OL Connect Release Notes 2021.1

License Update Required for Upgrade to OL Connect 2021.x

From OL Connect 2019.1 onwards, only customers with a current OL Care subscription will be able to update Connect.

Every Connect license now contains an end date that represents the last day of OL Care coverage for each customer. Upgrades and updates of Connect will be freely available up until that end date, but will not be available thereafter, unless the OL Care period is extended.

This new licensing model requires anyone upgrading from Connect versions earlier than 2019.1 to first update their OL Connect License.

A dialog box appears as part of the Connect upgrade process requesting you to do this.

It is heavily recommended that you first update the OL Update Manager, as newer versions of the Update Manager can update your OL License to the required version, then install Connect 2021.1.

For further details on how to upgrade the Update Client and update your Connect License see the Update Manager 1.3 - Upgrade Guide.

If issues arise, or if you need to renew your OL Care subscription, please contact your local Customer Care group.

Backup before Upgrading

It is recommended that you always backup your existing OL Connect preferences before upgrading to a new version. This will enable you to revert back to the previous version, in a worst case scenario in which the new version introduces issues with your existing production processes. Whilst the probability of such a worst case scenario is remote, it cannot hurt to take some simple precautions, just in case.

For instructions on how to do so, please see Backup existing OL Connect version.

Overview

This document provides an overview of the new features and enhancements in OL Connect 2021.1 and Workflow 2021.1, as well as some important installation information.

Installing OL Connect 2021.1 and Workflow 2021.1

  • OL Connect is released as a 64 Bit version only (with the exception of the Workflow, Fax, Search and Imaging modules).
  • Full details on installing and licensing OL Connect and Workflow can be found in the online help, which can be accessed from the software and the installer.
  • Note that OL Connect comes with a 30 day trial license by default.

Connect and Workflow installation requires Administrator rights

Please note that the OL Connect and Workflow installations can only be run by users who have Administrator rights.

Connect Templates Used in Workflow

For improved performance we recommend re-saving any Connect templates used in Workflow to the current version of Connect templates.

Reduced Memory Version (not recommended for production)

It is possible to install OL Connect on a machine with a minimum of 2 GB of RAM. The Connect Designer will automatically detect whether it has been installed on a machine with less than 4 GB of RAM and default to only using one internal Weaver and one internal merge engine on that system. The Server will also run using internal engines.

OL Connect 2021.1 Enhancements

OL Connect 2021.1.1

In the OL Connect 2021.1.0 partner preview it was discovered that dragging group data from the DataMapper into a template was sometimes throwing an error. This has been fixed in the 2021.1.1 patch release of Connect. (SHARED-82134)

Security Improvements

  • For increased security the cookie, localstorage and indexedDB features have now been disabled for the internal browser used by the Designer and Merge Engines. (SHARED-77792)

  • The Enter credentials dialog has been improved. Not only does it now support selecting a Server on another machine through URL selection, but the connection can now be tested from within the dialog box. (SHARED-80112)

HTTPS support

As part of the ongoing effort to improve security, OL Connect Server now has the option to use and/or accept HTTPS connections from clients such OL Connect Workflow and Designer. (SHARED-78230)

Added option to define a REST Server port that is HTTPS secured. (SHARED-74997)

Print Manager Improvements

For IPDS printers, Multi Job mode is now set as the default. To disable Multi Job mode, select Legacy mode option. (SHARED-78768)

Installer Improvements

  • Both Connect and Workflow can now be installed when no internet access is available. (SHARED-79964)
  • The issue with slow responsiveness in Installer component selection has been fixed. (SHARED-76902)
  • On a Connect update/upgrade, the installer Welcome page now clearly displays both the currently installed version and the upgrade (update) version about to be installed. (SHARED-77819)
  • You can now choose to omit the Update Manager from the installation, using the command line parameter UPDATEMANAGER=0. (SHARED-79761)

