Important
This version is now End of Life.
Version Date Released Features and Enhancements Resolved Issues Downloads
18.11.9 11 February 2021 ✓ ✓
18.11.8 17 June 2020 ✓ ✓
18.11.7 12 December 2019 ✓ ✓
18.11.6 6 September 2019 ✓ ✓
18.11.5 22 July 2019 ✓ ✓
18.11.4 23 April 2019 ✓ ✓
18.11.3 15 February 2019 ✓ ✓
18.11.2 Interim Release Rolled into 18.11.3 ✓
18.11.1 19 December 2018 ✓ ✓
18.11.0 26 November 2018 ✓ ✓ ✓

What's New in 18.11

The key driver for TM 18.11 is to add support for the Transact Workspaces spaces development and to support this a new Workspaces API has been built. This is Swagger restful API which supports queries & updates and also includes paging facilities.

The TM 18.11 release also includes significant form initialization performance improvements for large forms (see Maestro Static Content Externalization below).

This release also includes support for Open JDK 11 and Wildfly 14 which puts TM on a long term support branch for Java and also benefits from a number of updates to dependent libraries and also a number of core java security enhancements. The Open JDK 11 has useful performance improvements for high throughput workloads with improved memory management and new parallel GC1 garbage collector. This JDK also supports searchable Javadoc in the Transact SDK distribution.

Key Features

Workspace API

The Workspace API is new TM REST API to support the development of rich UI experiences for ‘Back of House’ staff who are supporting complex workflows and providing help desk functions to end users. The API utilities Swagger and is secured using Spring Security. Primarily provides access to information relating to Transactions & Jobs but also serves system meta data to support the workspace operations.

The REST API is a supported interface to set the contract for how a Space interacts with TM. A stable interface will simplify platform upgrades in the future.

Support Queries for:

  1. Txn
  2. Job
  3. Space
  4. User/Current User
  5. Organizations
  6. Groups
  7. Forms
  8. Categories
  9. Extract & Property Names

Supports Updates to:

  1. Txn & Job Comments
  2. Current User Preferences and Profiles
  3. Cancel, Reopen, Assign and Unassign transactions/tasks

WorkspaceAPI

Maestro Form - Static Content Externalization (SCE)

Transact Manager now includes a new Maestro Form rendering mode which significantly reduces the time it takes to load large forms. This is important as long application loading times can significantly increase the bounce rate with users simply closing the browser window before starting the application.

Using the new Maestro SCE Mode rendering option, TM will externalized 85-95% of the Maestro HTML form content which can then be served in parallel by Content Distribution Networks (CDNs). This substantially reduces the amount of time it takes a form to initialize as the initial HTML page is downloaded very quickly and the larger static JSON and JS content can be downloaded in parallel by separate browser threads. By serving this static content out of CDN's they are much more likely to be close to the users device reducing the network latency and this content can also be cached by the users browser.

For large Maestro applications we have see a 2x reduction in form load times.

For the TM sever there area also benefits, and under performance load tests we have observed a 20% throughput improvement with this option enabled.

The Maestro Static Content Externalization (SCE) mode works with older Maestro Release forms and does not require any changes to the Maestro forms to use it.

Maestro SCE Mode is a opt in feature and can be enabled on a system by setting the 'Maestro SCE Mode' check box on the 'Composer Render HTML Form' service.

image2018-11-26_11-40-30     image2018-11-22_14-35-14

Additions System Event Publisher (SEP) Feed

The System Event Publisher (SEP) feed now supports:

  1. New User Authentication Event feed to send user login events, https://docs.avoka.com/SystemEventPublisher/UserAuthenticationEventSEP.htm
  2. Includes scheduled purge time and actual purge time for a transaction, https://docs.avoka.com/SystemEventPublisher/SubmissionEventSEP.htm

