Easier, Visual Template and Form Editing
XMod has always been a customer-driven application. We listen to your needs and try our best to implement solutions to meet them. One area of particular interest for us has been making it easier to create and edit templates and forms. This benefits new users just learning XMod as well as existing users who already know their way around but want a quicker way to perform their tasks. Of course, for those who prefer working in the previous editing environment, we've kept that option available - and even improved it a little.
NEW Rich Text Template Editor: To make creating and editing XMod templates even easier, XMod 5 comes with a rich text editor. Now formatting and laying out your templates becomes similar creating a document in a word processor. XMod tags are inserted using tag designers and they're represented by distinct placeholders. Selecting these tag placeholders and clicking the Edit Tag link allows you to go back in and tweak its settings at any time. It's a powerful new way to create and edit your XMod templates.
NEW Form Builder: This new addition makes creating forms in XMod a snap. Simply select what control you want to add, set that control's properties and click a button to add it to the form. Need to change some settings? Click the control's Edit button to adjust its properties. Need to change the order of controls on your form? Just drag and drop it there. The Form Builder is so easy to use, new users and pro's alike will find it an essential tool.
NEW Search Tool Added to Plain Text Template Editor: While we've added a rich text editor for visually creating templates, we haven't forgotten those of you who like the plain text editor. For you we've added a search tool. Now you can quickly locate specific words or phrases in your longer templates.
What's New In Data Display?
NEW Repeater Template Type: Tables Be Gone! If you need the ultimate in control over your page - the ability to decide what HTML gets rendered to the page, be it for standards compliance or because you want an un-ordered list instead of a table - our new Repeater template type has got you covered. With this template, a new world of creativity is at your fingertips. Layout your data in ordered lists, un-ordered lists, definition lists, paragraphs, even your own tables - all with no extraneous markup. Using the Repeater template with CSS, you can create some spectacular views of your data because you're in control.
NEW Comments and Ratings: If you've been hankering to let your users compliment or criticize your data, you'll love the new comments and ratings tags. Built-in to XMod 5 is the ability to have your users add comments or reviews to your XMod records and rate them as well. We give it 5 stars.
NEW Scrolling Views: Now your XMod data can scroll like the "crawls" on your favorite news or financial cable channel. List Views can be set to scroll horizontally or vertically. You can also change the speed, enable a mouse hover to pause the scroll, and more.
NEW Random Record Display: Do you have a list of testimonials, quotes and want to display them in a random order to keep things fresh? This is the feature for you. From the configuration page simply turn on the "Randomize Records" feature and XMod will do the rest.
NEW Show Recently Added Records: A new configuration option allows you to filter records to only those added in the last XX days(the number of days is set by you) - making it very easy to create a What's New list. You can optionally combine this with the Recently Modified option (see below) to display records added or updated in the specified time frame.
NEW Show Recently Modified Records: A new configuration option allows you to filter records to only those modified in the last XX days (the number of days is set by you) - making it very easy to create a What's Changed list. You can optionally combine this with the Recently Added option (see above) to display records added or updated in the specified time frame.
NEW Multiple URL Parameter Filters: You've been able to filter on multiple field values since 4.7. Version 5 extends your flexibility by enabling you to filter on multiple parameter values passed in the URL.
NEW Dynamic Localization of Forms and Templates: XMod 5 takes a giant leap forward for international users who need to support multiple languages. You've been able to localize XMod's administrative text and other localizability for some time now. Version 5 enables you to define translations of the text in your forms and templates for multiple languages. XMod will then automatically replace your text with the correct translation for the currently selected culture in DNN.
So, if your DNN site supports US English, British English, Dutch, French, Spanish, etc. and the web visitor chooses to view the site in Spanish, your XMod forms and templates can automatically switch to display their text in Spanish. Even better - not only can you change the text, you can change the properies of your HTML and XMod tags as well. So, you can easily switch the Flag on your page from the US flag to the flag for Spain when Spanish is selected or the flag for France when French is selected.
NEW Edit and Approve Functions Extended to Detail Templates: XMod 5 now allows you to provide Edit, Delete, Copy, Approve and Un-Approve functionality within detail templates. Prior to this version, they were only allowed in List Templates. One great way to use this new feature is to send a notification to your webmaster when a record has been added that needs to be reviewed for approval. In that email you can send a link directly to that record so they can review and approve it.
<xmx:MyTag .../> NEW Custom Template Tags: Need some functionality in your templates that XMod doesn't yet provide? Custom template tags allow you to use custom server controls to enhance your XMod templates. Even better, the controls don't even have to know about XMod - so you can use off-the-shelf 3rd party controls too. We'll be creating some nifty new custom template tags and you or 3rd party developers can create them too. All you have to do to use them is include them in your templates.
What's New In Data Handling?
NEW Custom Data Sources (Managers): Now developers can create "managers" that enable XMod to add/edit/delete/display data from other data sources - be they tables in the DNN database, other databases, web services, RSS feeds, etc. With this new feature, you can leverage XMod's form and display engines to work with your own data. Managers provide the flexibility to selectively allow certain features. Want to provide read-only access? You can do that. Will your database support Random Record displays? Enable or disable it based on your needs. Implement only what you need and XMod's interface will change to accommodate - enabling or disabling options in accordance with what your manager implements. For developers, we've included the source code for a starter project, a developer's guide, and the source for the UDT Manager (see below).
FREE User Defined Table Manager: To get you running quickly, we've included a free bonus: a manager that integrates with the DNN core project User Defined Table. Using this manager, you can setup a UDT module and use XMod forms to add/edit data in that table as well as format and display its data. So, you can leverage the UDT module but enjoy all the flexibility and ease-of-use XMod provides. Plus, we've included the source code so you can see how it's done.
NEW CSV/Excel Export: Prior versions allowed the export of data via XML. Version 5 adds the ability to export data to comma-separated values (CSV) and Excel formats.
Other Additions and Changes
NEW Approve and Delete Buttons Available in Forms. Continuing the theme... your editors can now edit a record and approve it from the edit form
ADDED CausesValidation Attribute to Command Buttons: By setting this attribute to false, you can use your forms in the FormView module to control other aspects of the page, without triggering validation mechanisms.
REMOVED Administrative Menu Items from Visible Display: These items are still found in the Action Menu, but have been removed from the items that appear at the bottom of each module.