Minor but important fixes coming along with the recent base image of 1.6.92:
- the
- in some cases, placeholder restrictions didn’t work when there were more than 100 placeholder setting items in the
- in the Content Editor, if validation is applied to a treelist field and that field is edited without meeting its validation requirements, the validation alert (red bar) now appears when moving focus from the field. Previously, the alert only appeared after saving.
- in the XM Cloud DAM connector, sometimes language fallback changes weren't updated. This is now fixed.
- the
AddDictionaryDomainProperty no longer throws a NullReferenceException error during application startup.- in some cases, placeholder restrictions didn’t work when there were more than 100 placeholder setting items in the
/sitecore/templates/System/Layout/Placeholder template. This is now fixed.- in the Content Editor, if validation is applied to a treelist field and that field is edited without meeting its validation requirements, the validation alert (red bar) now appears when moving focus from the field. Previously, the alert only appeared after saving.
- in the XM Cloud DAM connector, sometimes language fallback changes weren't updated. This is now fixed.
Forms Builder gets a first class integration with the XM Cloud Media library
You can now seamlessly add an image from your XM Cloud Media library in a composable form with the newly added Media Library tab in the image picker.
On the Media Library tab, the image picker shows images uploaded to all the sites of the environment. For convenience, you can search for the image you need by name; the image picker dynamically displays relevant images after you type at least two characters of the name.
You can now seamlessly add an image from your XM Cloud Media library in a composable form with the newly added Media Library tab in the image picker.
On the Media Library tab, the image picker shows images uploaded to all the sites of the environment. For convenience, you can search for the image you need by name; the image picker dynamically displays relevant images after you type at least two characters of the name.
Pages fix: the new rich text editor, CKEditor, now adds
https to external links by default if you haven’t already included a prefix. Previously, it applied http instead.You can now access media in Experience Edge with or without using the rev query string.
Copy a form between environments
Now you can share forms between environments, such as copying one from staging to production. When you copy a form to a new environment, XM Cloud also copies the associated webhook, some settings such as form logic, and the action applied on form submission.
However, copying a form to another environment does not copy the original form's style. You will need to recreate the style in the new environment and reapply it to the duplicate form. Similarly, the duplicate form won't retain any of the comments or versions associated with the original.
Lastly, duplicate forms will be inactive, even if the original form was active when copied.
Now you can share forms between environments, such as copying one from staging to production. When you copy a form to a new environment, XM Cloud also copies the associated webhook, some settings such as form logic, and the action applied on form submission.
However, copying a form to another environment does not copy the original form's style. You will need to recreate the style in the new environment and reapply it to the duplicate form. Similarly, the duplicate form won't retain any of the comments or versions associated with the original.
Lastly, duplicate forms will be inactive, even if the original form was active when copied.
👍4
Restructuring the Sitecore XM Cloud Foundation Head to favor FED-first approach
Some of you might have seen this PR (https://github.com/sitecorelabs/xmcloud-foundation-head-dev/pull/170) was merged recently and is now available on the Foundation Head Dev repo, this will be getting pushed through to the Staging and Production forks soon.
Changes included in this PR are
- Restructure of the assets in the repository to favor FED-first approach
- Rebranding of contents as Next.js Starter kit
- Changed all references to
- Changed all references to
- Updated main readme to include steps to run FED-first and link to Getting Started guide on doc site
- Added new
- Bumped default base image version to lts2022
- Bumped Traefik to latest version
If you’re wondering what has changed and why, you can read a blog post all about it here: https://robearlam.com/blog/restructuring-the-sitecore-xm-cloud-foundation-head.
As mentioned in the post this is one of the first in a bunch of changes we’re making to improve the development experience with XM Cloud, so keep tuned in the coming weeks and months!
Some of you might have seen this PR (https://github.com/sitecorelabs/xmcloud-foundation-head-dev/pull/170) was merged recently and is now available on the Foundation Head Dev repo, this will be getting pushed through to the Staging and Production forks soon.
