AEM Sites

HTML Template Language (HTL) version 1.3

• Support setting the basename for the resource bundle backing the HTL i18n Extension
• Properly handle actual Resources in HTL data-sly-resource
• Add option to include attributes in request scope for HTL data-sly-resource and data-sly-include
• Allow a resource to be used as a HTL Use-Object with data-sly-use
• Implement support for date and number formatting for HTL
• Available on GitHub https://github.com/Adobe-Marketing-Cloud/htl-spec/releases/tag/1.3
• Please see the HTL documentation for more details on these features

Sling Models version 1.3.2. Notable changes:

• Sling Model Exporter allows custom JSON output without writing servlet code
• Associate of resourceType to a model via annotation
• Please see the Adobe Sling Models documentation for more details on these features

Foundation & Core Components

• Starting AEM 6.3 Adobe is changing the way it provides components for projects. Instead of shipping components in Quickstart - the components are distributed via GitHub.
• The Foundation Components remain as is in the Quickstart to maintain backwards compatibility
• Core Components are build based on new guidelines to make them extensible while not losing the ability to update (HTL, Sling Models, Versioning and Proxy concept)
• Initial set of Core Components provided:
  • Page
  • Breadcrumb
  • Title
  • Text
  • Image
  • List
  • Sharing
  • Form container
  • Form text field
  • Form options field
  • Form hidden field
  • Form button
• The new Core Components can be found on Github: https://github.com/Adobe-Marketing-Cloud/aem-core-wcm-components
• Please see the Core Components documentation for more details on these features:
  • Core Components authoring documentation
  • Core Components developer documentation

Improved Template Editor and Component Console

• Load the component configuration dialog within the Template Editor (e.g. for Layout Container, Text or Image component)
• Ability to configure the 'auto component creation config/Asset to component mapping', something that was manual JCR properties before. This controls what component is created, when a content is directly drag&drop into the parsys/Layout Container, without dropping a component 1st.
• Improved the Policy UI, e.g. showing what templates are using the currently selected Policy
• Add option to generate thumbnail for template
• The 'Content Tree' tab in the Content Finder that shows the nesting of components in the template (was also added to Page Editor)
• In the /conf management UI (/libs/granite/configurations/content/view.html/conf) allow to create new area for templates, this is needed to be able to use the Template Editor for a new site
• Provide a jump menu entry to Template Editor from Page Editor (only for pages that also leverage templates editable). Other see the Design Mode like it used to be.
• Layout configuration now stored under structure for the structure editable resource to enhance the control over the of the templated page
• Improved the Component Console to allow editing name, description and icon for components that are not in /libs
• Please see the editable template development documentation, the template editor documentation, and the component console documentation for more details on these features.

Samples & Reference

• All Geometrixx sites have been removed and replaced with We.Retail
• A snapshot of We.Retail site is part of the Quickstart. Latest version can be found on https://github.com/Adobe-Marketing-Cloud/aem-sample-we-retail
• Please see the We.Retail documentation for more details on these features

Productivity

• A tree view of all the components was added to a page as Content Finder tab. 
  • It allows quick navigation in long pages to find the right component and see the nesting. 
  • Please see the authoring documentation for more details on this feature.
• For responsive layout container, a resize action was added to the component toolbar.
  • This allows quick resizing without having to switch to the Layout Mode. 
  • Please see the authoring documentation for more details on this feature.
• Ability to jump to asset detail from Content Finder and from the Asset Drop zone in a component dialog 
  • Please see the authoring documentation for more details on this feature. 
• Looking up path and tags in Content Finder allows using search (previously only browsing was possible) 
  • Please see the authoring documentation for more details on this feature. 

• Improved responsive layout container with ability to have an offset at the left side (to have an empty space)
• Improved support for Single Page Applications (SPA) authoring using AngularJS 1.x. Components no longer have to check the WCMMODE, and the option to load the page properties of the inner page currently shown.

• Improved Component List, support for icons and ability to display the description if present to explain more details about the component
  • Please see the authoring documentation for more details on this feature.
• If a page is in an active workflow, a info bar is shown above the page, that allows to execute workflow actions.
  • Please see the authoring documentation for more details on this feature.
• Bring back support for device groups and the selector based rendering (Mobile Web Editing)
  • Please see the developer documentation for more details on this feature.
• Ability to choose a date in the past, to see how the page looked like (TimeWarp)
  • Please see the authoring documentation for more details on this feature.

