New versions 2019.9, 2019.10 and 2019.11

We are always working on improvements for our extensive product range. From our September, October and November releases, we would therefore like to present to you briefly the highlights from our various modules.

ProductPlanner

The context menu of the colour assignment has been optimised: If there are more than 80 colours in the system, the display is extended by the submenu “Further data”, where further colour data are listed more clearly.

PageServer

The page server now determines the waiting, processing and transport time of an order and enters these times into the exposure statistics.

ProductAdmin

The dialog and the data management of the exposure variables, which can be accessed from different places, have been extended: The management can now also be called up without a PageOne basic format (generated by NewsSuiteFS).

WebTracker

With the function “Jobs / Exposure server” it is possible to monitor the exposure jobs currently being processed. It is possible to display the orders from all exposure servers. In addition, the status of the exposure server is now optionally displayed in the header of the WebTracker application. It is possible to display the status of all configured exposure servers. The user/group specific parameter can be used to restrict the exposure servers displayed.

In addition, the exposure statistics for pages and partial pages show the running times of the orders. The run-times are divided into the waiting time until the job has been processed, the processing time and the transfer time to the output device. Finally, a function has been added that allows you to monitor the currently pending production orders; this is defined in the search mask.

With the function Orders/Export it is possible to monitor the currently pending export orders. The export orders can be defined in the search mask. In addition, the Production server/Export function allows you to monitor the export orders currently being processed and to administer the export server(s).

With the new function Production ePaper the alfa ePaper control can now be opened directly in a new browser tab.

The extension of the selection of pages and partial pages brings new functions: Select pages – selects all pages of the product. Select partial pages – selects all partial pages of the product. For pages, there is a new function “Select partial pages”. It selects all partial pages of the page. If a partial page was completely filled with elements, it was difficult to select the partial page. Therefore, the new function is now available for the page element.

NewsApp

Under Firebase Analytics, the dwell/read time for the article is now also tracked under the “duration” attribute for the “article” event. The dwell/read time on this article is specified in seconds. Under Firebase Analytics the dwell/read time for the article is now also tracked under the attribute “duration” for the “pdfPage” event. The dwell/read time on this page is specified in seconds. Image references contained in push messages (e.g. in article push messages) can now also be displayed in the push message. A prerequisite is that the additional image information is also provided by the sending system. The use of Firebase Cloud Messaging is necessary when receiving push messages from the server/system. In the case of a locally generated push message after a successful NewsStand download, a title for the message and the image of the downloaded issue are now automatically added.

If the user logs on as a subscriber via GlobalPurchase with his account after the first start of the NewsApp, the first permitted output is automatically set as default output after successful login.

Fewer graphics are now needed to build an app, which must be delivered by the customer. It is now sufficient to store the customer logo and the customer-specific background colour.

Stylo

Better handling of protected objects: if an object cannot be deleted, edited or positioned via the rights, and if the user has no authorization to call up the rights dialog to change the rights, the object cannot be clicked on. This is used if there are other objects behind the protected object which otherwise would not be accessible. The protected object can still be selected with a key combination (CTRL+M). In the Object Settings dialog: Display in the Border tab, a mode for calculating distances can now be defined. If the new option Border without line thickness is set, the line thickness of the frame is ignored when calculating the distance to the display border, so the distance is independent of the line thickness of the frame. If this option is not set, the previous procedure applies. The new mode is particularly useful for aligning text frames to the display border (using the Align dialog or the Snap Grid) and for border monitoring for non-permitted border objects.

The Stylo now supports OTF fonts, which has the advantage of no longer having to convert fonts that have already been purchased. A multiple selection of objects was previously possible via the control key. In the new version we provide a lasso, with which the desired objects can be captured. Optionally, this can be done either over all objects or with a touch mode where the objects do not have to be completely captured. There is also a special mode with which it is possible to capture objects that have been positioned over other objects. There is a new gallery view that is provided for pictures and frames. The galleries are opened on the right side or are placed above the display if there is not enough space. In the view you can filter by items to get easier access.

AdSuite

It is now possible to generate emails to customers via a workflow, which contain a link that the customer can use to extend an order. In order to enable the customisation of existing reports in AdSuite Market, we provide the option “sample report” through new authorisation functions. Display of executed reports in order portlets: Similar to customers, AdSuite Market can now display context-sensitive reports in the main order view.

For the selection of documents in the offer and order confirmation, the existing graphic selection was extended by the graphic selection with fully (high res) loadable documents, the graphic selection for expired documents (can be shown/hidden), the use of expired documents (can be controlled by authorisation) and the display of folders with structure (tree-like view analogous to File Explorer). Folders with a structure are now displayed in a tree-like manner as in the File Explorer.

