Users can access a new Performance tab on the Content Dashboard, which provides detailed metrics for assets, including visitor behavior and the top pages where each asset is featured. Data can be filtered by anonymous or known visitors. These metrics are available for Blogs, Documents and Media, and Web Content and are exclusively accessible to users connected to Analytics Cloud.

• This functionality refers to tracking events related to non-default asset types and visualizing the data on a dashboard. From now on, customers will no longer be able to use this specific method to track views of non-default asset types and visualize this data on a dashboard in Analytics Cloud

• Using custom event tracking is the recommended way to track your custom assets from now on.

• This functionality refers to segments that are static groups of users.

• That said, users can now utilize either user group-based segments or dynamic segments instead of static ones moving forward.

Default View and Download permissions for documents have been adjusted to match the behavior prior to the changes introduced in LPD-16744, restoring the expected user experience.

Highlights: 

• The View and Download permissions will be linked by default when uploading documents through the single and multiple file uploaders

• The Permissions configuration UI is improved so users can more easily recognize that the View and Download permissions are separate permissions

• The Download permission is now automatically included when a user shares a document and assigns permissions

We added External Reference Codes for Categories and Tags and their associated API’s, improving their portability for data migration scenarios.

Highlights: 

• Users can now perform CRUD operations using a Tag’s ERC through its headless API (Keyword)

• Users can now perform CRUD operations using a Category’s ERC through its headless API (TaxonomyCategory)

We added External Reference Codes for references in widget configurations in Content Management applications. This helps promote data integrity when pages and their widgets are migrated across environments.

Highlights:

References within the following page widgets now use ERC’s instead of internal ID’s:

• Announcements
• Web Content Display
• Category Filters
• Questions

We added several API endpoints for Documents & Media to improve programmatic management of these entities.

Highlights:

• Users can now add, delete, and retrieve document types via headless API (DocumentDataDefinitionType)

• Users can now add, delete, and retrieve document metadata sets via headless API (DocumentMetadataSet)

It is now possible to subscribe to documents and folders, allowing users to receive notifications when they are updated.

Highlights:

• Users can now subscribe to documents and folders through the “Subscribe” action and through the Subscribe icon in the Info Panel

• If a user subscribes to a folder, all documents and subfolders within it will be automatically subscribed to as well

During the publishing process, users can both define and manage permissions, as well as schedule publication dates for their web content. When creating content for the first time, users will have the opportunity to conveniently review and manage permissions. Furthermore, when editing previously created content, users can also adjust permissions directly from the editor view. Additionally, users can easily select the desired publication date for their content during the publishing process.

• Users can select and reorder categories for a blog’s friendly URL, so they can preview the order of the categories in the friendly URL and determine how the categories will be presented in the friendly URL along with the title.

• Users are able to set different values for the asset types separators in the friendly URLs. Also, they are able to reset to default value, so for those asset types that they have clicked on this option, the separator will be the value defined by default for those specific asset types.

This release expands the support of the Timeline History feature to Blogs, Wiki pages, Bookmarks, Forms, Knowledge base, Message boards, and Categories. The feature enhances the publication toolbar with tools to detect and manage collaboration conflicts.

• A timeline icon shows recent modifications in the same asset, which may have been done in production or parallel Publications.

• The user can view, discard, or move these changes directly from the toolbar.

• Warning icons appear to make users aware of current conflicts in the Publication.

Key benefits:

• Enhanced context for content editors and managers for a streamlined collaboration.

• New capabilities to detect conflicts before publishing time, while users may have more time to decide how to resolve conflicts without the go-live pressure.

This set of improvements aims to simplify the manual work users must do to resolve conflicts when publishing a publication. Now, instead of raising a conflict to be resolved manually by the user, the system will try to overwrite conflicting changes in production with the modifications done in the publication, meaning that the Modification and Modification deletion conflict types won’t be presented for the user anymore.

In the case of a Deletion modification conflict, the system won’t resolve it automatically, but now it makes it easier to keep the modifications made in the publication. In the Conflicting changes screen, we added a button with the option to "Restore in Production" for conflicts in which the asset was deleted from production and is now in the Recycle bin.

Key benefits:

• Reduce the amount of manual work by automatically solving most of the conflicts.

• Improve user satisfaction and reliability on publications by ensuring that assets supported by Recycle Bin can be quickly restored, avoiding requiring the user to discard needed changes.

Provided an option to turn the “Out-of-date” feature on/off. When turned on (the default behavior before this release), ongoing publications created in previous Liferay versions were labeled as “Out-of-date” after the upgrade and could not be modified or published. This feature is now off by default, and users can publish these publications without Liferay support.

Key benefit:

Increase manageability over publications and the ability to publish any previous modification, including after Liferay upgrades.

The two separate option menus currently displayed in the Web Content Display widget have been merged into a single, consolidated dropdown menu for content creators. This new menu will improve the user experience by reducing confusion and unnecessary clicks, ensuring all relevant widget actions (e.g., Hide Widget, Duplicate, Export/Import, etc.) are easily accessible.

