List of release notes from January 06, 2025
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 expansion panel component
Value: The expansion panel component in the default component set has been upgraded with three new customization options, making it more adaptable to your application’s needs. You can now choose a custom icon for expanding and collapsing, adjust the icon's position to appear on the left or right, and customize the icon color to align with your style guide. These enhancements improve the flexibility of the expansion panel component.
Impact: This improvement is only available in the latest version of the expansion panel component in the default Betty Block component set. Existing components already in use on pages will not automatically receive these improvements.
Up next
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: January 2025
New “add form input” option on form components
Value: We will introduce a new feature that simplifies the process of adding form input components directly to forms. Instead of using the drag-and-drop method from the sidebar, users can now click the "add form input" option within a form component. This launches a guided wizard to streamline the process of adding new inputs. This update will make it easier to enrich forms with new input components, even in scenarios with restricted page wrapper access.
Impact: The impact of this feature are twofold:
- Simplified form editing: Form editing will be easier for less advanced users who are less experienced with drag-and-drop functionality. This enhancement reduces the effort required to customize forms.
- Ability to change forms from a locked page wrapper: This feature can be applied to page wrappers, allowing developers to modify forms embedded within locked page wrappers. For example, forms used in the backoffice page template will be updated without needing to unlock the page wrapper, providing greater flexibility and convenience.
Timeframe: January 2025
Widgets
Value: Soon, we will introduce a new feature called widgets. Widgets are pre-defined groups of components designed to simplify and speed up the page-building process. With limited options, users can quickly create consistent and on-brand pages without needing extensive knowledge of individual components. This feature caters to both new users seeking simplicity and advanced users looking for efficiency.
- Simplified page building: Widgets allow users to build pages quickly without the need for in-depth knowledge of individual components or how to combine them. Each widget comes with a limited set of options, reducing the number of clicks and decisions required to create a page.
- Consistency is key: Want your apps to look sharp and on-brand every time? Widgets can be pre-styled to match your brand’s look and feel. This means you can maintain a consistent design across all your apps without breaking a sweat.
- Faster development and increased efficiency: Widgets are designed to help you build apps faster and more efficiently. By offering larger, pre-configured blocks with fewer options, you can quickly put together pages with greater confidence and consistency. No more starting from scratch—just drag, drop, and let widgets do the heavy lifting.
Impact: On release, a widget category will be available in the page builder and in the blockstore. Documentation on how to use widgets and how to create your own widget set will be available on release.
Timeframe: January 2025
Models
New features
Replacing the current cloud storage
Value: We are currently replacing our current cloud storage provider with Wasabi Technologies as our subprocessor for cloud storage. This change is part of our continuous efforts to optimize our services and ensure we leverage the most efficient and secure solutions available.
Impact: No action is required nor expected from our users. This transition will be seamless, and we are doing everything to minimize the impact on our services and are expecting no downtime during the migration.
Timeframe: Customers will be notified when the migration of their applications is scheduled.
Actions
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 optimising 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:
- Milestone 1: Turn logging on/off
- Feature: Toggle to enable or disable logging for each action, available in the action settings.
- Value: Provides control over logging, allowing builders to enable it only when needed to reduce clutter and focus on critical information.
- Milestone 2: Log page optimisation
- Feature: Expand/collapse logs by action step for easier navigation and links to specific actions/steps directly from the log page for quick access.
- Value: Improves readability and accessibility, making it easier to pinpoint and resolve issues.
- Milestone 2,5: Variables on log page
- Feature: After this milestone, the variables and its values will be printed on the logs page for every action step.
- Value: Improves the debug experience, making it easier to pinpoint and resolve issues.
- Milestone 3: Advanced filtering options
- Feature: Search and filter logs by timestamp and type and sort columns, with the default sort set to date and time (latest log first).
- Value: Allow builders to quickly locate relevant logs, reducing time spent searching for specific events
- Milestone 4: Loop step logging
- Feature: Enables logging for the loop steps
- Value: Provides a clear overview of the logs for the loop steps.
Impact: Users do not need to take any additional steps to benefit from these improvements.
Timeframe: The first two milestones are currently being tested and will be available behind a feature flag within two weeks.
My Betty Blocks
New features
Builders Metric on Company Dashboard
Value: Betty Blocks employees and implementation partners will be excluded from the total builders count on the company dashboard, so that this gives a more realistic view for costs.
Impact: Navigate to the company overview and view the builders count, including the tooltip that mentions the exclusion.
Education
New
The SDLC-flow application - article
To have a sneak-peak at what you can expect from the soon to be live template, we would like to present the supporting article for using the SDLC-flow template.
Use the SDLC-flow template to assist builders in finding their optimal flow for the application-building process.
Improvements & fixes
Low-code environment setup guide
To support our (new) low-coders we are taking a moment to review, update and expand our low-code documentation. This sprint the introduction article have gotten a little refresher!
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What is a builder bar, and Basic features of Betty Blocks in the getting started section
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Building an action, and Authenticate user step in the actions section
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Getting started with data model , Navigating through model builder, Working with data model builder, and Using bridge model in the models section
Up next
Low-code environment setup guide
We are working on creating more high-level low-code content, allowing low-code developers to create more custom solutions for their use-cases.
The SDLC-flow application template
Do you want to learn how to follow the ideal flow for application development? The education team is working on an application template that uses the Betty Blocks SDLC guidelines to assist you in your development process.
Install the template and go through the initiatives you and your companies have.
Timeframe: expected January
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.
- Milestone 1: LMS Implementation, Branding, and SSO Availability
- Feature: Launch the Academy (based on HubLMS) integrated with Betty Blocks' branding and ensure secure user access through SSO.
- Value: Provides a branded, secure, and accessible platform for users to begin engaging with the LMS while setting the stage for future expansion
Timeframe: We aim to open the environment in January, for the first rounds of customer testing and essential path usage.
- 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.
- Milestone 3: Customer and Management Portals
- Feature: Enable tailored learning experiences for different user roles and provide administrators with insights.
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Value: Supports scalability by offering role-based learning, empowers administrators with actionable insights, and enhances user experience.
If you would like to leave feedback regarding our content or have any questions about the new LMS, 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!