
35 For more information, click [[here>>extensions:Extension.App Within Minutes Application]].
36
37 = Extend your wiki with the **Extension Manager** =
38
39 Although there's no back-end repository where to search for new extensions yet, the new UI for the Extension Manager is starting to shape up. The previous experimental UI has been replaced by a new category in the Administration dedicated to the extension manager, with three different sections.
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41 [[image:EMGlobal.png||class="screenshot"]]
42
43 [[image:EMSearchExtension.png||class="screenshot"]]
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45 [[image:EMCoreExtensions.png||class="screenshot"]]
46
47 For more information, click [[here>>url:http://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Extension/Extension+Manager+Application]].
48
49 = Better organization of your teams with **Wiki Workspaces** =
50
51 We have adopted the [[extensions:Extension.Workspace Application]] as an XWiki platform project. In a few words, the //Workspace Application// allows regular users to create workspaces where they can collaborate on a specific topic. Once the work is done, they can delete the workspace if they wish so. A workspaces is, in essence, a regular subwikis that is to be used only by global users. It allows global users to join or be invited and to easily navigate through the available workspaces and to the main wiki.
52
53 The //Workspace Application// suits best for intranets or any other usecase that involves having only global users and going back and forward through projects or departments that are separated in subwikis. On the other hand, the //Workspace Application// is not intended to be used in environments such as wiki farms, where each subwiki is a bubble, having it's own users and not knowing/caring about other subwikis or the main wiki. This later use case is better served by [[XWiki Enterprise Manager>>manager:Main.WebHome]].
54
55 [[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise32RC1@create-workspace-entry.png||alt="Create workspace button" style="border: 1px solid black;"]]
56 [[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise32RC1@main-wiki-section-in-a-workspace.png||alt="Main wiki section displayed in top menu while in a workspace" style="border: 1px solid black;"]]
57 [[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise32RC1@workspace-administration-workspaceusers-section.png||alt="Workspace Users section in the workspace's administration section replacing 'Registration' and 'Users'" style="border: 1px solid black;"]]
58 [[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise32RC1@workspaceDirectory.png||alt="Workspace Directory listing available workspaces and available actions" style="border: 1px solid black;"]]
59
60 The //Workspace Application// is not bundled by default with any XWiki product, but it can be installed as an extension.
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62
63 For more information, click [[here>>url:http://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Extension/Workspace+Application]].
64
65 = Getting social: Twitter-like **messaging and networking** inside the wiki =
66
67 Users can now post status messages which will be visible on the main dashboard and on the user profile page.
68
69 [[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise30@messageStream.png||class="screenshot"]]
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71 Users can follow each other's activity streams.
72
73 [[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise30@follow.png||class="screenshot"]]
74
75 In order to see the members of your network and the network activity you can use the //Network// menu:
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77 [[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise30@networkMenu.png||class="screenshot"]]
78
79 which leads you to the //Network// tab from the user profile page:
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81 [[[[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise30@network.png||class="screenshot"]]>>attach:network.png]]
82
83 For more information, click [[here>>url:http://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Extension/User+Application#HUserStatus]].
84
85 = **Gallery Macro** and **Office Presentation Viewer** =
86
87 The [[Gallery Macro>>extensions:Extension.Gallery Macro]] helps you create a simple image gallery where images are displayed using a slide-show view. You can use images from any source, both internal (attached to a wiki page) and external. The gallery macro collects all the images it finds in the macro content. The [[Office Macro>>extensions:Extension.Office Macro]] has been improved to use the gallery macro when displaying office presentations:
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89 [[image:extensions:Extension.Office Macro@presentation.png||class="screenshot"]]
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91 For more information click [[here>>url:http://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Extension/Gallery+Macro]].