The item “Sender address for proofs via Groovy script” was extended. If required, the Groovy can now also set the reply or CC address. In addition, a new Groovy hook of the type Groovy-Hook has been provided for e-mail addresses in quotations/order confirmations. This Groovy is evaluated when sending offers and order confirmations. If the Groovy does not return a result, the existing standard functionality is used. Please note: AdSuite Enterprise will no longer query the sender’s address in AdSuite 2019.10-20191008 and later if the Groovy already provides this information.

A new field is available in the results lists of the type “Ad specs (print ads)” and “Ad specs (all)”: “Correction (proof) deadline”. This field contains the minimum of the fields “Correction (proof) deadline” and “Correction deadline” for an ad spec. If no proof deadline has been set, the new field receives its contents from “Proof deadline”. In AdSuite Enterprise and AdSuite Market, it is possible to search for ad specs with a specific “Proofreading Deadline”.

The connection to alfa Unity powered by HUP is now available. In AdSuite you now have the possibility to search for customers and list subscriptions that have not yet been created in AdSuite. Customer data can also be transferred to the system from this searcher. In addition, the function for releasing reports is now available for the connection to alfa Snap. The WebStore also has more options: In the WebStore, FormX provides several options for configuring the form for entering structured data, such as “editor only”, “large form and small editor” or “form only”.

Via the SalesPointServer, the PDF and the preview for an ad motif can now be retrieved via HTTP GET. This is also possible for a makeup module.

A new menu item “Create report” appears in the search dialog, provided the logged in user has the “defineReports” permission. If the user clicks on this button, the report configuration dialog opens and the result type and the filter conditions set up to that point are applied.

AdSuite Market has been extended to include the configuration of workflows analogue to the corresponding functionality in AdSuite. When a workflow is displayed in AdSuite Market, its “More …” submenu will contain the entry “Configure workflow” if you have the appropriate permissions. When you select this item, its label changes to “Exit Configure Workflow” and the workflow content is replaced.

WebStore

In the Adsuite Administration, templates can be restricted to the use of specific customers. This information is now passed on to the WebStore and evaluated. In addition, already assigned templates are filtered out of the list of available templates, which greatly increases clarity. In the AdSuite configuration of the markets, it is now possible to define the validity periods for Bazaar and WebStore separately.

Completely new possibilities: Integration of Google Analytics for the WebStore. The WebStore tracks results of the following categories – Creative, MasterData, BusinessPartner, Order, Page. The resulting overview shows which click and which activity is carried out in which area of the WebStore, for example, under the category “MasterData” you will find activities such as selecting an advertisement or a payment method.

The reference to the use of cookies and, if applicable, the integration of Google Analytics is now shown as a modal dialog on the start page. The application can only be used after the cookies have been confirmed. If necessary, the user is prompted to do so by a corresponding message. A rejection leads to navigation to a URL that can be configured by the publisher. The acceptance of Google Analytics is optional and has no effect on the usability of the application.

PrintLayout

Added the “Scheduled Issue” field to the photo search form. This field can be used to search for photos according to the planned output (as it can be assigned in aDAM).

If PrintLayout directly or indirectly changes something on a planned partial page, a message is sent to the MessageBus – if configured. An indirect change is, for example, editing an article placed on the partial page. This function is needed to actively push changes to the WebTracker.

Since some versions, publication dates (issue, publication date, page number, …) are automatically inherited from partial pages to elements. Using the WebServices it is now also possible to distinguish inherited publication dates from element specific publication dates.

Previously, publisher-specific settings could only be made so that the user could only see the field values but not change them. It is now possible via the Atlas API to lock the values of individual fields in a single element (e.g. an article) against changes. When the user opens such an element in PrintLayout, he or she can view but not change the value of the field.

EditorialOrganiser

For photos, it is now possible to set a picture focus in the EditorialOrganiser. This focal point is a rectangle within the image dimensions. This is done in a dialog similar to the image cropping dialog. The image focal points saved in this way can be read out via the API/v2 and are also exported with the standard exporter.

If a photo gallery is open in the EditorialOrganiser, then photos dragged into the drop zone are not only uploaded to the theme – as before – but are now also automatically added to the photo gallery. The pixelation in the EditorialOrganiser has been extended by a choice of how coarse or fine the pixelation should be. The selection is made via a slider with live preview. A new menu item “My topics to edit” has been added under the “Themes” menu. This menu item displays all topics in which the current user has at least one task to edit.