Added logging to indicate the completion of fragment deployments via the deploy folder. This provides better visibility into the deployment process and allows for tracking deployment duration.

There are some advantages of including a message like that, for example:

• Count the duration of a deployment
• See the fragment progress deployment until it is deployed.

Improved keyboard navigation and column resizing for Miller columns. Users can now navigate between columns both horizontally (deeper levels) and vertically (same level) using the keyboard. Column widths are also responsive, adapting to different screen sizes.

• Boost Liferay’s platform with drag-and-drop, multi-selection, and cut/copy/paste features for easier field and fragment organization.

• Fine adjustments in the User Experience when managing page components through in bulk multiselection

The updated Clay chart colour palette improves accessibility and usability by creating more contrast and adding more variations. Now users can easily distinguish charts, icons, and field sets, reducing confusion and improving clarity.
 

Key benefits:

• Now we have more design flexibility for Liferay’s current and future products.

• Accessible and distinguishable colours that will improve and unify the platform usability and UI.

The addition of new translations and locales ensures that users in regions like Macedonia, Norway, Belgium, Switzerland, and Austria can interact with the platform in their preferred language or regional variation.

Key benefits:

• Tailors the user experience for specific markets and regions, improving relevance and usability.

• We made the platform more inclusive by expanding language and locale options.

This improvement allows users to customise the appearance of their Liferay instance more effectively with new properties in the .yaml file for Theme CSS and CSS Client Extensions.

Key benefits:

• Admins can personalise the interface for both the admin panel and the entire platform.

• A more cohesive, branded appearance will improve usability and satisfaction for all users.

• Allows fine-grained control over where customisations are applied.

Elasticsearch 8.17 has been tested and added to the compatibility matrix.

Liferay Self-Hosted deployments can update the Elastic stack to this version. For Liferay PaaS projects, as usual, a new Elasticsearch image will be provided under Liferay Cloud’s Docker Hub account.

As it was first highlighted in the Release Notes of 2024.Q3, per Elastic’s product lifecycle, Elasticsearch 7.17.x versions are supported and maintained until Elasticsearch version 9 is released.

While Elastic does not provide specific release dates for future releases, for Elasticsearch 9.0.0, the new release is anticipated in early calendar year 2025.

Compatibility with Elasticsearch 8 is available on Liferay DXP 7.4 U81+: Operating Liferay 7.4 GA/Update 81+ with Elasticsearch 8 - Liferay.

Note: The Elasticsearch 8.x compatibility is provided through the bundled Elasticsearch 7 connector and the REST API Compatibility of Elasticsearch 8.

Official release of Liferay Data Sets, moving from Beta to Release! Data Sets are a powerful and flexible way to retrieve, manage, visualize, and interact with structured data in Liferay DXP. Built on top of Objects and leveraging Liferay’s robust ecosystem, Data Sets exemplify the “build Liferay with Liferay” philosophy. With seamless integration with compatible Headless APIs, administrators can easily configure Data Sets and empower end-users with a rich, customizable experience for consuming and interacting with data.

Key benefits:

• Retrieve Data: Fetch information from any compatible Headless API to use as a Data Set source.

• Manage Flexibility: Administrators can customize what parts of the API response are included, along with filters, sorting options, and available actions.

• Visualize Data: Multiple visualization options make it easier than ever for end-users to consume data meaningfully.

• Enable Interaction: End-users can interact dynamically with data using the filters, actions, and tools configured by administrators.

To ensure the quality, stability, and modernity of Liferay DXP, we've updated to React 18, bringing significant benefits in security, performance, and compatibility. This update is critical to maintaining DXP's status as a robust and future-proof platform.

Key benefits:

• Security Enhancements: Older library versions can expose vulnerabilities. Upgrading to React 18 mitigates these risks by incorporating the latest security patches.

• Performance Improvements: React 18 introduces features like concurrent rendering, which enhances responsiveness and load handling for better user experiences.

• Enhanced Compatibility: Upgrading ensures DXP aligns with modern tools and frameworks, minimizing integration challenges and future-proofing our development processes.

• Continued Support: Staying current with React’s ecosystem ensures ongoing access to community updates, bug fixes, and innovations.

We’ve introduced robust Content Security Policy (CSP) capabilities to enhance the security of your digital experience platform. This feature supports eight key directives, including script-src and style-src among others, ensuring secure handling of scripts, styles, images, and more. By leveraging these directives, developers can mitigate cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks and data injection risks. The CSP implementation aligns with modern web security standards, offering both flexibility and protection. Administrators can now enforce stricter security policies without compromising functionality.

Key benefits:

• Enhanced Security: Mitigates risks of XSS and data injection attacks by controlling resource loading and execution.

• Compliance-Friendly: Aligns with industry-standard security requirements, supporting stricter compliance protocols.

