Release 7.8.0

Discontinued Features

The following items, and their associated privileges have been removed:

• workflows
• alarms

Databases out of support

We no longer support the following database versions. 

• SQL Server 2008
• SQL Server 2014.

Please email support@phixflow.com if you are planning to run PhixFlow 7.8 on an unsupported database version.

AES-192 encryption removed

DEV-5260 The AES-192 encryption option has been removed from file exporters.

Stream view action buttons no longer work outside a dashboard

DEV-5569 For stream views, PhixFlow makes action buttons usable only when the view is displayed in a dashboard. If you open the view outside a dashboard, the buttons are displayed but do not work. You can open the view outside a dashboard from:

• the repository file list
• the analysis model
• the stream form.

If you want to use the button actions, create a dashboard and drop the stream view into it.

Context parameters from the client are not always "string"

In PhixFlow version 7.7 and earlier, all context parameter values were evaluated by the client as string, irrespective of their actual data type. The client now correctly uses the correct type.

However, this change may affect any application logic that expects a data-type of string. For example you may see errors related to comparing data types. If you have problems debugging these errors, please email support@phixflow.com.

Changes to Privileges

DEV-5466 Administrators can now control which users can change the format of numbers, dates and time as they appear in grids. Modeller and administrator user types will automatically be updated to be able to create, update or delete formats. All user types will be updated to list or view formats.

Features and Improvements

General changes to PhixFlow windows

DEV-5519 In all configuration forms, the toolbar button to collapse all sections of the form has been renamed from Close All to Collapse All.

Streams, stream views and pipes

DEV-5504 In the stream form → Advanced section, there is a new Index Scheme called Superseded. Use this scheme for self-updating streams that have mostly superseded records. This improves the performance of extracting data from the backing stream table. See Index Scheme.

There have been several changes to the stream view form.

DEV-5502 There is a new Show Row Number flag to display row numbers in grid views.

DEV-5435 By default, the Advanced section → Periods option is set to 1 for streams with Daily, Monthly or Variable periods. Streams with Transactional periods are left blank (null) by default. This means that all the data in the stream is returned.

DEV-5474 There are two new options in the stream view form → Advanced section. These options affect information displayed for the attributes grid.

• Use Display Records Count to always display the number of records in the stream. Use this option if there are fewer than 100,000 records.
• Use Show Paging Bar to display a paging bar at the bottom of the list. The paging bar now displays the number of currently selected records.

DEV-1900 In the stream attribute form → Basic Settings section, there are new Types for the data. Use Bigstring to handle strings over 4000 characters. For smaller strings, use String. Use Decimal to handle numbers with a specified number of decimal places. See Stream Attribute Types.

DEV-5427 and DEV-3392 The pipe form → Basic Settings → Data To Read drop-down list has two new options. Use All Previous to pipe in all data except the latest stream set. Use Same Run for transactional streams, to pipe in data only from the same run. When Data To Read is set to All, the Read Future Data field is now available.

DEV-5520 On the pipe form, the Parent Details section now displays the output object instead of the input object.

DEV-5225 For stream data, the Download Data options no longer include Download to HTML.

Filters and Grids

DEV-5317 You can now save a copy of a filter directly from its form.

1. From a stream form → Filters section → select a filter to open the filter form.
2. Click the menu icon  in the top right of the form.
3. Select Save as copy.

DEV-5286 There is a new option on the filter form called Enable Filter Picker. This option affects the filters on the stream view attributes window for the following filter conditions:

• equals
• not equals
• is in
• is not in

When you create a filter, PhixFlow adds a  search icon after the value field. Click to display a list of the available values on which you can filter. See Filter Picker.

DEV-5120 The filter form → Basic Settings now includes a Stream Name field. This makes it easy to find which stream the filter affects.

DEV-5120 The context menu options for grid columns have been reordered to make the frequently-used options easily accessible.