There is also a new type of custom fields for items: the colour fields. They can display a colour dot next to a short text, and thus provide an overview of a specific piece of information at first glance: for example, you can display a green dot and the word “placed” for articles that have already been placed, and a red dot and the word “unplaced” for articles that have not been placed.

On the start page of the alfa Editorial Organiser the user can now display iframes in one of the dashboard zones. To do this, click on “Edit user profile”, then switch to the “Home” tab and select the “External page” menu item in the desired zone. Now a text field appears in which you can enter a URL. Quickly saved – and you have a web page embedded on your dashboard for use. This is why a new menu item is added to the main menu of the alfa Editorial Organiser: “Tools”. Under this item, any web pages can be displayed as iframes, as long as these web pages allow cross-origin framing, but the dashboard will become even smarter, because now the dashboard zones can grow with the user, making optimal use of the space on the start page and adapting to the needs of the individual user.

On articles, there are the fields “Publish from” and “Publish until” if they have been configured in the article’s editor template. These fields can now be made calendar week fields instead of date and time fields system-wide. Also in the article overview the corresponding calendar weeks are then displayed.

Planning tables: Planning tables are no longer divided into user and editorial tables in the menu, but into topic planning (department planning tables) and content planning (page and channel planning tables). Editorially configured planning tables can still be recognized by the fact that the corresponding editorial department is displayed in gray before the table name in the menu. This division also applies to the actual tables: It is no longer possible to choose between content planning and topic planning in planning tables. Instead, only the more sensible variant is now available for the individual tables. In this way, you can only plan topics for individual departments (topic planning) and you can only create publication dates for individual channels or pages (content planning). This has been done to avoid ambiguity and to enable the user to use the planning tables more quickly. For the sake of clarity, the planning tables are now displayed with the sidebar collapsed as standard. The sidebar can no longer be expanded by simply hovering over it. Instead, an explicit click is required so that the user does not inadvertently make his table smaller by displaying the sidebar. In the administration of planning tables, you can now specify an export channel for page planners. All publication dates are generated in this export channel, which are dragged from the sidebar to the corresponding table. Publication dates already placed in the planning table are not affected.

Using a global switch it is now possible to prevent the channel assignment of an article or variant from being changed after it has been created. This is particularly useful if an article variant is to be created for each channel and each channel has its own editor template. When setting up a PrintLayout exporter, the content function is a mandatory field for mapping to article layouts or sample articles, whereas the department was optional. Now only one department can be selected, so that sample articles can also be used depending on a department.

If an article with a sub-article is exported from the EditorialOrganiser to PrintLayout, so that the sub-article is now also displayed in a sub-article cover in PrintLayout, an export log is now also written for the sub-article. This is a visual indication that the article has already been exported. When exporting to PrintLayout, the exporter now also identifies and fills image sublines for photos.

There is now a configuration switch in the EditorialOrganiser that ensures that publication days and associated issues are imported when articles are transferred from Atlas. In the editor templates, you can then configure this field as usual to display it in the article editor. In the article search there is a corresponding field to search for issues and/or publication dates.

In order to be able to navigate faster through the duty roster, it is now possible to select certain months by a drop-down menu. The currently selected month is highlighted in grey. The topmost entry is always “current month” – this does not mean the currently selected month, but the actual month in which this menu item is selected.

Digital Asset Manager (DAM)

In the Digital Asset Manager, an administration has been added that can be used to manage various setup data: categories, photographers, image types, image descriptions, mandatory fields and content functions. The administration can be accessed via the user menu (far right), there the menu item “Administration”:

It is now possible to use alternative publication calendar weeks in aDAM instead of publication days. Mixed operation is not possible. This setting is made in the aDAM configuration.

NewsSuite

Up to now, the update of an article changed in MediaSuite could be switched off in principle or with a certain status. Now it is possible to deactivate this update when the print channel is locked in MediaSuite. This lock is normally set from NewsSuite starting from a configurable article status. The size of article attachments is now limited to 3 MB by default. Attachments with a larger size should be loaded into the eCMS and then transferred from the media search to the attachments using drag and drop.

ePaper

Podcasts for your ePaper: The possibility to generate podcasts from your ePaper has been revised. The prerequisite for a podcast is the audio generation from the article data. However, the audio files no longer have to be kept in the file system – they are generated and made available with the first access to the podcast. Podcasts are generated manually in the ePaper Administration via a pop-up menu of the output screen – with “CreateRSS”. The data of the issues with the cover image and all articles are combined into an RSS podcast feed and made available. The podcasts can be called up under the ePaper URL and can only be accessed after a login.