• Customizable Policies: Allows developers to tailor CSP directives to meet specific project or organizational needs.

• Improved Trust: Strengthens end-user trust by providing a more secure and reliable platform experience.

Official release of Liferay Data Sets, moving from Beta to Release! Data Sets are a powerful and flexible way to retrieve, manage, visualize, and interact with structured data in Liferay DXP. Built on top of Objects and leveraging Liferay’s robust ecosystem, Data Sets exemplify the “build Liferay with Liferay” philosophy. With seamless integration with compatible Headless APIs, administrators can easily configure Data Sets and empower end-users with a rich, customizable experience for consuming and interacting with data.

Key benefits:

• Retrieve Data: Fetch information from any compatible Headless API to use as a Data Set source.

• Manage Flexibility: Administrators can customize what parts of the API response are included, along with filters, sorting options, and available actions.

• Visualize Data: Multiple visualization options make it easier than ever for end-users to consume data meaningfully.

• Enable Interaction: End-users can interact dynamically with data using the filters, actions, and tools configured by administrator

Allow users to move web content and document structures between environments

Key benefit:
Addresses a feature gap when moving web content and documents between environments

Allow users to move workflow settings between environments
 

Key benefit:
Addresses a feature gap when moving applications built on Liferay between environments

Allow users to move Object Definitions and Entries between environments

Key benefit:
Addresses a feature gap when moving applications built on Liferay between environments

Previously, when managing complex data models, users must create scripts or code in order to make changes to multiple related objects. Now users are able to configure multiple objects as if they are one object. Related child objects now inherit permissions and account restrictions and more from the top level parent, making object management more convenient.

Key benefits:

Simplifies the management of multiple objects through a configuration on the relationship between objects

• Permissions and Account Restrictions for the child objects are inherited from the Top level parent

• API endpoints are nested under the same namespace of the top level parent

Allow users to move display pages containing Object or Form widgets across environments

Key benefit:
Addresses a feature gap when moving content pages across environments
 

Allow applications built on top of Service Builder to leverage the benefits of the Liferay Objects framework

Key benefit:
Applications built on top of Service Builder can now be migrated to Liferay Objects

The batch engine's export endpoints now support filtering for object entries. This addresses a previous limitation where filtering was not applied to object entries during batch exports. This update ensures consistent data handling and filtering behavior across all entity types.

Key benefits:

• Object entries Personalization
• Equalize capabilities for all entities

Until now, there was no way in batch engine to export and import object entries and their permissions simultaneously. This new capability allows users to do that, streamlining workflows and reducing manual effort.

Key benefits:

• Execution in only one call.

• Possibility for users to choose to take into account (or not) permissions with object entries.

Data imports, using batch engine, now allows users to preserve content creator information (if required). Previously, imported content with batch was always assigned the user performing the import, resulting in loss of original authorship data when moving content. This update ensures accurate attribution of content ownership (if required).

Key benefits:

• Able to keep critical user information during data promotion between environments

• Can be configured separately per import process

Implemented proactive access token management with automated email notifications. Users will now receive alerts 1 month, 10 days, and 1 day prior to token expiration, allowing for timely renewal and preventing service disruptions. Notifications are automatically cancelled if a new token is generated.

Key benefits:

• Users are notified before token expiration, allowing for timely renewal and uninterrupted access.

• Reducing administrative overhead, as automated notifications eliminate the need for manual monitoring and intervention.

• By prompting timely renewals, the risk of using expired and potentially compromised tokens is minimized.

The vendor has deprecated OpenSSO/OpenAM, so there's no reason for us to keep it. The alternative, which is PingAM can be integrated using our existing OpenID connector or SAML Authentication.

The SSL Certificate Management view now provides expiration alerts for certificates nearing expiration (e.g., within 30 days) and those that have already expired. Certificates must now be defined exclusively through the LCP.json file, simplifying management and ensuring consistency across deployments. This update reduces manual errors and ensures secure and uninterrupted deployments.

Highlights:

• Expiration Alerts: Notifications for certificates nearing expiration and those already expired, with clear visual indicators.

• Exclusive LCP.json Configuration: Certificates can only be defined through the LCP.json file.

• Improved Visibility: Organized list view showing certificate names, types, associated domains, and expiration dates.

• Proactive Management: Tools and alerts to help users maintain secure SSL/TLS configurations.

The Marketplace release of the Liferay Connector to OpenSearch 2 provides an alternative to Elasticsearch for Self-Hosted Liferay deployments.

This connector integrates Liferay DXP with OpenSearch 2.12+, the open source and enterprise grade search engine. OpenSearch offers lexical search for text data, robust scalability and extensibility, and vector search for applications using embeddings, such as Liferay's Semantic Search.

The installation of this app requires specific configurations covered in the official documentation. For detailed compatibility information, see the Search Engine Compatibility Matrix.

The OpenSearch integration is currently a Beta feature with the intention to make it GA in the future.