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 price and decimal input components for greater ease of use
Value: We've upgraded the price and decimal input components to make them more intuitive and efficient to configure. This update significantly enhances usability by introducing clearer formatting options and resolving previous limitations. The two key issues addressed:
- Formatting configuration: Formatting was handled via regex, making it difficult to configure.
- Incorrect value saving: When saving a decimal like “9,999.00” to an action, everything before the comma was saved, and the rest was stripped by default.
In order to resolve these issues we introduced 3 new options on the inputs: decimal separator (point or comma), a scale number, and an option to show thousands (group) separators as formatting or not.
When choosing the desired decimal separator, the inputs will be compiled with some very strict behavior at runtime, streamlining the input process for end-users of your applications:
- End-users cannot insert group separations. This is done by the input formatting itself.
- End-users can only insert the decimal separator once, not more.
- End-users can only insert numeric characters. No textual characters.
Limitations: The newest versions of the inputs will include the following limitations:
- Maximum value: 10 trillion (10000000000000) by default. There is an option to overwrite.
- Minimum value: -10 trillion (-10000000000000) by default. There is an option to overwrite.
- Design vs. runtime formatting: The applied input formatting works only at runtime. Static default values in the design time will not reflect it.
- Fixed decimal separator: The chosen decimal separator (. or ,) is compiled at runtime and cannot be changed dynamically per end-user.
- Static default values: The inputs only accept point (.) decimals without group (,) separators.
Impact: When adding the latest price and decimal components for the first time, expect a one-time setup delay of 30 to 60 seconds as dependencies are bundled to your application. Also, this update will only be available in the latest version of the price and decimal components in the default Betty Block component set. Existing components already in use on pages will not automatically receive this update.
Enhanced price currency option
Value: The price input component has been improved to allow the currency option with static or dynamic content. Previously, you could only use static values in the currency option but we allow you to use dynamic content from a database record as well.
Impact: This update will only be available in the latest version of the price input component in the default Betty Block component set. Existing components already in use on pages will not automatically receive this update.
Bug fix: Duplicate page with page variable filters
Value: The duplicate page flow has been enhanced to address an issue when using page variables with filters. Previously, when duplicating a page containing an object page variable filter using component-state values, the copied page did not function correctly at runtime. The filter was not copied properly. This issue has now been fixed. This fix ensures a seamless duplication experience, maintaining the integrity of page functionality.
Impact: Users do not need to take any additional steps to benefit from this. Every new page duplication will include this fix.
Bug fix: Default value serialization fix
Value: The rich text editor input has been updated to fix an issue with static HTML values when representing a list without nested items, such as: <ul><li>test1</li><li>test2</li><li>test3</li></ul>.
Previously, the component would enter a broken state during design time, and at runtime, the input would overwrite the value when focused. This issue has now been resolved, ensuring the component functions reliably in both design and runtime environments.
Impact: This update will only be available in the latest version of the rich text editor input component in the default Betty Block component set. Existing components already in use on pages will not automatically receive this update.
Bug fix: Improved action syncing for hidden inputs
Value: The action synchronization feature has been improved to address an issue related to hidden inputs when changing a page form. Previously, if a hidden input was mapped to the model ID property, the action would enter an error state. The automation feature attempted to update the step mapping with a “not allowed to use” property type (ID), causing failures. This issue is now resolved. When hidden inputs are based on the model ID property, the mapping update to action steps is correctly skipped (as expected).
Impact: Users do not need to take any additional steps to benefit from this. Every new form action synchronization will include this fix.
Bug fix: Fields cleared when changing the icon while saving a component.
Value: We've resolved the issue where all fields were cleared when changing the icon during component saving. Now, selecting a new icon will preserve your field values.
Impact: No action is required from users to benefit from this fix.
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 include 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: Q1 2025
New “add form input” option on form components
Value: We’ll 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 back office page template will be updated without needing to unlock the page wrapper, providing greater flexibility and convenience.
Timeframe: Q1 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 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.
For the last two weeks, we have been rolling out a series of updates to enhance the debug logging experience.This all is available behind a feature flag that can be requested via Support.
What you will unlock with this feature flag:
- 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.
- Log page optimization
- 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.
- 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.
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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).
- Value: Allow builders to quickly locate relevant logs, reducing time spent searching for specific events.Advanced filtering options
Timeframe: The public release of the improved debug logging experience is planned for mid March.
Query splitting
Value: Improve your application's ability to manage functionalities that use complex filtering without compromising performance, by improving the query-splitting on permission filters. This will optimize query performance and ensure users can efficiently retrieve data they are authorized to access.
Impact: For optimal use, ensure data security by strictly adhering to permission-based access control.
Expected timeframe: End of February
My Betty Blocks
New features
Delayed payment message
Value: Displayed a delayed payment message within the building environment so that the right person can be informed to prevent unexpected discontinued usage of the platform.
Impact: The payment messages will be available within the whole building environment.
Unique identifier property
Value: Company admins are able to properly govern platform usage while staying on top of the associated costs.
Impact: On custom authentication profiles a new property is available, this property is used to count towards unique users for cross-application user activity tracking.
Improvements & fixes
Easy enumeration allowed for GraphQL in My Betty Blocks
Value: Improved security restricting GrapQL access to items outside the users organization.
Impact: Bruteforcing of the graphQL API.
Rephrase merge failure message
Value: Make sure its clear users still need to reach out to us when there is a merge failure.
Impact: When a merge fails out of office hours.
Up next
End-user activity tracking
Value: Company admins are able to view and monitor the active end-users within their company and per application within the company, so that they can govern the value of the applications.
Impact: On the company overview dashboard a new graph is available that shows the total number of active end-users. On the company overview applications table a new column is added that shows the total number of active end-users per application.
Timeframe: Upcoming 4 weeks.
Company growth metrics
Value: Company admins are able to see the company statistics updates over time allowing them to govern the value of the company account and its applications.
Impact: The company overview dashboard now shows the statistics in a graph including the growth number for the selected period. In the applications table of the company overview the growth numbers are displayed in the columns for the selected period per application.
Timeframe: Upcoming 4 weeks.
Company storage usage
Value: Display the total storage usage of an account and application basis without temporary storage being included so that a realistic view of actual storage usage is displayed.
Impact: The storage will be displayed on the company dashboard and applications table.
Timeframe: Upcoming 4 weeks.
Education
New
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. We are currently adding more in-depth items to assist low-code developers in experiencing more capabilities of our low-code toolkit.
The new Academy: beta environment
The new academy environment now has all functions implemented for its release-
- Current-gen essential and advanced materials available
- Progress tracking and easy dive-back options when returning to courses
- Dynamic homepage tiles for various steps in the user journey
- Betty Blocks SSO enabled - you can now access the environment if you have a Betty Blocks account
Send an email to odin@bettyblocks.com for Beta access to our new academy environment.
Our current steps are branding and UX implementations, and go-live preparation.
Improvements & fixes
Feature requests-
- Updated Expansion panel component docs with the latest added options
- Updated docs to strongly emphasize "How to use formatting"
- Refined clarity on when and where you use the data API, and added an order in which to follow the guide, data API intro article.
Up next
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: Mid-February
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!