Security Enhancements & Library Upgrades

  • Add Validation of date field to the workspace portal to fix internal error when provided date is invalid, TMR-1422
  • Enhance security around service connection password in the manager UI, TMR-138
  • Remove confirmation page and receipting from the Server Monitor Form configuration, TMR-1613

Upgrades to various third party libraries undertaken in 18.11 to make sure TM has the latest updates, Including:

  • TM now uses Open JDK 11
  • User Agent Utils upgraded to 1.21
  • Spring Framework upgraded to 4.3.19
  • Spring Security upgraded to 43.1.7
  • Bouncycastle upgraded to 1.60
  • Remove JLine library from TM and upgrade SDK version to 3.9
  • Upgrade org.apache.xmlgraphics batik to 1.10

Platform Support Enhancements

TM now supports Microsoft SQL Server 2017 database and Microsoft Windows Server 2016 operation system.

Behavior Changes & Removed Features

The following are possible behavior changes to be aware of:

  • Defect TMR-1343 : It was identified that the MockEntityService did not correctly initialize the job graph state. The fix for this will possible change behavior for test cased which use MockEntityService.createJobInProgress.
  • Feature TMR-1575 : The use of the existing field task_created_timestamp field has been expanded for use for standard transactions as well and will now be populated when any transaction is created. This is externalized through the Workspace API as timeCreated. There is a small behavioral change here if this field is used to infer a transaction is a task, i.e. Groovy query checking the task_created_timestamp field but not also checking the transaction is actually a task by checking the task key.
  • Feature TMR-1574 : A maximum time period restriction on the purge process duration when running within the transaction processor has been added this default to 150 seconds. For systems which have long running data retention this setting may need attention.
  • FeatureTMR-1593 : Controls have been added to manage the lifetime of the submission property and extract search cache, this allows control of the size of the search data sets for these searches, the default for system upgrades will maintain previous behavior but for new systems the search data will be purged on delivery. This setting re-enforces that TM is not a system of record and management of transactions once they have been delivered should be handled outside of TM and hence delivered transactions will not be searchable in TM.

The following are features that have been removed from TM in 18.11:

  • FopRenderReceiptService receipt render service & org.apache.xmlgraphics library
  • Use of Flash in the Manager UI
  • Apache Camel Support for Groovy Services

Fluent API Additions

Each TM release includes additions to the Fluent API set while coverage of this API grows, 18.11 is no different and includes updated to the Fluent API.

These API additions should introduce no compatibility issues with the services developed for the previous version.

The following table is a summary of the updated Fluent API.

This link contains a JDiff of the changed to the interface between version 18.05 and 18.11, Fluent API Changes 18.05-18.11.zip

For more information on the above please see the Fluent API Javadoc available in the Transact SDK or under TM Services menu 'Fluent API Javadoc'.

Class Description
com.avoka.tm.http.HttpRequest Added methods for setUseSystemProxy()
com.avoka.tm.query.GroupQuery New Class, Provides a group query class.
com.avoka.tm.query.JobQuery Added mtethod for setUserLoginName()
com.avoka.tm.query.TxnHistoryQuery Added method for setTxnRefNumber()
com.avoka.tm.query.TxnQuery Added method for setTaskClaimed()
com.avoka.tm.query.UserQuery Added methods for addGroup()
com.avoka.tm.svc,TxnUpdater

Changed update() to return a new immutable Txn object.

setFormStatus() now supports setting transactions to the Completed status.
com.avoka.tm.util.Path