  • Fixed an uninstallation issue caused by some Connect temporary files being set as read-only. (SHARED-79765/79838)

  • Fixed an installer issue that was preventing Connect from installing on Hyper-V (and some other virtual environments other than VMware). (SHARED-79918)

Server Improvements

  • Server extension no longer starts up a second set of server webservices. (SHARED-78669)

  • Fixed some index out of bounds exceptions that were appearing in the logs from time to time when engines are restarted. (SHARED-79522)

  • When the "Enable server security" checkbox preference is changed and applied a dialog now appears warning that a restart of the Server is required. (SHARED-80550)

  • Server and Designer products that are set to use internal engines (not separate processes) will now no longer terminate abruptly if the security preferences for web socket authentication are not initialized in time. (SHARED-80973)

REST API Improvements

  • The contentcreation/{templateId}/{dataSetId} REST endpoint now accepts runtime parameters. (SHARED-79854)

  • On successful authentication/login, the Authenticate/Login to Server REST API end-points now return a "Token-Expires-In" response header with a value set to the expiry duration of the authorization token in seconds. (SHARED-80138)

  • The standard 'JSON Error' response from the Connect Server will now always return a 'Content-Type' header with a value of "application/json". (SHARED-78633)

  • Deleting managed files from the filestore via the REST API now has improved error handling to cater for files that are still required by OL Connect. (SHARED-79353)

  • Submitting a "blank" password value when using basic authentication now returns a "401 Unauthorized" response rather than a "500 Internal Server Error" response. (SHARED-80641)

  • The basic authentication error "No account found for" will no longer be shown in the server log when server security is disabled. (SHARED-80683)

  • The basic authentication error "Bad credentials for: <username>" will no longer be shown in the server log when server security is disabled. (SHARED-80685)

OL Connect 2021.1 Designer Improvements

Conditional Wizards

The Designer conditional Wizard for elements and the Wizard for conditional print sections have been dramatically improved, allowing very complex rules to be created without any need for scripting. (SHARED-79806)

COTG Nested Field Tables

COTG Fields Tables now support nested (fields) tables. (SHARED-77333)

Send to Server

The updated Send to Server now supports uploading configurations and templates directly to web applications (via arbitrary URL), as well as to Connect or COTG Servers.

The web server settings first need to be added via the Preferences dialog, and they will then become available as an option in the updated Send to Server dialog. (SHARED-80112)

Scripting Improvements

  • Added support for selecting runtime parameters in text scripts. (SHARED-78793)
  • Added support for creating conditional rules based on runtime parameters. (SHARED-78799)
  • Expand dynamic tables fetched with Loadhtml(). (SHARED-80263)
  • The default insert method for new search-and-replace scripts is now "Text" instead of "Html", to improve performance. (SHARED-80376)
  • Fixed syntax highlighting issue with the Script keyword 'let' . (SHARED-78644)

  • We now generate an error if a script tries to move an element relative to itself (which Connect does not support). (SHARED-79945)

  • Fixed an issue where an incorrect selector would be generated for scripts when a datafield containing spaces in the name is dragged from the data model to the template. (SHARED-80535)

  • Fixed a problem with UNC paths in the Dynamic Image Script wizard. (SHARED-81145)

General Designer Improvements

  • Improved Designer translations/localization. (SHARED-76798)
  • JSON editors and the loadjson() function now support UTF-16 and UTF-32, in addition to UTF-8. (SHARED-74159)
  • After adding an HTML snippet you are now prompted to select encoding (UTF-8 by default). (SHARED-78552)
  • Runtime parameters can now be used to set template Locale. (SHARED-78787)
  • Added validation to JSON resource editors. (SHARED-79937)
  • New prompt added when dragging a field from a detail table to a location outside a detail table. (SHARED-80116)
  • Add support for copying contents of an extraction field into the clipboard. (SHARED-80164)

  • Can now set the Virtual Stationery of a media back to "None" by using the clear button. (SHARED-78802)

