A new edition of FocusOPEN Digital Asset Manager, version 3.4.3 has been released today. Since this is a major revision, it is being released in beta for at least two weeks to identify any potential issues. It will become stable once any known issues are rectified. In common with our other updates, this is being advance released to Commercial edition users first. AGPL users will receive this edition towards the end of 2012. If you wish to upgrade to the Commercial version, we currently have a 75% discount promotion for new registrations while FocusOPEN is in beta and existing Commercial edition users can extend their license period for the same discounted price.
If you have a Commercial licence, to access the new release, go to the My Downloads area (as this is a beta, it is not on your My Account dashboard).
New Features & Bug Fixes
Approximately 25 new significant features have been added to FocusOPEN Digital Asset Manager, in addition to a variety of bug fixes and usability modifications. These are described below
- Upgraded workflow capability allows discussions between approvers and different groups of approvers in a workflow to be defined uniquely based on User Group, Asset Type and Category.
- Threaded comments on discussion workflow.
- Personal workspaces allows upload users to collaborate on assets without publishing them.
- Batch import wizard allows assets and metadata to be imported from CSV files using a multi-step wizard and defaults assigned for any fields not specified.
- Import transaction ID automatically added to all CSV imports to allow admin users to identify all assets uploaded within a batch.
- Taxonomy CSV and XML upload/download feature allows taxonomies for both categories and metadata to be retrieved, edited and re-uploaded to modify metadata rather than manually via the web UI.
- Admin filter controls definable by the admin user (add custom metadata filters to asset list view in admin area).
- Metadata filter configuration now allows asset type filter in basic search to be swapped.
- Date from/to, file size and orientation filters can be enabled/disabled.
- New Group Admin role and expansion of Groups permissions facility to allow full control over the groups to create and which permissions (Approval Required/Hidden) can be assigned to each Group.
- Brand controls to change the ‘Group’ and ‘Group Admin’ term in the brand management area.
- Added ‘Primary Group’ definition to assets and users to enable modification of assets based on their Primary Group membership (including workflow features described).
- Guest account feature to allow login and download without a login. Guests can be restricted by IP address also.
- Block external companies from public registration (but still enable admin users to create accounts for them).
- Configure lightbox, Cart and Order Manager metadata fields for each brand to allow the use of different description in each.
- Session token support added to assets and attachments to enable direct download without being logged in (e.g. from third party applications).
- Additional API functionality added to enable assets to be added, modified and attachments to be loaded with API Calls.
- API template functionality to generate asset edit calls automatically from the API (engineer users only).
- Batch functionality to mark assets as processed and reload embedded metadata.
- Updated interface controls in admin area to allow download, stats, editing, deletion, audit trail to be launched from the asset view, without going to asset editing page.
- Category modification added to batch metadata update feature.
- More robust handling of failed imports and addition of new ‘failed’ folder rather than deletion of assets that could not be imported.
- User importer creates user accounts from a source CSV file (1)
- Watched folder feature updated to use new imports method of loading asset files (1)
- PDF contact sheets can now use thumbnails as well as custom bitmap groups.
(1) Commercial edition only
Bug Fixes
- Fixed issue with fields defaulting to required when selected for asset detail view.
- Fixed issue with checkbox asset type reverting to drop-down menu
- Fixed lightbox issue where CC’ing users would reset the selected lightbox.
AGPL Release Schedule
A release schedule for the AGPL edition of FocusOPEN 3.4.3 has not yet been decided. An email will be issued when this is available for download.
Gold & Enterprise Support Subscribers
If you have a Gold or Enterprise support plan, your account manager will contact you to discuss a sandbox deployment of the new edition so you can test it and also arrange for upgrades to be applied to your production instances when 3.4.3 becomes a stable release. The upgrade will be deployed by FocusOPEN engineers on your behalf unless you wish to carry out the work out yourself.
Silver support subscribers must complete the upgrade themselves, but can request assistance on specific technical points using the ticketing system in the My Account area. If you do not have an active support agreement, you may use the forum to request upgrade assistance. Commercial users may use the dedicated Commercial board if they prefer.
Upgrade Instructions
Since this is a beta release, formal upgrade instructions are not being released yet, however, the following method should work in most cases. These instructions assume reasonable familiarity with Windows administration and SQL Server. If you do not have those skills, do not perform the upgrade yourself.
If you wish to test using your existing repository, you are strongly advised to make sandbox backup of at least the web application files and your database. This is a beta release and deploying this upgrade to a production instance of FocusOPEN could have unforeseen consequences.
*** WARNING ***
Make backups of everything including database, data folder and web application folders before you start and verify that the backup operation was successful. If the upgrade fails, a restore from backup is the only method to recover your installation. If you are deployed to a Virtual Machine, making a snapshot of it before commencing is highly recommended as an additional step.
1. In the webroot, backup your App_Data, Brands, AuthPlugins and Config folder plus your web.config file to a separate folder – you will need them later. Then delete them from your webroot folder.
2. If you have made further customisations, such as custom API scripts, JavaScript or custom preview plug-ins, copy these to the same back-up folder as used in (1) and copy them over also.
3. Copy the webroot folder from the 343 beta deployment package over the top of your existing webroot and agree to replace any duplicated files with the new editions.
4. Now make backups of the same folders/files from (1) to a separate location away from all the others and delete them from the webroot.
5. Copy the backups made from your original installation back to the webroot so you have your old copies restored.
6. Using a diff tool or third party utility such as Beyond Compare, copy any new files not in the configuration and add alterations to the web.config and appsettings.config files. Note also that there are some new folders like ‘application data’ used to store imports separately from the data folder. The CreateFolder.vbs files should generate any missing folders for you without affecting existing copies.
7. Check each file to ensure that you include any new features – especially the AdminNavigation.config file which contains the menu definitions to allow you to gain access to some new features.
8. In the DatabaseSetup\UpgradeScripts folder, you will find a database update script. Unlike previous upgrades, you can run upgrade.cmd to launch this and it will apply all database upgrades required for this version. If you prefer to review the database upgrade, open ’3.4.2.0 to 3.4.3.0.SQL’ in SSMS and run it from there.
Once the upgrade process is complete, restarting IIS is recommended. You should be able to login using your existing account credentials. You are highly recommended to thoroughly test the upgrade before using it and also to wait until a stable release, but the beta should give you an early indication of any possible problems you might encounter.
Full deployment instructions will be provided with the stable release and revised administrator documentation will be issued to Commercial users also.
On Demand Users
If you have an On Demand account (i.e. an edition of FocusOPEN which we host for you) then the upgrade will be applied to your staging site for you to test and review. You must inform us before the end of the beta period if you do not wish the upgrade to be applied to your instance.
Commercial Upgrade Offer – 75% Off Normal Licence Cost
For the next two weeks until 4th July 2012 you can upgrade to a Commercial licence for 75% off the regular cost. This is a one-time offer only and the deadline will not extended for anyone who misses it. Existing Commercial users may increase their subscription duration for a further one year at the discounted price (in addition to the time left on their current subscription).
If you wish to take advantage of this, you can now upgrade with a credit card using our e-commerce ordering facility here:
https://www.digitalassetmanager.com/commercial_upgrade.php
Alternatively, click the Commercial Upgrade button at the bottom of the My Account dashboard. If you prefer, we can take your order by telephone or give you a purchase order and invoice for wire transfer payments. Discounted upgrades will only be accepted if confirmed before the deadline.
If you have questions about the upgrade, please post them on the forum or open a ticket if you are a user with a support agreement.