Added method for firstPath()
com.avoka.tm.util.Security

Added operations for

getSessionEntryUrl

storeSessionEntryUrl

com.avoka.tm.vo.Group

New Class, Provide a Group value object class.
com.avoka.tm.vo.Txn

Added fields for:

transRefNumber

userAgent

userAgentDeviceType

Release Details

18.11.9

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18.11.8

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18.11.7

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18.11.6

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18.11.5

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18.11.4

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18.11.3

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18.11.2 - Interim Release

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18.11.1

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18.11.0

Features and Enhancements

Key Module Summary Description
TMR-480 Core Services Improve error handling when purging submission records Purging process logging improved to log errors for transactions which have problems during the purge process so the problem can be diagnosed.
TMR-580 Core Services Increase size of the User Firstname and Lastname fields Size increased to 100 characters
TMR-1259 Core Services Add new TField space property to control the maximum number of attachments uploaded per sync New portal property added 'Max Attachments Per Sync' and this defaults to 250.
TMR-1395 Core Services Security Hardening - Upgrade Spring Framework 4.3.19 Library Upgraded
TMR-1533 Core Services Extend character length for email subject Email subject field length increased to 200 characters
TMR-1574 Core Services Add time period restriction on the purge process within the transaction processor

A new setting has been added to the transaction processor to control the maximun amount of time allocated to the purge process when running through the transaction processor. New setting is 'Max Data Retention Period' and can be found on the Transaction Processor service. Once this time period has elapsed the purge process will finish and wait for the next tick of the processor.

See KB documentation via the following link: Transaction Processor Service
TMR-1575 Core Services Introduce Submission.timeCreated timestamp and expose to the Workspace API The use of the existing field task_created_timestamp field has been expanded for use for standard transactions as well and will now be populated when any transaction is created. This is externalized through the Workspace API as timeCreated. There is a small behavioral change here if this field is used to infer a transaction is a task, i.e. Groovy query checking the task_created_timestamp field but not also checking the transaction is actually a task by checking the task key.
TMR-1578 Core Services, Installer/CI Builder Security Hardening - Upgrade OpenJDK 11 GA TM 18.11 used Open JDK 11
TMR-1593 Core Services Add controls to manage the lifetime of the submission property and extract search cache Submission property and data extract searches works off a data cache and previously the lifetime of this cache was up to the PII purge data time. To help maintain search performance on large systems, controls have been added to help reduce the lifetime of this cache and hence reduce the amount of data that is being searched. Property and extract search features are used from the workspace and are looking for in progress transactions rather than completed transactions and hence the default for new systems will be to purge the data from the cache for a transaction once it has been delivered. For upgraded systems the default will be at PII purge time.
TMR-1595 Core Services Remove Apache Camel to fix vulnerability CVE-2018-8027 Apache Camel is not used by TM and hence has been removed to remove this vulnerability.
TMR-1597 Core Services Add User Authentication Events to the data feed for SEP

A new event feed has been added to SEP to send events relating to user authentication activity. This is the same information visible under the Security -> User Login History menu.

See KB documentation via the following link: System Event Publisher
TMR-1599 Core Services Add TM support for MS SQL Server up to 2017 Support added for SQL Server 2017
TMR-1602 Core Services Add ability to tag a form as internal or external

Previously only the form space could be used to control if a form transaction was classed as internal or external (Space setting 'Internal Transactions '). These flags are something used to classify transactions for sales or service. In 18.11 you can now override the space default at the form level where the form is allocated to a space.
TMR-1613 Core Services Remove confirmation page and receipting from the Server Monitor Form configuration Setting removed as not required for the server monitor form.
TMR-1615 Core Services TM - Upgrade User Agent Utils 1.21 Library Library upgraded
TMR-1706 Core Services Maestro SCE Mode Transact Manager now includes a new Maestro Form rendering mode which significantly reduces the time it takes to load large forms.  This is important as long application loading times can significantly increase the bounce rate with users simply closing the browser window before starting the application.
TMR-1717 Core Services Security Hardening - Upgrade Spring Security to 3.1.7 and Bouncycastle to 1.60 Libraries upgraded.
TMR-1262 Fluent API HttpRequest system proxy support when socket factory used HttpRequest.setUseSystemProxy(true) has been added and the system will add the setting as defined in the system proxy to this request.
TMR-1427 Maestro Add support for Maestro library tagging Support added, see Maestro release notes for more information.
TMR-82 Manager Enable 2FA by default on PROD servers for user accounts

User accounts created through the management console created against a space which has 2FA set as mandatory will now have the '2 Factor Authentication Required' boxed ticked by default.

