What's new in Sophora

Check out what's new in Sophora 5.

Decoration

Basics

Sophora runs completely on Java 17

Sophora 5 runs completely on Oracle JDK 17 and OpenJDK 17 and we no longer support versions 8 to 11. However, we benefit from the new possibilities offered by Java 17. Important note: besides Oracle Java, you can use free Java distributions, e.g. OpenJDK.

Documentation restructured

The documentation is now divided into modules. Each module has its own homepage with links to the individual versions of the module. DeskClient and Sophora Server sub-modules can be found through their respective main modules. Background: After Sophora 5, the modules are given their own versioning, all starting with "5".

Public Helm Charts

We continuously add new Helm charts for Sophora modules and improve the existing. More at GitHub.

Release Notes Available

Check out our Changelog for more details and technical information.

New and refreshed modules

Sophora Server

Version Store based on PostgreSQL

Sophora now manages and stores all document versions in a PostgreSQL database. Internal tests show a vastly improved publishing and syncing performance. The number of versions, which can go into the hundreds of thousands, has no relevant impact on the overall performance any more. Server

Sophora Indexing Service and SolrCloud

Search just got much faster. The Solr search engine is no longer embedded in the Sophora Server anymore. Sophora now uses SolrCloud, a distributed version of Solr. SolrCloud and the Sophora Server can now be scaled independently. The Sophora Indexing Service (aka "SISI") updates SolrCloud with documents. Sophora Indexing Service

Outsourced: Sophora Linkchecker

The Link Checker is no longer embedded in the Sophora Server and can thus be scaled independently and no longer affect the performance of the Sophora Server. New features of Linkchecker include a REST API and improved metrics. Sophora Linkchecker

Clean up

We removed legacy and outdated features form the Sophora Server and discontinued support for LevelDB, Sophora Database Binary Store, legacy Sophora Categories and Sophora Additional Content Server (ACS).
See the Sophora Server changelog for details and check out the Sophora Server Update Notes.

DeskClient

More flexible editor forms and reusable form field groups

The DeskClient now supports cascading field groups. This opens up many possibilities for structured, multi-column editor forms in the DeskClient. The field groups also improve the ability to reuse when configuring document types.

Improved client branding

Now you can create your own background image for the splash and login screen. It is now also possible to have your own branding or logo in the main toolbar of the DeskClient.

New and improved features

  • When displaying date and selection values, you can optionally hide the field name (search result, component structure, etc.)
  • You can now see the server environment information in the main toolbar on the left
  • The “Create”/“Save” scripts now also work when creating image documents using the new wizard in the DeskClient
  • You can also search for multi-date fields in the field search
  • We have significantly accelerated user management!
  • Proxies can now also be configured for the built-in browser in the DeskClient
  • You can now use SVG images for nodetype icons, select value icons and script icons.
See the DeskClient changelog for details and check the DeskClient Update Notes.

MobileClient

Paragraph properties: More structure for paragraphs

You can now also add additional information in extra fields to paragraphs in the MobileClient. The MobileClient indicates with an asterisk that a paragraph can (potentially) contain additional information. You can expand and edit the fields directly on the paragraph. Your admin team can determine which fields are available by configuring the document type.

More flexible editor forms

The MobileClient now supports cascading field groups. This opens up many possibilities for structured, multi-column editor forms.

New Angular version and switch to Material Design Components

The MobileClient runs on the latest version of the Angular framework with massive performance improvements. The switch from Angular Materials to Material Design Components also ensures a better integration of the current Material Design Guidelines and gives us new opportunities for the future.
See the MobileClient changelog for details.
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