Datasources, collectors and exporters

DEV-5349  As in previous releases, you must specify URLs without the http(s):// prefix in a: 

• HTTP Datasource Instance
• HTTP Collector
• HTTP Exporter 

 When you save a form, PhixFlow now checks URLs and prompts you to remove the prefix.

DEV-5272 The file exporter form → Basic Settings section → Excel template box has a new tag, exclude. Use this to indicate worksheets to which you do not want to export data.

DEV-4849 For a datasource export, use the Download data button in a grid to save the output of Show Tables to an Excel spreadsheet or CSV file.

DEV-5413 The file exporter editor now hides fields that are not required for the selected export file type.

DEV-5283 Exporting a file will fail if a file cannot be overwritten, for example because it is in use. The temporary file created by the exporter is now automatically deleted.

DEV-5256 You can now use the debug function HTTP and database exporter statement expressions.

Task and task plans

DEV-5211 For active tasks, the context menu no longer has the options Show Log File and Permanently Delete. These options have no meaning when tasks are still in progress. Also selecting Show Log File on an active task in the system console no longer displays an error message.

Data formats, functions and macros

DEV-5554 Date fields now accept input in standard date formats, not only the Date Time Format specified for the field.

DEV-5273 PhixFlow now applies number, date and time formats to non-aggregate fields on aggregate views.

Menus

DEV-5394 The administration menu is now available in App Mode. The menu is available to users with relevant privileges, such as import/export configuration, import/export stream data or download log files. Users do not need to have the View Administration Menu privilege.

DEV-5236 You can now set default desktop and mobile menus. In the application form → Menus section, right-click on a menu name and select either Make default desktop menu or Make default mobile menu. See Menu.

DEV-5290 From design mode, you can now run menu items in applications, even if they contain task plans. Use Ctrl+Alt+click the menu item.

Dashboards

DEV-5404 In previous release, you could only set a single background filter on dashboard elements. In version 7.8 you can create multiple background filter rules for dashboard elements. See Dashboard Elements. You can also create filter rules for stream view, drop-down and card components.

DEV-4377 Use the new Refresh If Not Active flag on:

• dashboard elements
• stream views
• card views
• stream view components.

When ticked, data is refreshed even if the parent dashboard is not visible, for example the dashboard could be minimised or hidden behind other windows. When unticked, data is marked as 'need to refresh' and will refresh as soon as the parent dashboard gets the focus. If you are working on multiple dashboards at the same time, untick this option to reduce network traffic and therefore improve PhixFlow's response time.

DEV-5481 Dashboards now have a Preload flag. When ticked, during system loading, it preloads. This means the dashboard opens quickly when requested.

DEV-5069 Use the new area component → Split Component option to split the area and dynamically set its style, such as the split ratio.

DEV-5360 You can now reference dynamic text fields using _form.<DynamicTextComponentName> in expressions.

Layouts, forms, components and styles

DEV-5320 You can now add stream views to forms and card components. This means fields and cards can have their data backed by aggregate attributes.

DEV-5351 Input layout components, such as an input field, have a new Default Value field. Use this field to enter the specified value into an input field, if there is no other value set. The default value is added when the form opens. 

DEV-5405 You can now copy or export individual styles, not just as part of a package or application.

DEV-5245 You can only add a tab layout component to a tabs component.

DEV-5222 and DEV-5401 For card and stream view components, their names can only contain the following characters:

• a-z
• A-Z
• 0-9 
• _ (underscore)

If there are any other characters in the name, PhixFlow removes them when you save.

Actions

DEV-5473 For actions, there are new dashboard rules. Use Refresh form from server to refresh the dashboard contents from the sever when it is opened. Use the Clear fields data option to empty any fields with values before the context parameters and default values are applied.

DEV-5321 You can now add actions to stream view attributes. 

1. The user can hover their mouse pointer over a cell in a column.
2. If an action is available, PhixFlow displays a cog icon.
3. The user can click the cog icon to run the action.