Changes included in this PR are
- Restructure of the assets in the repository to favor FED-first approach
- Rebranding of contents as Next.js Starter kit
- Changed all references to
sxastarter to Next.js starter- Changed all references to
xmcloudpreview to Next.js starter- Updated main readme to include steps to run FED-first and link to Getting Started guide on doc site
- Added new
./localContainers/README.md to highlight steps to continue running the repo locally using docker- Bumped default base image version to lts2022
- Bumped Traefik to latest version
If you’re wondering what has changed and why, you can read a blog post all about it here: https://robearlam.com/blog/restructuring-the-sitecore-xm-cloud-foundation-head.
As mentioned in the post this is one of the first in a bunch of changes we’re making to improve the development experience with XM Cloud, so keep tuned in the coming weeks and months!
You can now regenerate Context IDs in the Deploy app
You can now revoke and generate a new Context ID directly in the Deploy app, reducing the risk of a data breach if your Context ID is accessed without authorization.
Link: https://tinyurl.com/23zgm6zy
You can now revoke and generate a new Context ID directly in the Deploy app, reducing the risk of a data breach if your Context ID is accessed without authorization.
Link: https://tinyurl.com/23zgm6zy
Webp files enabled in XM Cloud
You can now upload
You can now upload
.webp files to the XM Cloud media library to use in image, rich text, and link fields in Pages. Using .webp files can increase the overall performance of your website by reducing loading time, improving SEO, and enhancing user engagement.❤1
IMPORTANT!
Protocol change for URL scheme and external port defaults.
Affected item:
New values are:
- Scheme:
- External Port:
Changes comes into effect on January 7th, 2025
Run this test patch to ensure nothing breaks on your environments:
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/28xlgdlt
Protocol change for URL scheme and external port defaults.
Affected item:
/sitecore/content/<site collection>/<site>/Settings/Site Grouping/<site>New values are:
- Scheme:
https- External Port:
443Changes comes into effect on January 7th, 2025
Run this test patch to ensure nothing breaks on your environments:
<settings>
<setting name="Temporary.SiteInfoDefaultSchema" value="https" />
<setting name="Temporary.SiteInfoDefaultExternalPort" value="443" />
</settings>
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/28xlgdlt
When you log in to the XM Cloud interface, you're now also automatically authenticated in the Authoring GraphQL IDE, so you don't need to manually authenticate with a bearer token there.
👍1
Got resolved: dictionary entries now correctly resolve in the Preview and Edge GraphQL schemas. In the Preview API playground, searching for an item by its tags now works as expected.
Change text and background color in a rich text field in Pages
With a new CKEditor in Pages (if enabled), you can now change the text and background colors within rich text fields.
Read: https://tinyurl.com/2255fbeg
With a new CKEditor in Pages (if enabled), you can now change the text and background colors within rich text fields.
Read: https://tinyurl.com/2255fbeg
👍1
XM Cloud gets new navigation menus so you can get where you need to be in just a click
XM Cloud gets a new, simplified interface to improve access to tools, as well as navigation between projects and environments.
More about XM Cloud UI: https://tinyurl.com/28k4qbrc
XM Cloud gets a new, simplified interface to improve access to tools, as well as navigation between projects and environments.
More about XM Cloud UI: https://tinyurl.com/28k4qbrc
Introducing the XM Apps REST API for creating and managing collections, sites, analytics, and languages
The Sitecore XM Apps REST API documentation for managing collections, sites, analytics, and languages is now available. This documentation features an interface that enables authenticated users to send requests directly to their environment. This docs-as-code approach is compatible with staging, production, and other environments.
The 34 endpoints of this REST API let you create, retrieve, update, and delete collections, sites, analytics identifiers, and languages. It lets you complete end-to-end site administration flows using APIs.
In the console, you can send live requests using the interactive Try-it-now functionality, and you can download the OpenAPI definition file.
Docs on v1 of XM Apps API: https://tinyurl.com/26yput2f
The Sitecore XM Apps REST API documentation for managing collections, sites, analytics, and languages is now available. This documentation features an interface that enables authenticated users to send requests directly to their environment. This docs-as-code approach is compatible with staging, production, and other environments.
The 34 endpoints of this REST API let you create, retrieve, update, and delete collections, sites, analytics identifiers, and languages. It lets you complete end-to-end site administration flows using APIs.
In the console, you can send live requests using the interactive Try-it-now functionality, and you can download the OpenAPI definition file.
