November 11, 2024
Over the last two weeks, we have been working on improvements to the platform. This blog post provides a simple list of what has been changed and updated and what bugs have been fixed. You can read more about the release notes here.
Pages 
Improvements & fixes
Enhanced select component with component-state integration
Value: The select component has been upgraded to leverage the component-state feature, allowing the "selected value" of each select to be stored at the page level and accessible across the entire page. Previously, select components were not included in this feature, limiting their integration potential. This improvement expands the usability of select components, but one use case in particular:
When using a select component tied to a settings model, you now have consistent access to record IDs across both your development sandbox and production application. For example, if this settings model tracks an object's status, the select component can dynamically manage page content based on selected values. Changing the status in the dropdown can trigger a conditional display of other fields or text without needing complex interactions - simply by referencing the selected value of the select component in a condition component.
Limitations: To provide a list of dropdown items in the select component, you can still only use a model. There is no option yet available to develop ‘static’ dropdown items. Also, the component-state integration is missing on some of the other input components such as date picker, date time picker, autocomplete, multi autocomplete, radio, and checkbox group.
Impact: This enhancement is only available in the latest version of the select input component in the default Betty Block component set. Existing components already in use on pages will not automatically receive this capability.
Enhanced duplication of form input components
Value: We’ve improved the duplication process for form input components to resolve an issue that previously affected original inputs. Previously, duplicating a form input caused both the original and the duplicate to reference the same action input variable, leading to issues at runtime when submitting the form and if one of the inputs was later removed from the form. This issue has now been addressed. When duplicating a form input, the action input variable in the duplicated component is cleared, allowing application developers to easily bind the duplicate to a new or existing action input variable as needed.
Impact: Users do not need to take any additional steps to benefit from this. New and existing form input components on pages are compatible with this improvement.
Enhanced "redirect when no result" option for data containers
Value: The "redirect when no result" option on data containers has been improved to resolve an issue when used alongside an authentication profile. Previously, if no result was returned by the authentication profile at runtime, the redirect did not function as expected, failing to redirect to the configured page. This defect has now been resolved, allowing developers to reliably use this option in combination with authentication profiles again.
Limitation: This fix does not yet extend to the "on no user results" interaction trigger, which still fails to redirect when used with an authentication profile. However, a viable workaround is available by using the "on-user error" interaction trigger.
Impact: This improvement is only available in the latest version of the data container component in the default Betty Block component set. Existing components already in use on pages will not automatically receive this improvement.
Resolved error when navigating away from back office record view
Value: The back office page template has been updated to resolve an issue encountered when navigating away from an open “record view” of the page. Previously, navigating away (for example, using the quick menu) could result in an error state, requiring a browser refresh to continue. This issue has now been resolved, allowing smooth navigation without interruption.
Impact: Users do not need to take any additional steps to benefit from this. New and existing pages based on the page template are compatible with this fix.
Resolved issue with uploading custom favicons
Value: Previously, attempting to upload a favicon through the configuration menu would not apply the icon correctly. This bug has now been fixed, and custom favicons will display as expected after uploading. For guidance, refer to this documentation on how to add a favicon to your app.
Impact: Users do not need to take any additional steps to benefit from this fix
Up next
Save as widget
Value: As a builder, I can save an Empty widget as a widget.
Impact: When this is released, the wrapper component will contain a 'Save as' option that allows builders to save their Empty widget as a widget. After saving, the new widget or component is visible in its respective category. That also means a new category, 'widgets', is added next to components and partials in the sidebar.
Want to try it out already? Contact the product owner, Manouk van Gerwen, to get the feature flag to enable this feature (manouk.van.gerwen@bettyblocks.com).
Timeframe: Q4
Synchronizing form action create or update step when form changes.
Value: This feature introduces automatic synchronization for create and update action steps when modifying the create or update form components. When changing a form - such as adding or removing inputs bound to model properties - will be automatically reflected in the corresponding create or update action step, eliminating the need to manually adjust these action steps. This streamlines form updates and saves time.
Impact: The impact of this feature is twofold:
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Newly added forms: This synchronization feature will be enabled by default for newly added create or update form components from the default component set after the release. Users can start benefiting from automatic updates without any additional setup.
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Existing forms: For forms already added to pages after the release, this feature will be optional, allowing users to opt in if desired. Detailed instructions on how to enable synchronization for existing forms will be provided in the official release documentation.
Timeframe: November 2024
Data 
New features
Commitment to quality improvement
Currently, we are improving the quality of the data segment by improving our internal processes and codebases. All to service the builders on the platform better and give them a better builder experience.
