UNA 14.0 (Sirius) Final Released

What a journey! Took us well over a year this time. UNA 14 Final is released and now replaces 13.1 as a recommended stable. We call it Sirius - the brightest star.

The early days of v14 were very much about compatibility with the new React/ReactNative SDK we developed, focusing on APIs, authentication compatibility, DB performance improvements and all the goodies a CMS needs to perform well as a "headless" application server. Then, AI hype hit and we add Agents, Assistant and created a reference for feeding AI all about UNA alerts and actions. We enabled support for InnoDB, integrated Grapesjs editor, added HTMX routing in tabs, cleaned up the default template and made hundreds of smaller improvements. This is still a very "fresh" release, mind you - it will need a a few iterations to make Agents effective and more tuning for the Assistant.

Most importantly, UNA 14 Sirius opens the opportunity to release the React / RN frontend apps. We have them in production on a couple of projects now, and have 3 more scheduled for go-live in the next few weeks. Most of the core modules have been adapted, but we are actively updating them in preparation for public preview. Watch the 14.1 progress - NEO app will be released along with UNA 14.1.

Major New Features

Subgroups

One of the most anticipated features in UNA 14.0.0 is the introduction of Subgroups, allowing for more complex organizational structures within your community. This feature enables you to create hierarchical group relationships, making it easier to manage large communities with diverse interests.

Timeline Enhancements

The Timeline module has received substantial improvements:

• New Timeline Filters panel for better content discovery
• Enhanced privacy controls for Timeline content
• Improved handling of media content in Timeline
• Better management of past events in Timeline
• Fixed issues with followed groups in Timeline blocks

Agents App

The new Agents App introduces AI-powered assistants, automators and helpers to your UNA platform:

• Support for working with images
• Separate comment forms for Agent interactions
• Loading indicators in Assistant chat
• Enhanced user experience with AI-powered features

Context Improvements

The Context system has been significantly enhanced:

• Ability for authors/admins to enable/disable tags
• Generate thumbnail images from cover images
• Create contexts using the Create Post (Public) form
• Improved media handling and privacy controls

Enhanced Security

Security has been a major focus in this release:

• New option for 'X-Frame-Options'
• Multiple security enhancements throughout the system
• Improved error handling and logging
• Better protection against potential vulnerabilities

System Enhancements

Performance Optimizations

• Optimized sys_accounts table for speed performance
• Sessions deletion optimization
• Improved MySQL balancer for better database performance
• Enhanced service calls cache method
• Optimized database operations with multiple DB nodes

Developer Tools

• Improved Studio interface with better page block management
• Enhanced error logging and handling
• Better support for price field types in Builders
• Fixed PHP deprecated warnings
• Improved DB error handling
• Packages manager for all JS dependences - supports rapid update of dependencies and GitHub can scan package.json for known vulnerabilities in libraries

Storage Improvements

• Better handling of S3 URLs for embedded images
• Simplified error responses for file operations
• Enhanced PDF preview support with authorized S3 URLs

Module Enhancements

Ads Module

• Paid promotions
• Integration with Shopify
• Show promotions in Timeline
• Allow targeted ads based on age and country segmentation

Events Module

• Check in at event
• Calendar enhancements
• Past events are now hidden in Timeline 1 day after they happened
• Join questionnaire
• Main hashtag
• Browsing filter

Notifications

• Added captions to notifications
• Ability to change notification dates
• Improved push notifications system

Market Module

• Updated Name field
• Fixed empty button in invoices/commissions management
• Improved embed functionality

Search Functionality

• Fixed margin spacing issues in search results
• Enhanced extended search capabilities
• Improved label field handling in search forms

Payments System

• Fixed issues with invoices and commissions management
• Enhanced seller verification during shipping in Ads module

Bug Fixes

UI/UX Fixes

• Fixed wrong background in Password field
• Resolved modal issues in Studio
• Fixed slider functionality
• Corrected hashtag parsing and double linking issues
• Improved reactions popup based on mouse support

System Fixes

• Fixed issues with @mentions links
• Resolved problems with history.js
• Fixed infinite redirect for devicePixelRatio > 1 when cookies aren't allowed
• Corrected permissions search by title and description
• Fixed issues with DB 'listTables' method

Module-specific Fixes

• Fixed Analytics module JavaScript errors
• Resolved issues with Photo/Video attachments in Timeline captions
• Fixed Studio Pages creation functionality
• Corrected Organizations manage menu visibility
• Fixed issues with anonymous posting in Discussions

Updated Documentation

• There has been significant updates to the documentation for ‍‍UNA API, especially for Alerts / Hooks
• Updates have also been made to the UNA Wiki, to extend coverage to UNA 14, this is an ongoing work in progress.

Release Timeline

The development of UNA 14.0.0 progressed through multiple milestones:

• Alpha Releases (A1-A3): Initial implementation of core features and system architecture changes
• Beta Releases (B1-B2): Feature refinement and early bug fixing
• Release Candidates (RC1-RC5): Extensive testing and bug fixing to ensure stability
• Final Release: Polishing and final adjustments

Upgrading to UNA 14.0.0

Upgrading to UNA 14.0.0 is straightforward directly from your Studio, make sure you read the full upgrade documentation to ensure a smooth transition.

Improvements changelog

Full list of the improvements in 14.0.0