  • Fixed an issue within the Source tab, whereby HTML in the source tab unintentionally contained helper elements for resizing and dragging. (SHARED-78928)

  • Fixed an issue with converting a paragraph to a header1 (p to h1), in which the parameter ID would be lost. (SHARED-79022)

  • Fixed an issue where the cellpadding and cellspacing values that were set directly on a table were removed after switching to Preview, if these values were not defined in stylesheets. (SHARED-79543)

  • Fixed issue with the popup menu in the breadcrumbs bar. (SHARED-79727)

  • Show Edges settings once again persist through view changes. (SHARED-79970)

  • Fixed a problem with absolute positioned elements nested inside other absolute positioned elements. (SHARED-80003)

  • Printing via the server (not proof printing) from the Designer now properly passes the runtime parameter values set in the Designer. (SHARED-81362)

OL Connect 2021.1 DataMapper Improvements

Native JSON support

The DataMapper now supports JSON as a native data type, with no conversion required. The power of JsonPath selectors helps you streamline the data extraction process, allowing you to handle huge record sizes effortlessly. This makes designing web-based solutions much more straightforward. (SHARED-78228)

Streamline repetitive actions

Added the ability to break out of a loop and move onto the next step when the desired condition has been met. (SHARED-79527)

We have also made the Goto step optional inside Repeat loops. This allows you to loop through, for instance, JSON structures without having to move the data pointer, making the operation less error-prone and more efficient. (SHARED-79524)

General DataMapper Improvements

  • Improved DataMapper translations/localization. (SHARED-76798)

  • Speed improvements made for processing large transactional text data files. (SHARED-80006)

  • Added helper function in JavaScript to update field values in records or to add new rows in detail tables. (SHARED-34191)
  • Add support for copying contents of an extraction field into the clipboard. (SHARED-80164)
  • You can now set different values in each copy of a record (specified through record.copies) to distinguish whether a record is the original or a copy. (SHARED-80372)
  • Connect now tracks how many records (along with the data type) are processed for each data mapping. (SHARED-80455/80463)

  • Certain AFP files containing a data matrix were being rendered incorrectly. This has been fixed. (SHARED-81406)

OL Connect 2021.1 Output Improvements

Dynamic passwords for protected PDFs

The password for opening/protecting output PDF files can now be set dynamically. (SHARED-80537)

General Output Improvements

  • The stability of the Output engine has been improved. Particularly when the engine is running with low memory. (SHARED-77203)

  • The output engine is now more accepting of certain invalid CFF fonts (those containing hintmask without hstemvm/vstemvm). (SHARED-76464)

  • Fixed an error in the output of Unicode (3,1) cmap tables for TrueType fonts which could trigger an exception if multiple glyphs have the same Unicode mapping. (SHARED-78284)

  • Fixed issues with Type 1 and CFF font glyphs. (SHARED-79973)

  • Versioning has been added to font mapping files for TextRestore. To prevent problems in text extraction going unnoticed, font mapping files without a version or with a mismatching version will result in an error. Resolving those errors requires manual updating of these font mapping files. (SHARED-80568)
    This change only applies to Enhance configurations run from Connect.

Print Output Improvements

  • Upgraded the Datalogics library (APDFL). (SHARED-79251)

  • Fixed an issue with misleading warning messages for certain output presets when opening the production Print Wizard or Output Preset editor. (SHARED-74399)

  • Dynamic PPD rule validation is now immediately updated after the additional elements for a selected PPD element are updated. (SHARED-77060)

  • Restored maximum stack depth setting in the Imposition options page back to a maximum of 100,000. (SHARED-79357)

  • Increased maximum paper sizes available for PostScript output. (SHARED-79433)

  • The output engine now can process intermediate files (from merge engine) that are over 2 GBs in size. (SHARED-80490)

  • Fixed an issue with IPDS pages larger than 22.75 inches failing to load on the printer. (SHARED-80846)

  • For some output formats, such as PostScript, output creation didn't terminate for certain input files containing transparency, because Connect's transparency flattening tool was unable to process it. This has been fixed. (SHARED-81542)

Workflow 2021.1 Improvements

Consolidate print processes

The name of the LPD queue that receives a job is now stored in the LPD Input task as JobInfo 6, allowing you to build a single process that can handle jobs coming from multiple queues. This feature will help you cut down on the number of distinct processes required to handle all print queues.