DEV-5344 and DEV-5335 There are now more options for running actions. In design mode, Ctrl+Alt+click on a button to run the button's action. You can also run actions by dragging stream items to and from stream views and card containers. See Drag Type.

DEV-4377 Actions now have a Wait For Selection flag. When the action is triggered, for example by a double-click, and this flag is:

• unticked, the action runs immediately and the driving selection is refreshed in the background.
• ticked, the action waits until the driving selection refreshes.

DEV-5472 There is a new field in the action form → Context Parameters → Use these values as. Select from the options:

• default values: uses a default value instead of any record already present in the field. A record from the server can overwrite the default value. This is how context parameters behaved in version 7.7 and earlier.
• fixed values: always uses a fixed value, overwriting any record already present in the field and any record that comes from the server.
• blank option: sets the context so it can be accessed by _context without overwriting any data.

DEV-5400 PhixFlow no longer clears the $-variables between evaluating each context parameter. This means the parameters are now ordered and a $-variable will be available in later parameter expressions.

Functions

DEV-5523 There is a new attribute function htmlToXml(string): string. This converts HTML to XML so that you can use xpath expressions to decode the html.

System options and logging

DEV-5495 If the System Logging form → Log Exporter Statements option is ticked, PhixFlow now logs the statement to the system console, not just the server log file. 

Managing users and permissions

DEV-2042 In order to change their own login name, a user must have administrator privileges and the administrator form → Administrator section must have Administer Users, User Groups and Roles. This also means the user can change the login name of any local user.

DEV-5455 A user assigned to a role with only View System Console and no other privileges can now see the  icon for the system console.

SAML Single Sign-On

DEV-5148 PhixFlow now supports single sign-on, based on the SAML 2.0 protocol. This means you can configure PhixFlow to use an external authorisation system, such as a Windows Federation Services server. Any user who is already logged onto the authorisation system are automatically logged onto PhixFlow as the same user. The user's access rights are determined by matching SAML group names to external names defined against each PhixFlow user group. Use the system configuration form and the user groups forms to specify the group names.

You can also define multiple login forms for different user groups. For example you may want to have two forms:

• a simple login form for standard users who only need single sign-on
• a form for advanced users that provides additional login options.

DEV-3533 and DEV-3630 The system configuration form and user group form have been updated to reflect that they support both Active Directory and SAML Single Sign-on.

• The system configuration form → Active Directory section has been renamed to External Group Name 
• The user groups form → Basic Settings section → Active Directory Group field has been renamed to External Login Groups

Configuring either Active Directory or SAML logins is optional, but if you do not specify an external group, the user must match one of the User Group External Group Names.

DEV-3530 and DEV-5451 To specify external groups, either in the system configuration form or in the user groups form, enter a list of group names separated by semi-colons. Spaces around the semi-colon are ignored. The field size has increased to 250 characters to support lists of groups. To log in, a user must match at least one of the specified groups. 

Bug Fixes

The following issues have been fixed in this release.

Streams, stream views and pipes

When you drag attributes into a form:

• DEV-5240 Phixflow now correctly sets the underlying stream for the form.
• DEV-5365 The list of attributes updates correctly, even if one of the attributes cannot be added because it is a duplicate.

DEV-5330 The stream view form → Menu Items section → Show Stream Actions list now correctly lists actions only from the underlying stream.

DEV-5356 In the stream view form → View Attributes section, filtering on Order and Name now works correctly.

DEV-5508 Deleting a pipe from the repository now removes the pipe from an open analysis model view.

DEV-5485 When the stream view data displayed is changed by a filter, PhixFlow now resets the view to the first page of data.

DEV-4914 The paging bar now refreshes correctly to reflect changes to stream view data caused by column filters.

DEV-5139 For stream view data, clearing a selected column filter on a drop-down list caused the drop-down list to stay open.

Stream data

DEV-5392 Users no longer need import or export configuration privileges to see the menu options Export stream data and Import stream data.

DEV-5255 In the export file of a grid which includes a column that is aggregated, PhixFlow no longer incorrectly adds extra columns.