Docs on v1 of XM Apps API: https://tinyurl.com/26yput2f
👍1
Restructuring the Sitecore XM Cloud Foundation Head
The XM Cloud Foundation Head repository has been restructured to favor a Front-End (FED) First development approach. We now promote running the foundation head while locally connected to the XM Cloud Preview Endpoint. This is now the default approach over the alternative of running the current docker based setup.
Read more about this in the blog post: https://tinyurl.com/2xjnw8o2
The XM Cloud Foundation Head repository has been restructured to favor a Front-End (FED) First development approach. We now promote running the foundation head while locally connected to the XM Cloud Preview Endpoint. This is now the default approach over the alternative of running the current docker based setup.
Read more about this in the blog post: https://tinyurl.com/2xjnw8o2
Automatically assign XM Cloud roles using your identity provider
You can now automatically assign XM Cloud roles to your team members through your identity provider! Claims mapping works for all SSO users that belong to your organization, and can be configured for both SAML and OpenID Connect identity providers.
Claims mapping for XM Cloud: https://tinyurl.com/27rl4zjc
Assign XM Cloud roles with claims mapping: https://tinyurl.com/295vj8kg
You can now automatically assign XM Cloud roles to your team members through your identity provider! Claims mapping works for all SSO users that belong to your organization, and can be configured for both SAML and OpenID Connect identity providers.
Claims mapping for XM Cloud: https://tinyurl.com/27rl4zjc
Assign XM Cloud roles with claims mapping: https://tinyurl.com/295vj8kg
👍1
1.6.407 base image updates and fixes
- The sitemap now contains only published items. Previously, parent items that couldn’t be published due to workflow restrictions also appeared in the sitemap
- Circular datasource references no longer cause the Content Editor to become unresponsive
- A link list component used in a partial design can no longer be edited when using that design in Pages or Experience Editor, as expected
- For sites with page and datasource workflows, adding a component to a page no longer causes automatically created datasource items to remain locked. This ensures they can be promoted to the final workflow state and published automatically with the page
- When you upload a media file in Pages, a media item is now created only for the relevant language version. Previously, versions were created for all site languages, impacting performance.
... and several other minor fixes
- The sitemap now contains only published items. Previously, parent items that couldn’t be published due to workflow restrictions also appeared in the sitemap
- Circular datasource references no longer cause the Content Editor to become unresponsive
- A link list component used in a partial design can no longer be edited when using that design in Pages or Experience Editor, as expected
- For sites with page and datasource workflows, adding a component to a page no longer causes automatically created datasource items to remain locked. This ensures they can be promoted to the final workflow state and published automatically with the page
- When you upload a media file in Pages, a media item is now created only for the relevant language version. Previously, versions were created for all site languages, impacting performance.
... and several other minor fixes
❤2
Node XM Cloud Proxy for JSS
Node proxy application enables backend functionality and features equivalent to those in our Next.js starter kit for XM Cloud. Was introduced to support new Angular starter kit. This proxy is designed to work with all SPA frameworks and can also be used to run React and Vue applications, laying the groundwork for future JSS starter kits built for other front-end JavaScript frameworks. Currently in public beta.
This proxy, which is currently in public beta, does the following:
- Enables server-side rendering using a server bundle generated from your single-page application.
- Handles Sitecore GraphQL requests, differentiating between production and development endpoints. It constructs the target URL and path for proxy requests, ensuring compliance with http-proxy-middleware requirements.
- Configures the port for running the proxy. This defaults to 3000 if not otherwise specified in your environment variables.
- Allows configuration of personalization features, including endpoint timeouts, the scope and site name for Sitecore Personalize, conditional personalization per-environment, and cookie consent.
- Provides a default language fallback in case language data is not present in layout data.
Link: https://tinyurl.com/22jhl4zr
Node proxy application enables backend functionality and features equivalent to those in our Next.js starter kit for XM Cloud. Was introduced to support new Angular starter kit. This proxy is designed to work with all SPA frameworks and can also be used to run React and Vue applications, laying the groundwork for future JSS starter kits built for other front-end JavaScript frameworks. Currently in public beta.
This proxy, which is currently in public beta, does the following:
- Enables server-side rendering using a server bundle generated from your single-page application.
- Handles Sitecore GraphQL requests, differentiating between production and development endpoints. It constructs the target URL and path for proxy requests, ensuring compliance with http-proxy-middleware requirements.
