HighGear 8.9.0 brings added convenience and security to its already feature-rich platform along with new capabilities that continue to extend HighGear’s advanced HSAFE (HighGear Secure Application Forward Edge) platform for external users. In addition to these new features, this latest release rolls up several enhancements previously shipped in the SaaS-only 8.8.1 release.
- SaaS customers will be upgraded to version 8.9.0 on the following dates:
- Early Access: 10 PM ET on Saturday, October 15th
- Mainstream: 10 PM ET on Saturday, October 29th
- Self-hosted customers with an active maintenance agreement can immediately download the self-installing upgrade from the HighGear customer portal.
- For support, please contact Support@HighGear.com.
- For additional licenses or services, please contact Sales@HighGear.com.
New Features in 8.9
Workflow Generated Temporary Form Links
Need an external user to give you a quick thumbs up or weigh in on a task that is moving through your back-office process? Introducing another convenient and highly secure HSAFE capability.
HighGear administrators can now configure workflow to generate temporary form links from within the design studio. This will allow external users to securely view and edit specific HighGear records using their HSAFE-enabled site. The administrator can quickly configure form permissions, link expiration, and specific data to appear on the form. They can, in turn, choose how to deliver the link to the intended recipient.
The link can be easily sent using a new built-in email capability or the link can be stored in a field for the system to deliver via other methods. For example, custom code can send the link via SMS text messaging, or you can leverage the HighGear Zapier integration to deliver via Slack, Microsoft Teams or other communication channels. After clicking on the link, external users can sign in using an embedded HighGear login or any one of the external SAML (Single-Sign On) providers they have configured.
After signing in, external users can review the task and make any changes administrators have allowed. One such example would be allowing a busy executive who doesn’t use HighGear to sign off on budget requests or enabling permit approvals to be completed.
Configure Outbound Workflow Web Requests to Include Additional Data
Would you like to save a step when building integrations? Workflow Web Request workflow nodes can now send along data from the fields you select whenever a pre-defined event is triggered. This makes it easier to integrate HighGear workflows with external systems by sending all required data as part of the initial web request. HighGear administrators can quickly configure which fields’ data should be sent in each Workflow Web Request node.
Attached File Support for Recurring Templates
HighGear users can now upload files to Attached File fields within a recurring template. When a recurring template’s creation pattern triggers, any files attached to the template will be copied to the task when it is created. This often-requested feature unlocks more use cases and value for the recurring template feature.
Improved Quick Status Change on Task Dashboards
HighGear has been supporting the convenient ability to quickly change the status of tasks directly from a dashboard list. In HighGear 8.9.0, this feature has been enhanced to allow users the ability to make status changes in half the clicks – making the shortcut even shorter.
Office 365 Modern Authentication Support for Incoming Email Rules
HighGear’s incoming email rules now support Office 365’s Modern Authentication protocol (Modern Auth). In an ongoing effort to improve internet security, Microsoft is removing support for basic authentication. We recommend on-premise customers upgrade to take advantage of this feature in a timely way. Cloud customers will be automatically upgraded but will still need to update their Modern Auth configuration.
Rollup Features from 8.8.1
Custom Brand Experience
HighGear’s new theming capability will customize an organization’s brand experience with their corporate identity for those that log into the system. The platform will evaluate your organization’s selected base colors to intelligently match and auto-integrate color-appropriate tints to provide a complete customized look and feel, without having to select from hundreds of options.
Recurring Template Improvements
This release includes several data management and presentation improvements for recurring templates including:
- The ability to batch-edit the “Next Instance” or “Show on Task List Offset” scheduling values.
- The ability to search for templates by their Recurrence Pattern.
- Increased detail about the Recurrence Pattern is now shown in a column when viewing a list of recurring tasks.
User Experience Improvements
- Adding and removing columns on a dashboard list is significantly easier with the new right-click context menu option.
- Improvements to the Task/Project create menu makes it easier for the end-user to find the right form.
Form Designer Improvements
- Administrators can use the new “Go to Field” shortcut button in the design studio sidebar to quickly display the tab and location where the field is used on a form.
Updated System Requirements
- HighGear no longer supports Microsoft SQL Server 2012.