Bypass Content creation

The Execute Data Mapping task can now Bypass Content creation to use an existing PDF as content, without requiring a template. (SHARED-80168)

General Workflow Improvements

  • Improved Workflow translations/localization. (SHARED-76783)
  • The Fax Service plugin now works with PDF/VT files created by Connect as welll as legacy PlanetPress Suite .PTK forms.(SHARED-67742)
  • Script reference to "https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.3.1.min.js" removed from NodeJS Server login page to avoid problems on secured networks without internet access. (SHARED-79298)
  • The obsolete "Run from Desktop" option has been removed. (SHARED-79849)
  • An option (unchecked by default) was added to the FTP Input plugin to grab empty files found on the FTP server. (SHARED-76175)
  • Fixed periodic NodeJS Server connection issue when using Active Directory authentication. (SHARED-77265)
  • Messenger Service now tries to identify issues with MS Access drivers that could prevent the service from starting. (SHARED-78450)
  • Improved the SOAP timeout settings, so any value is now accepted. (SHARED-78646)
  • Fixed paths issue with Send Image to Printer plugin. (SHARED-78705)
  • Pasting attributes of Secure Email Output would result in plugin configuration display to forego the CRLF characters in the email body at configuration time, although it did not alter the actual plugin output. This has been fixed. (SHARED-79627)
  • Fixed issue with the SendGrid plugin not setting the cc and bcc fields. (SHARED-79684)
  • NodeJS Server now correctly handles requests having a Content-Type of application/json which also specify a charset encoding. (SHARED-79871)

  • Improved NodeJS Server handling of custom response codes. (SHARED-79960)

    • Invalid HTTP Response codes are now filtered and handled properly, returning error 565 to the client.

    • A NodeJS input with the "Loop through attachments" option selected that does not receive an attached file now advises no file was found in the log and its output can be properly processed by secondary input plugins.

  • Once the connection to a server is established, Secure Email Output plugin no longer waits indefinitely for a response and will instead raise an error after the timeout delay set by in the plugin configuration. (SHARED-79987)
  • Some plugins could not be selected as default input/output in the Workflow preferences. This has been fixed. (SHARED-80014)

  • If the "Use Dynamic SQL" option is used in the Database Query plugin, then any value in the non-dynamic ODBC location string is ignored for plugin configuration validation. (SHARED-80700)

  • Improved Connect plugin performance when using server authentication. (SHARED-80834)

  • Fixed issue with the NodeJS Server Input task not processing jobs if the action name was a superset of another action name declared previously. (SHARED-81129)

  • HTTP Posts actions using the Content-Type application/x-www-form-urlencoded did not process unencoded % characters properly in an url encoded data stream. This has been fixed. (SHARED-81174)

OL Connect Send Improvements

Citrix and Microsoft Terminal Services (Remote Desktop Services) support

Version 1.8 of OLCS adds support for both Citrix and Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Services environments. (SHARED-71164/71167)

Some of the changes made to allow this include:

  • The license check for user based licenses has been changed to distinguish between different users on the same machine/system. These are now separately counted. (SHARED-80631)

  • Improvements were made so you can now get the browser pop-up when printing from a desktop on a multi-user system, for a full interactive OLCS experience. (SHARED-80443)

Known Issues

As of OL Connect 2018.1 the Known Issues have moved from the Release Notes to the Connect online Help.

They can be found here Known Issues.