Actions 
Improvements & fixes
Improved true/false behavior condition function
Value: We’ve fixed a bug in the condition function. Previously, the “true” value of a boolean didn’t return the correct value. Now, this is fixed.
Impact: This improvement is fixed for all conditions functions.
Up next
Enhanced debug logging experience
Value: (Debug)logging of an action is currently a very time-consuming effort. To check where an action fails to execute or if information about the execution is needed, the builder currently needs multiple log steps after every action step to check the action flow. By enabling logging the whole action at once and optimizing the logs page to display the information of the action execution, we enable the builders to debug their action within minutes instead of hours.
In the upcoming months, we are rolling out a series of updates to enhance the debug logging experience, broken into four key milestones:
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Milestone 1: Turn logging on/off
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Feature: Toggle to enable or disable logging for each action, available in the action settings.
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Value: Provides control over logging, allowing builders to enable it only when needed to reduce clutter and focus on critical information.
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Milestone 2: Log page optimization
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Feature: Expand/collapse logs by action step for easier navigation and links to specific actions/steps directly from the log page for quick access.
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Value: Improves readability and accessibility, making it easier to pinpoint and resolve issues.
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Milestone 3: Advanced filtering options
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Feature: Search and filter logs by timestamp and type and sort columns, with the default sort set to date and time (latest log first).
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Value: Allow builders to quickly locate relevant logs, reducing time spent searching for specific events
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Milestone 4: Loop step logging
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Feature: Enables logging for the loop steps
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Value: Provides a clear overview of the logs for the loop steps.
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Impact: Users do not need to take any additional steps to benefit from these improvements.
Timeframe: The first two milestones are expected mid-December 2024
My Betty Blocks 
New features
Updated design for company overview
Value: Display the company overview tabs menu in a sidebar to improve the user experience.
Impact: The company overview and global information are shown on the new dashboard page, where more functionality will be added in the future.
Improvements & fixes
View company overview without permissions.
Value: Company members without view permissions are unable to see the applications and templates list of said company.
Impact: Navigate to a company in the company overview and view the applications or template table without having the view company permission.
Up next
Master Templates (Beta)
Value: As an organization admin, I want to have a master template so that applications created based on this template can receive updates after changes have been made.
Impact: Promotion of an application to a Master Template can be done via the Applications Template settings. Currently, this is behind a feature flag; please let us know if you want to check out this feature.
Timeframe: In the upcoming 2 weeks.
Audit Logging
Value: Company members with the view audit logging permission can see logging of important events, providing a detailed history of actions performed for security, compliance, and troubleshooting in the case of an incident
Impact: The audit logging will be available as a new page on the company overview page.
Timeframe: In the upcoming 4 weeks.
Company Builders
Value: Show the total amount of builders associated with the company so that the company admin can see the potential impact on the billing based on builders. Betty Blocks users will not be counted towards the total number of builders.
Impact: The total number of builders will be displayed on the company overview dashboard.
Timeframe: in the upcoming 4 weeks.
Education 
New content
New documentation environment coming soon!
The docs environment now includes our branding and can be tested via this URL: https://www.bettyblocks.com/docs. Our follow-up plan is to transfer the domains, this way, we can keep using the current docs URL, allowing everyone to keep using the links they had before.
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Updated over 300 articles within one sprint
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Refined navigation & branding
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Currently testing and refining the AI chatbot
Business technologist styling guidance
Value: As a builder, I want to learn about the best ways to design my page so that I can create stylish and brand-appropriate applications.
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Building a custom dashboard page, allowing you to create an in-depth dashboard page using various page builder features to touch up your styling skills.
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CSS styling in components goes further in-depth on the unified styling feature and explains which components can't use the CSS feature.
Improvements & fixes
How to use the new navigation bar on components
Refined the component navigation article to display the updated navigation breadcrumbs for moving between child and parent components.
Up next
Improvements to the Betty Blocks learning management system (LMS)
Value: as a Betty Blocks platform trainee, I can test my skills via a Betty Blocks-supported test environment and get graded on level-based tests.
We have decided to work together with the HubLMS team to bring our LMS to a higher level and keep your eyes open for wonderful and exciting environmental changes.
Timeframe:
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Knowledge base transfer, early Q4
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Have a sneak-peak into the new environment: https://www.bettyblocks.com/docs
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New LMS enabled, end of Q4
If you would like to leave feedback regarding our content and way of learning the platform, please reach out to odin@bettybocks.com
Platform roadmap
Want to know more about the upcoming features and functionalities of the Betty Blocks platform? Visit the platform roadmap of our community, where you can find most of the topics that we are currently working on and are planning to work on. Let us know your thoughts by upvoting the topics you believe are the most valuable!
That was all for now. Your feedback allows us to continuously improve the Product. So please let us know what