This week, K2 held a partner webinar to go over some of the changes set to be released as part of BlackPearl 4.7. The release promises several positive changes focused on three main areas.
Package and Deployment
The P&D tool gets an overhaul with the goal of making you aware of changes that will break deployments well in advance. For instance, when changing a SmartObject, K2 will now warn you of the issues this will cause and offer to correct them automatically. Additionally, the P&D tool will now allow you to reference dependencies rather than automatically packaging them, reducing the size of the package. Finally, K2 promises that the tool will be much quicker than before.
SharePoint
4.7 enables K2 to run with what are called app-only permissions. Basically, SharePoint treats K2 like a user with its own identity and permissions. Because of that, it can do things without needing a user’s credentials. This allows for fewer headaches for end users and the ability to lock down a SharePoint library to users while still allowing a K2 form to read and write to it. Also included is improved tooling for installing and managing the K2 app within SharePoint.
Workspace
In 4.7, Workspace gets an overhaul so that it’s easier to manage processes and even jump directly to editing forms. It’s also designed so that different audiences get a different experience. For instance, an admin can do all the things while a process owner sees only the content relevant to that process and restricted based on his or her permissions.
This release is scheduled for June, although a specific release date was not given. Although not discussed, there are updates to AppIt and the K2 mobile app coming as well.