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
New features
New component tree
Value: Users now experience a faster and improved component tree when building pages. The new tree introduces a smoother, more intuitive workflow, featuring icons, search with jump-to functionality, zoom options, and better performance overall.
Impact: Users can open the tree view of their page and benefit from:
- Component icons for easier recognition
- Search bar with "jump to" functionality
- Jumping to the selected component directly
- Resizable for a flexible layout
- Right-click context menu for quicker actions
- Zoom in/out within the tree
- Display logic indicators directly visible
Pages quick navigation
Value: Users can now delete, duplicate, or navigate to the runtime version of a page directly from the quick navigation menu, making common actions faster and easier.
Impact: When hovering over a page in the side panel (quick-nav), new options become visible on the right-hand side, enabling quicker page management without needing to go to the overview first.
Show original component name
Value: Users can now always see the original component type when selecting a component, even if the name has been changed. For example, if a "Box" component is renamed to "Card," it will still clearly show that it's based on a Box.
Impact: Users have more clarity and confidence when editing component names, reducing confusion.
Sizing defaults: PX is now the standard
Value: When setting a (fixed) size on components, the unit will now default to pixels (PX) instead of percentages, simplifying the design process.
Impact: Users can work faster and with more precision, as PX is often the preferred unit when specifying fixed dimensions.
Improvements & fixes
Bug fix: Form components drag-and-drop
Value: We've enhanced the drag-and-drop experience for form components on pages. Previously, users had to target a small area at the bottom of a form component to initiate dragging. This limitation has been resolved. Now, users can start dragging from almost anywhere on the selected form component, making the process more intuitive and significantly improving accessibility when moving forms on the page.
Impact: Users do not need to take any additional steps to benefit from this.
Bug fix: Number input min and max length validation
Value: We’ve updated the number input component to fix an issue with minimum and maximum length validations. Previously, these validations were not correctly enforced at runtime. This has now been resolved, ensuring that the number input properly respects the configured min and max length settings, improving data accuracy and validation reliability.
Impact: This update will only be available in the latest version of the number input component in the default Betty Block component set. Existing components already in use on pages will not automatically receive this update.
Bug fix: Add relational detail view item in Back office template fix
Value: We’ve updated the back office page template configuration to fix an issue with adding new detail view items based on relational properties. Previously, the Conditional component wrapping the detail view item did not receive the correct property path, leading to incorrect show/hide behavior at runtime. This issue has now been resolved. As a result, detail view items based on relational properties now display and behave correctly, improving both the reliability and consistency of dynamic page rendering.
Impact: This update will only be available in the latest version of the Back office page template in the default Betty Block component set. Existing components already in use on pages will not automatically receive this update.Up next
Improved usability: Accessing logged-in user data on pages
Value: We will enhance usability when working with logged-in user data on pages by automatically providing authentication profile variables (representing logged-in users) across Pages. We are recognizing four key milestones:
- Enabling the use of authentication profile variables inside component options on a page.
- Allowing authentication profile variables to be used within filters of data components and other page variables on a page.
- Supporting authentication profile variables inside partials on a page.
- Enabling the use of current user role(s) in conditional display logic filtering on a page for easier configuration of show and hide logic based on the user’s role(s).
Impact: Users will no longer need to manually add data containers to make logged-in user information available across pages, simplifying workflows and improving efficiency without additional setup.
Timeframe: Q2 2025
Toggle form changes syncing per action step
Value: This feature allows developers to enable or disable form change synchronization for individual action steps that includes a “value mapping” step option type, like the default Betty Blocks create and update steps.
Impact: This option enables the new time-saving synchronization feature to be applied to older forms. It allows you to synchronize form changes across multiple action steps simultaneously and provides the flexibility to disable the synchronization feature when it is not needed.
Timeframe: Q2 2025
Settings consistency
Value: Users will experience a more consistent platform by having settings structured similarly across different domains.
Impact: Navigating and adjusting settings becomes more in line with the rest of the platform.
Timeframe: Q2 2025
Color picker implementation
Value: Users will be able to choose colors more visually through a color picker instead of a textual dropdown, including the ability to select custom colors beyond the theme values.
Impact: Users gain clearer visual indicators and greater flexibility when styling components, resulting in smoother, more enjoyable, and more precise customization of their applications.
Timeframe: Q2 2025
Models
New features
Slow query detector: enhanced data API performance insights
Value: Builders now receive immediate, clear, and actionable warnings directly in their logs when the data API detects underperforming queries, specifically highlighting missing index issues. This allows for rapid identification and resolution of slow queries by adding necessary indexes. A more transparent and informative system empowers builders to proactively improve their app's performance, leading to a smoother and more efficient development experience.
Impact: Builders will be directly notified via warnings in their logs about slow data API queries caused by missing indexes, enabling them to optimize their data access patterns for better application scalability.
