August 2024 brought several exciting updates and improvements to Sitecore XM Cloud and related products, including XM Cloud Forms and Sitecore Personalize. Here’s a detailed overview of the new features, enhancements, and resolved issues.
Forms Integration with XM Cloud Media Library
August 12, 2024
A new feature was introduced that allows seamless integration between Forms and the XM Cloud Media Library. Key enhancements include:
- Seamlessly add images from the XM Cloud Media library to a form using the newly added Media Library tab in the image picker.
- The image picker shows images uploaded to all sites within the environment.
- Includes a search function that dynamically displays relevant images as you type at least two characters of the name.
1.6.92 Base Image Updates
August 12, 2024
The latest base image release (up to 1.6.92) included several fixes:
- NullReferenceException Fix: The AddDictionaryDomainProperty no longer throws a NullReferenceException error during application startup.
- Placeholder Restrictions: Resolved an issue where placeholder restrictions didn’t work if there were more than 100 placeholder setting items in the /sitecore/templates/System/Layout/Placeholder template.
- Content Editor Validation: The validation alert (red bar) now appears correctly in the Content Editor when moving focus from a treelist field that hasn’t met validation requirements.
- XM Cloud DAM Connector: Fixed an issue where language fallback changes weren’t updated in the XM Cloud DAM connector.
Automatic Deactivation of Failing Webhooks in Edge
August 13, 2024
A new automatic deactivation feature was introduced in Content Hub and XM Cloud. This feature ensures stability by:
- Monitoring the status of webhook executions and automatically disabling any webhook that fails 10 consecutive times.
- Allowing manual reactivation of the webhook after resolving the underlying issues.
- Considering a webhook failed if it takes more than 30 seconds to respond.
Smart Automation for Post-Test Actions in Personalize
August 13, 2024
Sitecore Personalize received an update with smart automation for post-test actions. This feature enhances efficiency and accuracy by:
- Automatically directing all future traffic to the winning variant.
- Redirecting traffic back to the control variant if needed.
- Continuing the experiment with the current traffic assignment if no conclusive winner is identified.
- Ending the experiment and stopping traffic assignment to all variants.
- Streamlining the workflow by automating the response to experiment outcomes, reducing manual interventions, and minimizing human error.
New Country Region Condition for Personalization
August 13, 2024
A new condition was introduced to enhance personalization by combining country and region. Key features include:
- Initial support for the United States and all its states, allowing for more tailored content delivery based on a visitor’s location.
- The ability to create conditions like targeting users in California with specific content.
- Available out-of-the-box in both XM Cloud and Personalize, supported on Edge.
Publishing and Pages Improvements
August 14, 2024
Publishing in Pages now offers more flexibility and enhanced usability. Key improvements include:
- Option to publish all subpages or all available language versions of the page, along with the page opened in the editor.
- A clear view of which language versions are available for specific pages in the page settings.
- A prompt to save changes when attempting to close the Pages tab with unsaved edits.
Fixed Issues:
- The rich text editor toolbar now wraps according to the space allocated to its component, improving the user interface.
1.6.111 Base Image Updates
August 19, 2024
The 1.6.111 base image release brought further fixes:
- Subpage Publishing Fix: Resolved an issue where subpages were not available on Experience Edge if the parent page didn’t have publishable versions.
- EventQueue Performance Improvements: Optimized the EventQueue cleanup script to decrease load, with automatic execution every 4 hours, and reduced the size of the EventQueue table to prevent errors when installing large content packages.
Additional Fixes in Pages
August 27, 2024
Two additional issues were resolved in Pages:
- External Links in CKEditor: The new rich text editor, CKEditor, now automatically adds https to external links if no prefix is provided, improving security. Previously, it added http by default.
- Responsive UI Improvements: The Publishing and Preview buttons are now displayed correctly on all screen sizes, enhancing the user experience on different devices.
As the only enterprise-ready, cloud-native CMS designed for creating, managing, and delivering content at lightning speed, Sitecore XM Cloud stands at the forefront of digital experience platforms. At Kayee, I specialize in providing cutting-edge Sitecore XM Cloud services to help businesses elevate their digital customer experiences.
Partnering with clients across the globe, I offer expert guidance and hands-on support to ensure your digital platforms are not just optimized but also reliable and continuously improving. If you’re convinced you need help from a Sitecore XM Cloud expert, let’s talk. I’m here to turn your digital vision into reality.
Happy Sitecore-ing!
–Robbert
