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The Klein Karoo Release Cycle is rolling out! So we’ve updated the below post with more info and images. 😉

Klein Karoo Release Announcement Blog Banner

This update gets its name from a spectacular valley in South Africa’s Western Cape. Featuring breathtaking views, interesting plant life, and a myriad of adventures to be had, this valley is a fine namesake for our latest release cycle. 😉

Without further ado, here’s what’s happening.

NetSuite Form And Data Source Connectors

NetSuite provides cloud-based business management software helping companies manage core business processes with a single, fully integrated system covering ERP/financials, CRM, eCommerce, inventory, and more.

Our new NetSuite Connectors eliminate the need to find workarounds for data transfer to and from Appenate. You can now push and pull data between NetSuite objects and Appenate automatically, saving you valuable time. 📈

For example, let’s pretend your users need to complete a work order for a specific customer. You can pull your customer list from NetSuite into Appenate and populate a dropdown in a Form. Your users can then select a specific customer, fill out a Form and push the entry back into the Work Order Object in Netsuite.

New OCR Field Type For Less Manual Data Entry

New OCR field on the Appenate mobile form builder

Adding an Optical Character Reader (OCR) Field to your Form can help increase data accuracy with automatic text extraction.

Using the OCR Field in a Form, you can take a photo of a page containing text. The OCR will automatically extract any text (hand-written or printed) that it can recognize.

This extracted data can then be used in the Form and optionally be output in a Data Template. Less manual data entry = more time to get things done. 💪

See the Knowledgebase article for more.

Upgrade Your Account Security With 2FA & TOTP

2FA in action on Appenate

The double layer of security that 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) offers you is invaluable. It makes unauthorized access to your account more difficult for better protection against spoofing and hacking attempts.

That’s why we’ve added 2FA capability (via time-based one-time passwords – or TOTP) to Appenate. This includes QR code generation for easy setup with your authenticator app.

The bottom line: you can now add an extra layer of security to your account. 🙂

Check the Knowledgebase article to get set up.

Optional Task Activities

Optional task activities in action on Appenate

Task Activities have historically all been mandatory, but what if you had a Task with optional activities? For example, if you had to submit 2 Forms along with a Task, but one of those was optional (only if the user has time), you’d still have to complete both before you could complete the Task. 

Now you’re able to mark Task Activities as optional, so you can submit Tasks without completing all activities. This adds more flexibility to your workers’ schedule and ensures that Optional Task Activities are… optional. 

Edit Table Rows Directly

The current method of editing table rows on the app can be frustrating. You’re out in the field and have to make a quick change to a single cell in the table. Now you have to tap the row and then find the Field you want to change. It’s not efficient enough!

That’s why we’ve added the ability to tap on a cell in a table and edit it directly, shaving precious minutes off your field team’s busy schedule.

Switch Environments Without Editing Rights (Coming Soon)

Here’s one for our Enterprise Toolkit users. Historically it’s only been possible for Enterprise Admin users to have access to all Environments of an organization. The problem is that editing access is added to the user by default. What if you wanted to allow a user access to all Environments but without editing rights? 

To solve this limitation, we’re adding a new permission toggle called “Can Switch Context” to the User Details Screen on the web platform. This will allow both read-only and read-write users access to view all Environments (when selected). Handy for when you have support personnel (for example) that need an overview but not editing rights.

Task Templates + Process Step = Greater Visibility (Coming Soon)

If you’re using Process Step to automate your business processes, you may want to see when a Task is claimed (and by who) without waiting for an upload. 

Given this need, we’re building a new feature that allows you to attach a Task Template to a Process Step Field. This opens access to Task Connectors and can notify you when a Connector is triggered – like when a Task is claimed, and its status changes.

This way, you can keep track of Tasks without manually digging for the info. 

Form Designer Improvements

The first of two new improvements we’ve added is the ability to change a Field type. Currently, you have to delete the old Field and add a new one to change the type, which loses your common settings (such as DataName, TitleText, etc.).

Admittedly, it’s a little clunky. This is why you’re now able to change the Field type but still keep any settings shared by the Fields.

We’ve also added an autocomplete function on your initial TitleText edit. In the past, you’d have to edit the TitleText and the DataName separately. This small change makes it possible only to change your TitleText. 

Dynamic data name in action

How it works is when you create a new Field and change the TitleText to “First Name,” the DataName will automatically update to “firstName” – saving you some time in the process. 😉

You can still edit the DataName separately if you so wish.

Smaller Improvements

  • Customize Title Bar Navigation Button Text
  • Toggle Between All And Active Users (Data Source) – Coming Soon!
  • iOS: Support ‘Choose Audio File from Device’
  • Add LastActivity to Active Users Data Source
  • Add Ability To Specify Multiple Emails Within A Process Step
  • Optionally Overwrite GDrive File (if file exists)
  • Branding Center As A Parent Menu Option To AaaS & WaaS Customers – Coming Soon!

Small But Powerful

We hope Klein Karoo adds plenty of impact to your business. We’re rolling the last features out, and branded apps will be updated in the coming weeks. Keep an eye on your inbox for the next announcement. 😉

As always, if you have any suggestions for future release cycles, feel free to get in touch and let us know.