92
93 = Make your wiki documents accessible to desktop office suites through **Office Document Export** =
94
95 [[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise31M1@exportAsODT.png||class="screenshot"]]
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97 If you configure your wiki to work with an office server ([[LibreOffice>>http://www.libreoffice.org/]] or [[OpenOffice>>http://www.openoffice.org/]]) as described in the [[Office Importer Application>>http://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Extension/Office+Importer+Application]] you'll notice a new entry in the export menu (as long as you are connected to the office server). By default only the ODT ([[OpenDocument>>http://opendocument.xml.org/]] Text format) export is exposed but you can tweak the export URL to export to other office formats supported by your office server. For instance ##/xwiki/bin/export/Sandbox/WebHome?format=doc## exports Sandbox.WebHome page to Microsoft Word's proprietary DOC format.
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99 For more information click [[here>>url:http://platform.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Features/Exports]].
100
101 = Let each user customize their environment for better productivity through **User Dashboards** =
102
103 After wiki- and space-wide dashboards, this release brings support for personal dashboards. Each user can define their own dashboard in their profile document, and they can use it either in their profile document, or display it instead of the homepage default dashboard.
104
105 [[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise32M2@userdashboard.png||class="screenshot"]]
106
107 For more information, click [[here>>url:http://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Extension/Dashboard+Application#HUserDashboard]].
108
109 = Customizable **PDF Export** =
110
111 [[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise31M1@pdfExportOptions.png||class="screenshot"]]
112
113 If you export a wiki page to PDF using the //Export// menu you'll get a panel where you can configure some PDF export options. These options are defined in the PDF velocity templates and were previously available only as query string parameters to the PDF export URL.
114
115 = Find the right document faster thanks to the **improved search results scoring** =
116
117 The search results retrieved by the Lucene plugin have been for a long time the target of many complaints, since documents that were actually relevant for a query usually appeared too low in the results list. This issue has now been improved, by scoring results differently depending on the field where the search query matches. A hit on the document title will ensure that the document will be among the first results, while a hit on the owner document's name of an attached image will place the image towards the end.
118
119 [[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise32M3@search.png||class="screenshot"]]
120
121 For more information, click [[here>>url:http://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Extension/Search+Application]].
122
123 = **User Interface Improvements** for a better User Experience =
124
125 == New **color themes** for a modern look ==
126
127 XWiki Enterprise 3.4 comes with a new default color theme and other three (Mint, Ruby and Dusk) that you can choose from. All four use CSS3 rules and new color variables in order to be able to have gradients. All color themes that were previously available are now considered deprecated and have been published as extensions: [[Default>>extensions:Extension.Default33 ColorTheme]], [[Bordo>>extensions:Extension.Bordo ColorTheme]], [[Nature>>extensions:Extension.Nature ColorTheme]], [[BlueSky>>extensions:Extension.BlueSky ColorTheme]], [[Inner Dark>>extensions:Extension.Inner Dark ColorTheme]], [[Nightfall>>extensions:Extension.Nightfall ColorTheme]] and [[Peach>>extensions:Extension.Peach ColorTheme]].
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129 [[[[image:ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise34RC1@colorthemes34.png||style="border: 1px solid gray; padding: 0.2em; width: 600px;"]]>>attach:ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise34RC1@colorthemes34.png]]
130
131 == Revamped **Administration UI** ==
132
133 We have redesigned the administration application providing a new layout and new icons (the icons are designed by Ciprian Amaritei). Administration sections are now grouped in several categories displayed using a vertical menu. Each section has been modified in order to be consistent with our [[Vertical Layout Usage Form Standard>>platform:DevGuide.VerticalForms]]. The sections have been reorganized as well, making them more intuitive.
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135 [[[[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise30@administration.png||class="screenshot"]]>>attach:administration.png]]
136
137 The WYSIWYG content editor can now be easily configured from the wiki administration. Look for the //WYSIWYG Editor// section under //Applications// category. You may still need to scan the list of available [[plugins and features>>platform:AdminGuide.WysiwygEditor||anchor="HPluginsandFeatures"]] in order to know what to enable. In the future we're hoping to integrate this information in the administration section.
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139 [[[[image:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise30@wysiwygConfig.png||class="screenshot"]]>>attach:wysiwygConfig.png]]
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141 For more information, click [[here>>url:http://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Extension/Administration+Application]].
