May 7, 2019
Dear Sitefinity CMS customers and partners! We are excited to announce the release of Sitefinity CMS 12.0. This version contains: MVC-first page templates, dynamic, rule-based Forms and ability to map Form fields data to specific DEC contact properties, ability to sync a single item directly via SiteSync, new content editing experience for Pages, new rich text editor for the MVC Content Block widget, simplified management of Email settings, revision history for Media items, default Bootstrap4 frontend package, Page warmup when cache is invalidated, and other performance and security improvements.
MVC is the preferred technology for implementation with Sitefinity, and we are strongly recommending that all new projects be done on MVC. With the 12.0 release, for newly created projects, only MVC and hybrid (MVC + WebForms) frameworks and templates are available. For existing projects, you still have the option to work with Web Forms only, if needed. To enable that option, use a configuration in the Advanced settings section.
Using the MVC-first approach, selecting and modifying page templates is now simplified:
The new page management UI follows simple and clear design patterns of the new content interface released in 2018. Content editors and web managers can now much more easily navigate between pages, page lists, page creation, and page editing screens, and use advanced filters to find sections they want.
Page creation is streamlined by reducing the number of properties required to create a page, so it becomes simpler and faster. Editors can add, define, and modify page properties at a later time.
Additionally, when working with content in multiple languages, content editors benefit form enhanced language preview options while in the page editing interface. Learn more...
The new WYSIWIG content editor, introduced in 2018, is now available for page content as well. Content authors and marketers can now enjoy the same editing experience benefits when working with MVC Content block widget on pages, such as expanded editing area, context sensitive pop up menus and automatic detection of culture based on the languages used. Additionally, the HTML editing mode, based on the Monaco editor, helps content editors generate cleaner and more consistent HMTL via source editing with validation, syntax highlighting, and IntelliSense auto completion.
Note that the rich-text editor is available for MVC Content block widgets and only if the new content editing experience is switched on. Otherwise the legacy content editor is used. The legacy editor mode can be turned on in the Advanced settings section if desired. Learn more...
Promoting content changes to production via SiteSync is now faster, easier and much more reliable. Content editors with the appropriate permissions can sync a single page or content item directly from the context-sensitive menus, with all dependencies automatically identified and synced together. Editors can control exactly what they sync and immediately check availability and correctness of published updates without waiting for a scheduled automatic SiteSync process managed by IT or admins. Learn more...
Sitefinity 12.0 enables content editors and marketers to create dynamic forms based on a set of custom rules. With this capability, you can create more efficient forms that dynamically display or hide form fields and then redirect your visitors to specific pages, based on information they entered in the form. Learn more...
For Online Marketing and Enterprise Editions we have simplified form field mapping for sending contact data to DEC. DEC data mapping configuration is now accessible via form properties, in the same configuration as for HubSpot and Eloqua form fields. Syncing form data to DEC helps build comprehensive contact profiles to enable targeted and personalized web content delivered through Sitefinity CMS. Learn more...
Website administrators can now easily manage email settings from a central place. Email campaigns and all Sitefinity CMS components that send notifications, such as comments, forums, forms, and so on, share the same settings, which can be configured from a unified central screen. Administrators can also specify different notification profiles for each module. Learn more...
Sitefinity CMS now stores the full revision history for media items (images, documents, videos). Thus, content editors can view, compare, and fully revert to previous versions of pages including media items when necessary. Additionally, enhanced preview of media items versions, as well as side-by-side comparison between versions, ensures content editors avoid any missteps when using earlier versions. Learn more...
Multi-regional deployment is a recommended solution for companies with a presence in multiple countries or planning to expand globally. The closer your backend origin is to your end-users, the better their experience is. Learn more...
Sitefinity 12.0 enables system administrators to fine tune the page output caching behavior. You can instruct Sitefinity CMS to serve the current cache version of the page to website visitors for a predefined short period of time, and meanwhile warm-up the new version of the page in cache in the background. This way you achieve better scalability and provide website visitors with improved page load times. Learn more...
From this 12.0 release onward, only Bootstrap 4 (the officially supported Bootstrap version) is included in the default resource package. Customers who need to use Bootstrap 3 can add it manually from GitHub. Bootstrap 3, along with the Bootstrap 3 GitHub repository templates, will be available in the GitHub repository and supported until the end of 2019. Learn more...
Sitefinity 12.0 supports installation of just the core system functionality and then selectively adding only the modules you need. Thus, you can optimize your website memory consumption and speed up startup time by up to 30%. Additionally, this modular approach helps developers easily create standard self-installable modules by decorating them with a single attribute. Learn more...
API Changes
Database Changes
Regards,
Progress Sitefinity Team