Adobe Experience Manager Mobile v2016.8 Release: New Features, Enhancements, and Bug Fixes

Adobe Experience Manager Mobile Version 2016.8, released June 23, includes new and improved features, and several bug fixes.

Features

Device Rotation (iOS)

There is now an option to build an iOS app that allows device rotation. When creating a new iOS app, choose from Portrait, Landscape, or the new option Both for tablet and phone apps orientation in the General tab. When the Both option is chosen, browse pages, any HTML articles, and smooth scrolling PDF articles fill the screen in either orientation. InDesign- or PDF-based fixed layout articles are letterboxed when the device is rotated away from the original orientation.

Note: A custom preflight app is required to test device rotation, as the AEM Preflight app has not yet been updated to allow dual-orientation display.

Most interactive overlays created in InDesign source documents will display properly when the device is rotated. However, these are two known issues to be aware of:

Inline videos stop and reset on orientation change.
Image sequence autoplay delay and audio autoplay delay reset on rotation.

More Function Added to Banners

Originally, tapping a banner could navigate away from a browse page using a defined URL link. Now banners support navto:// links that navigate to other collections or articles. The links can be used in multiple cards within a browse page, the mailto: format that can send email, and sms: and tel: formats, which send text messages or make phone calls. Banners can also jump to the homepage or be used as a back button.

New Cordova-Enabled APIs

Device-level APIs are now available that make it easier to use an article instead of a browse page to display app content. The enhanced getEntity API gathers information for articles, collections, or banners in an app. For any collection entity, there is a new getChildren API, which returns information for articles, collections, or banners within the collection. For example, create an article that uses the APIs to generate a tree view of the entire published entity hierarchy, with hyperlinks to articles or collections to which the user is entitled. Check entitlement status of collections, and use the getThumbnailImage and getBackgroundImage APIs to display fetched information.

Language Support for Search

Choose from multiple languages to use when indexing article metadata for in-app searching, increasing search capabilities in apps. Specify a default search language for articles in project settings and, if necessary, override that setting for any article in article properties.

Search results only list articles whose language setting match the device language setting. For example, articles indexed as English will not appear in search results if the device language is Spanish.

Note: Search is still considered beta at this time.

Distribution of Content in China

A signed “China Addendum” in your Experience Manager Mobile Service Order allows you to provide content to readers in the People’s Republic of China. Once processed, an Enable China Distribution option will appear in the account project settings.

Note: The WeChat social sharing option, popular in China, is now supported.

External Links in HTML Articles

Similar to the setting in the InDesign Overlays panel that offers control over displaying a hyperlink in the in-app browser or external browser, the goto://DeviceBrowser?url= format can now be used in HTML articles to add links that leave the app and open an external browser or app.

Example: <a href=”goto://DeviceBrowser?url=http://www.adobe.com”>Adobe website</a>

Note: The goto: format is not supported in banners.

Android Viewer Improvements

The Persistent Top-Level Content feature is now available in Android viewers. Articles added to the top-level collection can no longer be removed from cache when the cache limit is reached, thus allowing users to view any article in the top-level collection even when they are offline.

Cordova plug-ins enabled in an Android app that require “Accept” prompts are displayed only when browsing articles that use that plug-in.

Example Code Entitlement Service

Users can sign in and become entitled to additional content when entitlement has been set up in your app. Example code has been provided by Adobe for basic entitlement services. Instructions for editing this sample code and uploading it to your server are found at Adobe’s Set up an entitlement service page.

Bug Fixes

This release also includes numerous viewer and service bug fixes. For the complete list, see Adobe’s Bug Fix Release Notes page.

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Note: Information contained in this post is current at the time of posting. Visit the Technology for Publishing News & Events blog for the latest info on Adobe software releases and functionality.

Tagged with: Adobe, Adobe Experience Manager Mobile, AEM Mobile update

Posted by: Monica Murphy

Monica Murphy has worked in the publishing industry for over 30 years supporting publishing operations of various sizes. In her role as Technical Product Manager for Technology for Publishing, she shares her publishing application expertise supporting a broad range of publishing clients in InDesign best practices, cross-platform content workflows, and InDesign Template strategies. Her weekly tip and blog posts have a committed following in the InDesign community, and as a long-time participant in the InDesign pre-release community, she regularly analyzes and provides feedback for upcoming features. Monica manages the authoring and publication of Technology for Publishing’s handbooks on InDesign, InCopy, and other associated titles.