Boston 4.2.0

Important Notice for Version 4.2.0

High Impact on Existing Autom Configurations

(For users upgrading from an older version to 4.2.0)

This release includes updates that may impact current Automations. Please thoroughly review the release notes provided below.

Missing Object Key Error Handling: The system now returns a "not found" error for missing keys, which may impact Automations relying on configurations. Object Variable Escape Character Fix: Resolved issues related to escape character '\n' errors, stringification problems, and structural inconsistencies in object variable usage. Now, when using variables within double quotes ('##variable##'), the data will be processed based on its type. For more details click to titles of the cases. You can contact us if you have any questions.

Highlights of this Release

New Features

Enhancements

Bug Fixes

Detailed Explanations

New Features

[Service] Improved Notification System

Autom Mate’s notification system has been significantly enhanced to keep users better informed of actions performed on their Autom by others. The key notifications introduced include:

  1. Autom Triggered by Another User with Error Notification: If someone else runs your Autom and it encounters an error, you will be notified. This ensures that the owner is always aware of any issues and can take corrective action.

  2. Failed Login Notification: If a login attempt fails using the correct username, users will receive a notification, helping with security monitoring and troubleshooting.

  3. Autom Updated, Deleted, or Status Changed by Another User Notification: You will be notified if someone else updates, deletes, or changes the status of an Autom you created. This ensures transparency and allows for quick follow-up on changes.

  4. Library Downloaded by Another User Notification: When another user downloads a library, all users except the one who downloaded it will be notified. This feature improves collaboration by informing everyone who uses the library.

  5. New Version Downloaded Notification: A notification will be sent when a new version of Autom Mate or a resource is downloaded, ensuring that users stay up to date on updates.

  6. Active Version Changed Notification: If the active version is changed, other users will receive a notification, helping them track version control.

  7. Autom or Version Downloaded, or Active Version Changed Notification: When an Autom or version is downloaded, or the active version is changed, all other users will be notified, enhancing team transparency.

  8. MateAgent Timezone Changed Notification: If the MateAgent timezone is changed, all users will be notified to ensure that schedules and triggers are adjusted accordingly.

  9. Autom Trigger Type Changed by Another User: You will be notified if another user changes the trigger type of your Autom, keeping you informed of any changes that could affect workflow execution.

  10. Autom Name or Information Changed by Another User: If someone else changes the name or any key information of your Autom, you will be notified, ensuring that you are always aware of updates to your Autom.

  11. Scheduled Autom Stopped or Started by Another User Notification: If someone else stops or starts a scheduled Autom, you will receive a notification, keeping you informed of important scheduling changes.

[Service] ConnectWise Integration

The ConnectWise connector is now available in Autom Mate, allowing users to seamlessly integrate and manage ConnectWise services within their workflows. This integration streamlines operations by automating ConnectWise processes, reducing the need for manual intervention, and improving efficiency.

[UI] Dashboard Enhancements

Several enhancements have been made to the Dashboard, introducing features like a new Helper Bar, Easy Widgets, and a Top Header component. The Helper Bar provides users with quick access to essential tools, the Easy Widgets give fast access to frequently used functions, and the Top Header improves navigation, making the platform more user-friendly.

[Service] Array Minus Indexing

Autom Mate now supports negative indices in arrays, allowing users to access elements starting from the end of the array. This feature adds flexibility to array manipulations, making it easier to work with data that is indexed relative to the end of a dataset.

Enhancements

[Service] Custom Action Output Enhancement

Each Custom Action output now generates a unique identifier, making it easier to trace and manage outputs in complex workflows. This improvement enhances data organization, especially in workflows that generate multiple outputs, simplifying debugging and auditing tasks.

[Service] Restful Web Service Flexibility

The requirement to specify an output for Restful Web Service actions has been removed, giving users greater flexibility when configuring these actions. This simplifies workflows where outputs are unnecessary, offering more streamlined configuration options.

[UI] Developer Mode Enhancements

Developer Mode has been updated with version notifications for apps, helping developers stay aware of new versions and updates. Additionally, the total number of actions available in the Autom library is now displayed, giving developers better insight into available resources.

[UI] Export and Import Button Updates

The Export and Import buttons have been enhanced with new animations and tooltips, making the process of managing data more intuitive and user-friendly. These updates align with the overall design of Developer Mode, ensuring consistency and ease of use.

[Service] Added Date/Time Formats

Several new date and time formats have been added, providing users with more options for working with timestamps in their workflows. This ensures compatibility across different regions and workflows, improving flexibility when handling global data.

Bug Fixes

[Service] Resolved Schedule Reset Issues

A bug was causing scheduled triggers to reset unexpectedly, disrupting automated processes that rely on these triggers. With this fix, scheduled automations now work as expected without interruptions. Users can confidently set schedules, knowing that their automated processes will execute on time without the risk of resetting or malfunctioning. This greatly improves the reliability of time-based workflows.

[Service] CSV Reading Error Fixed

Some users experienced issues when reading CSV files, where certain files would fail to load or cause errors during import. This bug has been resolved, ensuring that CSV data can be imported and processed smoothly within workflows. As CSV is a commonly used format for handling data, this fix enhances compatibility and makes it easier for users to work with external datasets in Autom Mate.

[UI] Page Navigation Improvement

A navigation-related bug allowed users to click on the current page icon within the page navigator, which led to navigation errors. This issue has been fixed by preventing users from clicking the icon of the current page. This improvement streamlines the user experience, ensuring that navigation between pages is intuitive and without unnecessary interruptions or errors.

[Service] Group Deletion Fix

A critical issue was causing the entire group of actions to be deleted when a user attempted to delete a single action within that group. This was problematic as it led to the unintended loss of workflows. The fix ensures that users can now safely delete individual actions within a group without affecting the rest of the group. This makes group management safer and more reliable, reducing the risk of accidentally losing important workflows.

