Livingdocs Release November 2024: Teaser Components, Print Copy & Task Screens

Page Management: Teaser Components

With the November 2024 Release, a new type of Teaser Component has been introduced in Page Management to streamline curation efforts. Once integrated into existing website rendering pipelines, the benefits of this new component extend to even more effortless UX in the newsroom, as well as more straightforward steps for making future changes.

The new component offers a three-levelled approach: filter-driven algorithms or lists can be used for curation, while articles can be manually pinned at every position directly on a page.

Depending on the existing functionality of your website rendering pipeline, the amount of work required to introduce this new functionality in your Livingdocs will vary.

Print Copy

It is no secret: Print production is executed under particularly strong time pressure. Creating the print version of an article out of the online version requires a special kind of copy flow that is especially efficient so that your print edition is finished on time. The faster the process from 'online-ready' to 'print-ready', the better. To help you increase efficiency in creating print versions of your online content, we have incorporated a dedicated print copy workflow in Livingdocs.

When using the new Livingdocs print copy, you get dedicated UI elements that enable you to create your print version effortlessly . For example, an real-time indicator shows if changes were made in the online version which could have an impact on your print copy; these changes can then be applied manually or, in the case of major changes, you can choose to overwrite the print version as a whole.

We also added a new dashboard cell where you can see which online articles already have a print version and, more importantly, where a print version is still missing or where changes were made which may need your attention. 

If you are interested in moving your print version preparation to Livingdocs, we are happy to have a conversation and find the most suitable, efficient solution together.

Task Screens

When dealing with tasks, like reviews and proofreading, it's crucial that you have the key information on hand, and that you are able to focus on and prioritise the most pressing tasks. To support you best with your task workflows, we have introduced Task Screens.

For each task, a dedicated task screen can be configured where you have a list of articles grouped into their task state. In-progress tasks are listed on top, so you can start right where you left off, followed by articles with open tasks. At the bottom, you have a list of articles wherein the task in question is already finished. Each list is collapsable so that you can focus on the task state which is the most relevant for you. For example, a proofreading task screen could also be used by a print editor who expands only has the 'done' list in order to proceed with the proofread articles for print.

Task screens now have the full flexibility of table dashboards. By default, the main information of the article, the task details and the text length will be displayed in three columns. In the task column, the most important information of the task — like who is assigned and how much time is left to finish the task — are shown in an easy-to-grasp way. Additional metadata properties, which help you do your work effectively, can be effortlessly added to the configuration, as well.

We are keen to hear your feedback and discuss further improvements which best suit your task workflows. Please feel free to reach out to product-feedback@livingdocs.io.

Based on invaluable direct feedback we've received from our customers, we have done a further iteration on the Livingdocs Assistants. This consists of enhancements in three specific areas:

1. Command API: More commands

   In order to broaden the possibilities for using Livingdocs Assistants while making them more powerful, we have further extended the Command API to support more commands. You can now not only insert or remove components, but also modify their characteristics, as well as their look and feel.

2. Livingdocs Assistants: Component trigger

   With the Assistant trigger button on components, you are now able to change components on the spot; the context around it can be included, as well. For instance, if you want to generate a bullet-list-styled summary at the beginning of your article, you can simply access your Assistant at the desired list component and let it do its job right where you want to see the result. Thanks to this functionality, as well as the new added commands, you are able to work together with Assistants more effectively and effortlessly.

3. Livingdocs Assistants: Better error messages

   No matter how much hard work is put into quality assurance, Assistants can run into errors. With this release, Assistants can now communicate clear error messages to users so the users can take action accordingly. When setting up an Assistant, it is beneficial to think about what kind of errors messages would be helpful for users when working with Assistants. These could be issues a user can act on and solve easily. For instance, if something is missing in an article which is needed in order for the Assistant to run, you can handle this error by defining a corresponding, easy-to-understand message indicating what exactly has to be added in order to enable the Assistant to do its valuable work.

Further improvements in the November 2024 Release include:

1. Tasks: Mode & UI improvements

   To better support you in your task workflows, we've made it easier and more accessible to set deadlines and priorities, as well as to request tasks. Moreover, a new configuration option will be introduced: the task mode. This mode can be used, for example, by proofreaders to indicate how thoroughly an article has been read and to ensure this information is made transparent to the newsroom.

2. New metadata plugin: li-unique-id

   You can now use the new metadata plugin 'li-unique-id' when managing menus or other data records to ensure the same unique name is used across different stages (e.g. dev, stage and prod) and to hardwire it to your delivery.

3. Combine fields in componentDirectivesPrefilling

   When inserting an image into an article, metadata can be pre-filled with metadata information of the original image. Now you can even combine multiple metadata fields of the original into one metadata field of the image in Livingdocs, like using the photographer name and the image agency to pre-fill the source metadata field.

4. «Desk-Net» to «Kordiam» migration

   Desk-Net changed their name to Kordiam in August. We did a basic label renaming with the last release and now, in order to keep up with the change, we have migrated everything to Kordiam accordingly. That includes API names, configuration properties and plugin names. A full guide on what has to be changed can be found in the Technical Release Notes.

5. Add videoSourcePolicy

   We have an "imageSourcePolicy" for a very long time to define from where images can be uploaded and if at all. We were missing a similar way to define rules for the uploading of videos. To cover that, we added a videoSourcePolicy for uploads; this can be disabled, if desired.

6. User information in webhooks

   There are some cases where it is necessary to know who exported an article. That's why we added the opt-in possibility to send the user name and email in any webhook. We do not default to sending the user information in order not to leak user data.

7. New access right: inboxWrite

   In case not all of your users are allowed to edit pages, but still should be able to send articles to the inbox of pages, you can give them the new 'inboxWrite' permission. 

Breaking Changes & Upcoming Deprecations

In order to keep Livingdocs as streamlined and user-friendly as possible, we periodically remove features when we have found better solutions to the problems they solve. We will always give you ample notice so that you have plenty of time to make adaptations to your setup. You can find a comprehensive list of deprecations and changes that may affect your newsroom in the Technical Release Notes.

In the November Release, there are mostly technical breaking changes and deprecations you need to be aware of as a technician working with Livingdocs.

User-facing Deprecation

One of these deprecations is worth mentioning here because it has an impact on the UI when dealing with menus. Please make note of it so it doesn't create blocking issues for you once it is in full effect:

1. Menu Tool

   The dedicated menu tool is deprecated and will stop working with the May 2025 Release. By then, please migrate your menus to data records using the metadata plugin li-tree and, if needed, the new plugin li-unique-id. A full guide on how to setup menus with data records can be found in our documentation.

To get more in-depth, technical information about this release, please refer to our documentation site. There, you can also stream the recordings and peruse the slide presentations of our Feature Webinar and Developer Webinar.

We look forward to showing you what’s in store for our next release!