Grid views

DEV-5200 Fixed problems with applying filters to an audit grid.

DEV-5300 Fixed the Select All check box at the top of a grid becoming cleared when the selected records change.

DEV-5216 Fixed grid row styles not being calculated when the Autosave action is run.

DEV-5202 Improved the position of centred or right-aligned numbers in a grid.

Filters

DEV-5449  PhixFlow no longer reports a type conversion error when a pipe filter attribute is renamed and its type changed, but the filter is not resaved, 

DEV-5443 It is now possible to save a filter with fromDate, toDate or supersededDate.

DEV-5397 In date columns, the date picker is now showing dates only, instead of dates and times.

DEV-5524 It is now possible to filter grids of filters.

DEV-5328 Column filters no longer persist when the column is removed.

Datasources, collectors and exporters

DEV-5512 In a file collector, when the Basic Settings → Enabled box is ticked, the file collector is now correctly applied.

DEV-5441 The Show inputs button now works reliably.

DEV-5434 In the database exporter form and the HTTP exporter form, the Record Response field is now correctly populated when an input stream is deleted and a new stream is added.

DEV-5251 It is now possible to set the HTTP exporters form → Record Response field.

DEV-5250 The configuration export no longer requires the Compress check box to be set by an administration user. 

DEV-5017 and 5237 Using a file exporter with several inputs no longer fails. This problem occurred because PhixFlow created multiple files with the same name. If the exporter generated emails, the files with duplicate names were being deleted before they were emailed.

DEV-1891 When logged, HTTP collector and exporter statements are now formatted without quotes around variables.

Tasks and task plans

DEV-5497 It is now possible to edit archive tasks.

DEV-4921 If you drag a stream from the list of streams on a task form to an analysis model, PhixFlow now correctly adds the stream.

DEV-5521 Archive tasks no longer generate conflicting messages, indicating both success and failure, when the task completes.

Data formats, functions and macros

DEV-5398 Selecting a Date Time with the date time calendar for a column filter, then clicking apply, was sometimes not applying the filter immediately.

DEV-5411 Macros with the same name as a built-in function are now correctly validated in expressions.

Emails

DEV-5262 On emails, Maximum Attachment Size is now correctly enforced.

DEV-5259 In the repository browser, the Disabled flag is now displayed correctly for email accounts.

Menus

DEV-5235 When navigating to an application using the URL, PhixFlow now loads the specified menu, instead of the application default menu.

DEV-4888 Driving views that are set to never refresh no longer stops the view from ever refreshing.

Dashboards, layouts, forms, components and styles

DEV-5354 When closing a pop-up dashboard, the parent dashboard is now correctly updated.

DEV-5432 When moving layout components in the repository browser, you now add fields to an area on a tab. You cannot add fields directly to a tab.

DEV-5243 It is now possible to delete a tab component even if it does not have a parent.

DEV-5418 When dragging a layout component onto a form in the repository browser, PhixFlow correctly adds the component to a form, rather than reporting an error.

DEV-5416 It is now possible to delete areas that contain string fields or number fields.

DEV-5390 Editing the current page size is now working correctly.

DEV-5387 Mozilla Firefox now displays drop-down lists on edit forms with the correct values.

DEV-5534 Styles, defined in the Formatting Rules section are now correctly assigned to either a package or an application container. 
On the style, number format and date-time format forms the Parent Details section → Container field is now a drop-down list. This makes it easy to change the container.

Actions and context parameters

DEV-5386 Dragging a stream action onto the header of a card container is now working correctly.

DEV-5511 Switching from Design Mode to App Mode, PhixFlow was sometimes running an earlier version of the action. This happened if the action was open in one view and edited in a different view.

DEV-5057 Context parameters that evaluate to a list of null values are no longer stored as the string null.

System Console

DEV-5359 In the system console, filtering the list of stream sets for a log file now returns only stream sets that are associated with that log file.