[UI] Improved Import Screen Usability

The usability of the import screen was not optimal, particularly with the "Choose Json File" button, which was hard to locate for some users. This has been addressed by repositioning and redesigning the button to make it more prominent and accessible. As a result, importing data into Autom Mate is now more straightforward, improving the overall user experience when setting up workflows that rely on JSON files.

[UI] Form Validation Bug Fixes

An issue was identified where the "Fields Cannot Be Empty" icon would persist even after required fields were filled. This led to confusion as users were unsure if their input was correctly validated. The fix now ensures that the validation icons behave as expected, disappearing once the required fields are properly filled. This enhancement improves the form submission process, providing clearer and more accurate feedback to users during data entry.

[Service] Send Mail Action Bug Fixed

A bug in the Send Mail action prevented users from adding variables using the "+" button, forcing them to manually input variable names, which was both time-consuming and prone to errors. This issue has been resolved, and users can now easily add variables to their email templates via the "+" button, streamlining the setup of automated email workflows. This fix restores the full functionality of the Send Mail action, improving the user experience in email automation.

[UI] Action List Navigation Improvement

A bug caused the action list to reset to the top after an action was selected, making it difficult for users to continue navigating or working with large lists of actions. This issue has been fixed, allowing the action list to maintain its position after a selection is made. Users can now continue working from where they left off without having to scroll through the list repeatedly, improving the efficiency of workflows with many actions.

[UI] Drag-and-Drop Bug Fixed

There was a bug that allowed users to drag and manipulate read-only outputs, even though these outputs should not be modifiable. This fix ensures that outputs marked as read-only are correctly locked and cannot be moved or altered through drag-and-drop actions. This change prevents accidental modifications to outputs that should remain static, improving the security and integrity of workflows.

[Service] Data Table Assign Bug

An issue occurred when users tried to assign new data to a data table using the "Assign" action, which resulted in an empty field error. This bug has been fixed, allowing users to assign data without encountering issues. With this fix, workflows involving data tables can now proceed smoothly, ensuring that data is properly populated and utilized in the table fields.

[Service] Microservice Send Stream Error Fixed

Users encountered stream errors when trying to retrieve CI (Configuration Item) data from Lakeside through microservices. This issue has been resolved, ensuring that the stream functions properly without errors. Users can now reliably retrieve CI data, improving the integration between Autom Mate and external microservices. This fix enhances data retrieval processes, especially in workflows that depend on continuous data streams.

[UI] 404 Error on Dashboard Navigation Fixed

A 404-error occurred when users navigated from the Alerts page back to the Dashboard using the dashboard button. This issue has been fixed, allowing smooth navigation between the Alerts page and the Dashboard. Users can now transition between different sections of the platform without encountering errors, improving the overall navigation experience within Autom Mate.

[UI] Developer License Column Fix

Developer license users reported issues with viewing specific columns in the library page, which were not displaying correctly. This issue has been resolved, and users with developer licenses can now view all the appropriate columns on the library page. This fix ensures that developers have access to all the information they need when working with Autom Mate’s library, enhancing the development experience.

[UI] Operation Detail Page Width Fix

An issue with the operational log history caused some logs to not fit properly within the pop-up window, leading to truncated or incomplete log information. This bug has been fixed, ensuring that all logs are fully visible and correctly displayed within the pop-up window. This enhancement improves the readability of operational logs, making it easier for users to review the full details of past operations.

[Service] Missing Object Key Error Handling Fixed

When we use an object variable, if the initial key we reference does not exist within the object, the corresponding value should be null. However, if you attempt to reference a missing key and then try to access a child key from it, this should result in an error. Previously, instead of returning an error, the application would return the main object as the value. Now, the correct behavior has been implemented, and a "Key not found" error is returned as expected.

##object## = {"validkey":"hello"}

##object[validkey]## = hello

##object[key]## = null

##object[key][child]## -> Error "Key not found"

[Service] Object Variable Escape Character Fix

In object structures, characters like "\n" used to cause data corruption and extend process times. With the newly introduced variable usage method, the way you handle data now varies according to the data type. When you enclose your variable in double quotes ("##variable##"), the data will be processed according to its type in the field where it is used.

For a real-world use case, consider the "website" information pulled from the Autom Mate application. If the website value is provided, it will appear as "https://www.autommate.com/", which is a string. However, if no website value is entered, the data is likely to come as null, which is an object type. This demonstrates that the data can arrive in two different types. With the double-quote usage, the field where the data is inserted will handle the type automatically, eliminating the need for if-else checks.

Examples of data types:

-String variable: "test" -> "##variable##" = "test"

-Object variable: {"key":"value"} -> "##variable##" = {"key":"value"}

-Number variable: 5 -> "##variable##" = 5

-Boolean variable: false -> "##variable##" = false

-Array variable: [1,2,3] -> "##variable##" = [1,2,3]

For child values inside an object variable:

{"key":true} — Boolean -> "##variable[key]##" = true

{"key":"value"} — String -> "##variable[key]##" = "value"

{"key":5} — Number -> "##variable[key]##" = 5

{"key":{"child":"abc"}} — Object -> "##variable[key]##" = {"child":"abc"}

{"key":[1,2,3]} — Array -> "##variable[key]##" = [1,2,3]

In some cases, you may need to send number values as strings. For example, if the data you pull contains an age field like {"age":5}, and you use "##variable[age]##", it will return 5 as a number. To convert this into a string, you can use the 'fn.' shortcut to access the Functions menu, where you can apply the 'toStr' function. This way, you can convert the number into a string without needing any additional actions.

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