See KB documentation via the following link: Create a User Account
TMR-170 Manager Re-Design property prefill mapper to remove the dependency on Flash

Property prefill mapper has been simplified and hence the requirement for a Flash App has been removed. This and TMR-1577 are the last areas in the manager console that used Flash.
TMR-1390 Manager Support selective purging of transactions

Added support for bulk operation from the 'Txn Support Search' page to select multiple transactions and set them for purging. Purging will still be performed by the transaction processor but the states and timestamps will be set so the transactions are ready to purge.

See KB documentation via the following link: Transaction Support Search
TMR-1569 Manager, SDK Remove JLine library from TM and upgrade SDK version to 3.9 Library upgraded
TMR-1570 Manager Upgrade org.apache.xmlgraphics batik to 1.10 Library upgraded
TMR-1577 Manager Re-Design Input XML Prefill Mapping to remove Flash Dependency

The Input XML prefill mapper has been simplified and hence the requirement for a Flash App has been removed. This and TMR-170 are the last areas in the manager console that used Flash.
TMR-1605 Manager Sort Data Retention Transaction Status Updated the ordering of the entries in the table on the Transaction tab of the Data Retention Management screen to more accurately represent the transaction timeline.
TMR-1282 REST API Add Open UX formLoad Support Form Load command added to the Open UX Rest API
TMR-1608 System Event Publisher Expose PII Purging through SEP

Extra fields added to the submission object sent through the SEP to relating to purging of data. new field are: scheduledSubmissionPurge, scheduledPiiDataPurge, piiDataDeletedTime.
TMR-1515 Workspace Expose the Submission object in com.avoka.fc.portal.page.SubmissionCancelledPage Markup in the submission cancelled page can now access to submission object.
TMR-1592 Workspace Add ability to search for transactions by providing a data extract name and value. Searching for data extracts can now be done using a name & value combination.
TMD-39 Fluent API Fluent API - Add Paths firstPath() Method See Fluent API JavaDoc for more information
TMD-40 Fluent API Fluent API - Add TxnQuery claimable tasks filtering support See Fluent API JavaDoc for more information
TMD-40 Fluent API Fluent API - Add TxnQuery claimable tasks filtering support See Fluent API JavaDoc for more information
TMD-44 Fluent API Fluent API - Add UserQuery Group filtering support See Fluent API JavaDoc for more information
TMD-56 Fluent API Fluent API - Add device type to the Txn object See Fluent API JavaDoc for more information
TMD-58 Fluent API Fluent API - Add org.apache.shiro to secure compiler white-list Whitelist updated
TMD-62 Fluent API Fluent API - Add full support for TransRefNumber attribute See Fluent API JavaDoc for more information
TMD-63 Fluent API Fluent API - Add GroupQuery class See Fluent API JavaDoc for more information
TMD-71 Fluent API Fluent API - Enable TxnUpdate setting formStatus to Completed See Fluent API JavaDoc for more information
TMD-85 Fluent API Fluent API - Add Security class Session Redirect Support See Fluent API JavaDoc for more information
TMD-86 Fluent API Fluent API - Change TxnUpdate class update method to return Txn See Fluent API JavaDoc for more information
TMD-99 Fluent API Fluent API - Add JobQuery userLogin, userEmail and job name like % search support See Fluent API JavaDoc for more information
TMD-117 Fluent API Fluent API - Add support for Security Receipt Tokens See Fluent API JavaDoc for more information
TMD-76 Open UX Open UX - Add Save Challenge Support See Open UX documentation for more information.
TMD-77 Open UX Open UX - Add formNew Command Support See Open UX documentation for more information.

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