Temporary storage of information over the web is handled through the storage method called “caching”. This is essentially how users can access web content, send inputs, and receive the outcome on their end. Mainly, there are two places that a web page can store information: on the client-side (on the client’s web browser), and on the server (on the server machine hosting the website, also known as server-side caching).
In the past, SpreadsheetWEB applications had been relying on client-side caching, meaning that some of the information was kept on the client’s web browser. Pretty much all web browsers have some form of caching, and a website can communicate with the user via the browser.
In version 6.15, we made substantial changes in how the internal application workflow is handled. With the server-side caching approach, most of the information is now saved on the server machine instead of the browser. This change comes with performance gains, and will enable us to implement other exciting new features in the future.
Server-side caching enables SpreadsheetWEB to be more aware of the end user’s current state, and accomplish things that rely on the changes in that state. This means that the system can now detect whether a specific user interface control has been changed. Although this feature will not have any immediate effect on the web applications (aside from performance gains), it will allow us to add other functionalities that rely on such actions, like special actions, complex validation rules, and formula-based inputs!
Another exciting new feature that came with this release is record locking. In the past, users were able to open a record without knowing that it was being edited by someone else at the same time. With 6.15, record locking can be enabled on an application-by-application basis to give users exclusive rights to an active record. A locked record can only be opened by the user that is currently editing it, and will not be accessible to any other user in the system.
This way, you can restrict other users from accessing the same record, and prevent a “last save wins” situation, and ensure that only one user is working on a record at any given time. A record will only become “unlocked” if the active user closes their browser tab, or the Inactive Record Locking Timeout duration expires. This feature can be enabled from the Application menu of the Designer Interface.
Once enabled, you can also set an Inactive Record Locking Timeout duration to limit the record locking to a certain amount of time. The active user will see a prompt if they have not been actively using the record for this duration, and can choose to extend their exclusive rights to the record. When enabled, this feature will go into effect immediately, without requiring to publish the web application.
Locked records will show a padlock icon, and display the name of the user who has the exclusive rights to the record and when it was first locked to that user, when you hover your mouse over the padlock icon. Admin-level users can unlock a record by pressing the padlock icon and confirming their action.
In addition to some bug fixes and performance improvements, in this version, we’ve also added image embedding support in email notifications. You can now also include images in automated emails sent from your web applications! We hope that you’ll like these amazing new features as much as we do! For a full list of changes, updates, and new features, please see the change log.
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