Cascade Server 7.0 Beta
Release Summary
Overview
Cascade Server 7.0 Beta introduces some new major features:
Modules - Twitter Feed Block
Modules
Cascade 7 introduces the concept of Modules, or general purpose components that make it easier for end users to generate dynamic content that would normally require more technical expertise.
Twitter Feed Block
The Twitter Feed Block is the first Module available in Cascade. It allows users to insert a feed of Twitter comments into any region or block chooser on a Page. This Block can be configured to pull only tweets or both tweets and mentions for a specific Twitter account; or it can pull tweets using a generic search query.
Deep Site Copy
Copying a Site will now copy all of its contents including both Home Area and Administration Area assets. Links contained in assets copied into the new Site are also re-aligned to point to assets within the same copied Site. For example, if Page A in Site 1 linked to Page B in Site 1, the Page A created in the new Site will link to Page B created in the new Site.
A number of other asset relationships are also updated during the Site copy process making it easy to stamp out new Sites from a template Site.
Inline Regions
It is now possible to allow users to modify Block assignments for Page Regions on the main editing screen for Pages. When editing a Configuration Set, the User is presented with options allowing any region to be "inlined". Once the region is inlined, it will be displayed in a new section of the Page edit screen called "Inline Regions".
A "Help Text" field is available for each region and behaves much like the "Help Text" field available on data definition fields. If present, help text will appear when the user hovers over a ? icon displayed next to the region on the page edit screen.
It is also possible to allow inline Block assignments to be applied to the Configuration Set itself. This allows non-technical users to apply the same block across similar pages.
Improved Asset Chooser
The Cascade chooser widget has undergone a round of improvements. When clicking on a chooser, a text box will now appear into which search terms can be typed. Below the text box, a dropdown will appear that contains both recent history items matching the type of the chooser as well as search results matching the text in the chooser text box.
The old chooser pop-up window has been converted into an inline overlay and can be used in the exact same manner as the old chooser. This interface can be accessed by clicking the browse icon next to the chooser text or by clicking the "Browse..." item that is displayed in the dropdown menu.
Release Notes
Features from the Idea Exchange
Other Features
- Improved Index Block caching
- New Menu caching
- AJAX History dropdown
- HTML5 Video support in TinyMCE media plug-in
- Searchable Administration Area Components
- Message UI Improvements
- Added Field Tool to Cascade Server Velocity Context
Upgrade Guide
Please do not use Cascade Server 7.0 Beta in a production environment. Instead, install it in a test environment.
Please follow every available release Upgrade Guide for every version you skipped during the upgrade. Then, follow the standard upgrade guide.
If you prefer to test out the features without installing the software, you can signup for an account in our sandbox or login directly if you had an account previously.
Cascade Serer 7.0 Beta cannot be installed using ROOT.war. You must use the full installer. The link to the ROOT.war file located on the Cascade Server downloads page will not work for 7.0 Beta.