- Configures the port for running the proxy. This defaults to 3000 if not otherwise specified in your environment variables.
- Allows configuration of personalization features, including endpoint timeouts, the scope and site name for Sitecore Personalize, conditional personalization per-environment, and cookie consent.
- Provides a default language fallback in case language data is not present in layout data.
Link: https://tinyurl.com/22jhl4zr
You now share form items and layouts between environments and organizations.
In addition to sharing forms between environments and organizations, you can now save individual items or layouts to either specific environments or the entire organization. This means you can share the building blocks of a form between environments, such as staging and production, without needing to share the entire form.
Forms: https://tinyurl.com/2a7w4bw4
In addition to sharing forms between environments and organizations, you can now save individual items or layouts to either specific environments or the entire organization. This means you can share the building blocks of a form between environments, such as staging and production, without needing to share the entire form.
Forms: https://tinyurl.com/2a7w4bw4
XM Cloud Forms: WCAG compliance tool and form summary pages
Forms now includes a tool for verifying that your forms meet WCAG Level A standards, improving accessibility and complying with legal and ethical expectations. The tool checks for common accessibility issues, such as missing image alt text, missing field labels, low text contrast, and links without descriptive text. If an issue is detected, you can easily navigate to the affected element or item and get clear guidance to fix it.
Additionally, you can now add a summary page to a form. This feature lets users review and edit all their responses in one place before submitting, enhancing their experience by ensuring accuracy and completeness.
Forms docs: https://tinyurl.com/2a7w4bw4
Forms now includes a tool for verifying that your forms meet WCAG Level A standards, improving accessibility and complying with legal and ethical expectations. The tool checks for common accessibility issues, such as missing image alt text, missing field labels, low text contrast, and links without descriptive text. If an issue is detected, you can easily navigate to the affected element or item and get clear guidance to fix it.
Additionally, you can now add a summary page to a form. This feature lets users review and edit all their responses in one place before submitting, enhancing their experience by ensuring accuracy and completeness.
Forms docs: https://tinyurl.com/2a7w4bw4
XM Cloud now supports A/B/n testing !
- Create multiple variants: Test up to six variants (including a control variant) of any component on your page. (https://tinyurl.com/255e8u68)
- Choose from four goals: Select a goal to see which variants increase page views or form submissions, or reduce bounce or exit rates from your site. (https://tinyurl.com/22tn8wmo)
- Control traffic assignment: Easily manage how traffic is split between component variants. (https://tinyurl.com/22tn8wmo)
- Track performance: Monitor each variant’s performance in the XM Cloud Analytics dashboard. From this dashboard, you can either end a test manually or have it end automatically when statistical significance is reached. (https://tinyurl.com/28xr8kdx)
- Replace with best variant: Automatically replace the original component with its top-performing variant after testing concludes. (https://tinyurl.com/2yp2srj6)
- Server-side components creation: Component variants are now generated and stored on the Edge, ensuring changes are immediately available when a page loads in the user's browser. This update improves load times, enhances user experience, and boosts security.
Note: you must be on JSS SDK version 22.1 or newer.
Documentation: https://tinyurl.com/2yb7dpmt
- Create multiple variants: Test up to six variants (including a control variant) of any component on your page. (https://tinyurl.com/255e8u68)
- Choose from four goals: Select a goal to see which variants increase page views or form submissions, or reduce bounce or exit rates from your site. (https://tinyurl.com/22tn8wmo)
- Control traffic assignment: Easily manage how traffic is split between component variants. (https://tinyurl.com/22tn8wmo)
- Track performance: Monitor each variant’s performance in the XM Cloud Analytics dashboard. From this dashboard, you can either end a test manually or have it end automatically when statistical significance is reached. (https://tinyurl.com/28xr8kdx)
- Replace with best variant: Automatically replace the original component with its top-performing variant after testing concludes. (https://tinyurl.com/2yp2srj6)
- Server-side components creation: Component variants are now generated and stored on the Edge, ensuring changes are immediately available when a page loads in the user's browser. This update improves load times, enhances user experience, and boosts security.
Note: you must be on JSS SDK version 22.1 or newer.
Documentation: https://tinyurl.com/2yb7dpmt