Up next
Data compiler errors in the logs
Value: Providing builders with immediate, clear, and actionable error information regarding the data compiler within the logs will allow them to quickly identify and fix issues, minimizing downtime and maximizing their development efficiency. A more transparent and informative error-handling system will lead to a more positive and less frustrating development experience for builders.
Impact: No action is required nor expected from our users
Timeframe: Summer 2025
Actions
New features
Automatic handling of large collections in actions
Value: As a builder, I want Actions to automatically handle collections exceeding 200 records so that I don't have to manually create batches. This will save the builders time and effort and make working with large datasets in actions more efficient. This enhancement simplifies the process of building and managing workflows involving substantial amounts of data, making it more accessible to all users, regardless of their technical expertise.
Impact: With this update, when an action processes a collection with more than 200 records, the system will automatically handle the necessary batching behind the scenes when the toggle is active. Builders find the toggle for auto batching in the collection action variable in Actions.
Improvements & fixes
Variables in Logs
Value: Within the new Logs overview, there was a bit of unclear differentiation between input, output, and action variables, making it difficult to understand data flow within actions. This improvement enhances the visibility and context of variables within Logs, providing when variables are being used and transformed throughout the execution.
Impact: Variables are now displayed with their values in the step logs where they are defined.
Up next
Hide values of input variables in Logs
Value: This functionality increases the control over sensitive data displayed in Logs by enabling the builder to decide which variable values will be shown on the Logs page and which will not. With it, improved security is implemented by preventing accidental exposure of confidential information like passwords and API keys.
Impact: This future improvement allows users to control the visibility of variable values in logs. Users can configure the visibility of each variable as desired.
Timeframe: Q2 2025
Scheduled/Logged actions overview
Value: Users will be able to see which actions are scheduled and which have logging enabled, directly from the main actions overview, without needing to open each action individually.
Impact: Users save time and gain quicker oversight of their actions, making it easier to manage actions efficiently.
Timeframe: Q2 2025
My Betty Blocks
Up next
Application development activity status
Value: As a company manager, I want to manage inactive applications to improve organization and decision-making.
Impact: Our automated system will set an application to ‘Inactive' if it has the status ‘development’ but has had no building activity for 4 weeks. An inactive application will automatically be set to the development status if development continues. No other action needs to be taken.
Timeframe: expected mid-April
Enhance builder statistics and company dashboard
Value: As a company admin, I can view detailed application and builder information in My Betty Blocks company dashboard, allowing me to make data-driven decisions on application progression.
Impact: No changes will need to be made to enjoy this feature once it’s live.
Timeframe: We aim to release our latest updates by the end of April.
Master template functionality
Value: As a developer, I am able to create sub-applications from a master template, which governs the main features of my sub-applications. Maintaining an updated application structure for my sub-application while allowing me to make personalised changes to my sub-application.
We are currently researching the feasibility for the master deviation functionality, allowing a master template to push changes to a sub-application, and for the sub-application to accept these changes via a branch merging system.
Timeframe: We are in the early stages of developing the master templating feature, working towards providing smaller releases to provide you, our developers, with branching and merging updates as we update you on our progress.
Education
New articles/features
Create and edit blocks
Create a unified article explaining how to turn components, widgets, pages, etc. into blocks and share via the Block Store.
New Essential path exam
New version of Essential path exam was added to the Academy.
Improvements & fixes
Form component articles
Form and Form input components were refined and separated improving readibility and searchability.
Low-code customization articles
Minor updates for Setting up your low-code environment and Creating custom action steps articles.
Logs articles
Log message step and Logs & action monitoring refined with new info on limitations and updated images.
Academy improvements:
- Filtering and tags removed
- 'Continue learning' module moved to the top of the dashboard
- Course and lesson flow in Essential path refined
Up next
Low-code course in the Betty Blocks Academy
Value: As platform trainee, I can learn how to use the Betty Blocks low-code content by following the academy low-code courses and tests.
Enable your low-coding skills by following the Betty Blocks low-code courses and learn how to expand your application using the various enablement toolkit functions provided by Betty Blocks.
Timeframe: Education team is currently researching the content and lesson goals for the low-code course and will continue with the creation of the Academy content once they are done.
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.
- Milestone 2: Certification and badging system
- Feature: Enhance user motivation and recognize achievements with certifications, tests, and badges.
- Value: Encourages user engagement through visible rewards, enhances credibility for users, and adds value to Betty Blocks’ platform.
We've completed the first version of Essentials testing and still working on certification generation in our Academy environment and aim to deliver a test version in the upcoming sprint.
Later this year:
- Milestone 3: Customer and management portals
- Feature: Enable tailored learning experiences for different user roles and provide administrators with insights
- Value: Supports scalability by offering role-based learning, empowers administrators with actionable insights and enhances user experience
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!