142
143 == A new UI for **changing user avatars** ==
144
145 [[Attachment Selector Macro>>extensions:Extension.Attachment Selector Macro]] is now bundled with XWiki Enterprise.
146
147 [[image:extensions:Extension.Attachment Selector Macro@choosefile.png||class="screenshot"]]
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149 The UI for changing the user's avatar has been modified to use the attachment selector macro:
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151 [[image:ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise30RC1@changeAvatar.png||class="screenshot"]]
152
153 For more information, click [[here>>url:http://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Extension/Attachment+Selector+Macro]].
154
155 == **Live suggestions** for the search input ==
156
157 This release introduces the first iteration on a "suggestions as you type" feature for the search box.
158
159 [[image:ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise30M3@searchSuggest.png||class="screenshot"]]
160
161 The suggestions proposed come from several sources, configurable in the wiki administration under the //Search Suggest// section. The sources configured by default include "Document name", "Document content", "Attachment name", "Attachment content" and "Users".
162
163 == Better **Dashboard editing** ==
164
165 == Automatic hiding of the top menu ==
166
167 The action menu is now minimized when the page is scrolled. You can access it by hovering the top of the browser window.
168
169 [[image:ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise34M1@MinimizedActionMenu.png||style="border: 1px solid gray; padding: 0.2em;"]]
170
171 == Better looking icons ==
172
173 Compatibility with IE6 meant that whenever transparent icons were needed, we had to rely on GIF images, which is a limited file format with only 256 color palettes, simple "yes or no" transparency, and non-optimal compression. Because of this, most of the icons had a visible white border that contrasted on darker background colors, and in general were more crisp than the original Silk icons. Having dropped the requirement of supporting IE6, we switched to using the official PNG version of the Silk icons, which appear much better on all backgrounds. While subtle, the improvement is noticeable and does contribute to a more professional look.
174
175 Before:
176 [[image:icons1.png]]
177
178 After:
179 [[image:icons2.png]]
180
181 = Bonus: **Infrastructure changes** =
182
183 == Fork us on **GitHub**! ==
184
185 XWiki Enterprise 3.1 was the first version to be released from our new repository on github. We decided that git was sufficiently advanced over svn, our old version control system, that it warranted the effort spent to convert. If you are a developer who uses git then you already know what this means to you, you can participate in the XWiki development process by **forking** (git speak for copying) the source repository rather than being forced to provide patches to the benevolent committers who will accept or reject your patches at their pleasure. If you want to make something great but there's a part of the XWiki core which is holding you up, you can go right ahead and fork it into your own repository where you can fix it and share the results. We are excited to learn what you will create!
186
187 As a consequence, the structure of the repositories, the version numbers of the applications, plugins and build tools, as well as the structure of the projects on the [[issue tracker>>http://jira.xwiki.org/]] have changed. We moved all the plugins and applications inside the platform core, releasing them all together. This is also reflected in the issue tracker, where all the individual projects for each extension disappeared, since applications are now jira components inside the XWiki Platform project. This means that the version number confusion will stop, since everything has the same release version.
188
189 == **Commons and Rendering** as top level independent projects ==
190
191 Moving further along the separation of modules from the old monolithic core, several modules that don't depend on the XWiki platform, or on the wiki paradigm in general, have been extracted to two new top-level repositories. [[XWiki Commons>>commons:Main.WebHome]] contains modules offering basic functionalities such as a [[powerful Event bus with Listeners>>extensions:Extension.Observation Module]], a [[generic and very lightweight Injection framework with a simple component lifecycle>>extensions:Extension.Component Module]], [[XML and HTML/XHTML manipulation and cleaning APIs>>extensions:Extension.XML Module]], and so on. The [[XWiki Rendering Framework>>rendering:Main.WebHome]] is a generic syntax conversion framework, providing support for almost 20 syntaxes. All modules from these two repositories don't depend on the XWiki core and can be fully reused in any project. Even more, they are made available on the [[central maven repository>>url:http://search.maven.org/#search|ga|1|xwiki]].

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