Improvements

• Page Editor loads quicker compared to AEM 6.1 and 6.2

• New Feature: Add images in paragraph sequence. The images are added into the 'virtual paragraph breaks' once the CF is used in the Content Fragment component in Page Editor.
• New Feature: Preview and sync relevant changes from master to variation. 
• New Feature: Goal-based shortening of text. Sentence-based using extractive summarization algorithm. It leverages Natural Language Processing (NLP). Following languages are supported with 6.3: English, German*, Spanish*, French* and Italian*. Languages with * need extra package to be installed from PackageShare.
• New Feature: Import text file and download content fragment to disk via Export function
• Include page content from content fragments in AEM Site Search results
• Flush dispatcher cache when a referenced content fragment is updated
• Rename/delete fragment variations 
• Unique Content Fragment tiles in Assets Admin
• When added an Asset collection to a CF, it is possible to choose if the CF itself should be added into the collection

AEM 6.3 introduces Experience Fragments, a new way to manage reusable experience pieces. Adding to that is a variation concept similar to Content Fragments, that allows managing flavors of the same experience to be managed at the same place - and allow content inheritance between them. 

Experience Fragments are technically a 'page' (as in cq:Page).

Authoring

• New Experience Fragments console to create and organize
• Editor to author fragments
• Translation framework support
• Launches support
• Channel specific templates via Template Editor
• OOTB templates for empty HTML, Pinterest and Facebook
• Independent variations
• Live-copy variations to share content & components

• Content Finder allows searching for Experience Fragments
• Convert existing layout container in Page Editor into XF variation
• Jump to Experience Fragment Editor from within Page Editor

Delivery

• Publish / Unpublish from Facebook & Pinterest
• Use Social Sharing component to control what will be send to Facebook & Pinterest when visitor is using the share action
• HTML rendition via HTTP URL

Please see the experience fragment authoring documentation for more details on these features.

New Features

• Page Comparison & Diff View 
  • All new "Show Differences" implementation between page versions, launch vs source page, live copy vs blueprint, and language copy iterations. 
  • Prior versions of AEM relied on component based diff implementation, the new implementation looks at the whole page when generating the diff view.
  • See the authoring page diff documentation and the developer page diff documentation for more details on these features.
• Ability to select multiple pages to start a workflow
  • Ability to add children pages
  • See the authoring workflow documentation for more details on these features.
• Ability to select multiple pages to publish
  • Ability to add children pages (Tree activation)
  • See the authoring publish documentation for more details on these features. 

Feature Parity

• The column view now also shows the name (url) of the pages. 
  • This simplifies navigation the tree of pages translated in a language the author doesn't understand.
  • See the authoring documentation for more details on this feature.

• Ability to compare source and launch version of a page in a side-by-side view
• Improved handling during promotion when new pages are added in launch

• New Feature: Create Language Copy wizard, guided experience for creating & instrumenting multilingual content structure
• New Feature: UI for configuring translation rules (/libs/cq/translation/translationrules/contexts.html)
• Translate referenced Content Fragment assets
• Group referenced assets for translation
• Configurable search facets for translation job definition

• ContextHub UI is now based on Coral UI 3 framework (was built with Coral 2 in AEM 6.1 and 6.2)
• Fixed an issue where ContextHub subrequests would fill up Dispacher cache unnecessarily
• Segment Editor: Ability to edit segment properties

• Added support for Adobe Target at.js (the replacement for mbox.js). 
• See the Manually configuring the integration with Adobe Target documentation for more details on this feature.

• Support for Activity Map in Page Editor

• Add support for string enumeration datatype - for example for context.delivery.abTesting.decisionMode

• Feature Parity: UI to create and manage blueprint configurations 
• Feature Parity: Live Copy Overview
  • View Live Copies belonging to a blueprint root, and statuses
  • Perform live copy and blueprint actions

• Commerce Integration Framework adds support for commercetools (https://commercetools.com/)
• Commerce Integration Framework adds support for Magento (https://magento.com/)
• Commerce Integration Framework adds support for Symphony (https://www.symphonycommerce.com/)
• Commerce Integration Framework updates support for SAP hybris 6.x

Best way to explore AEM Screens - read the step-by-step tutorial to get started.

Device Control Center

• Channel linking supports priority to have channels overruling existing schedules
• Offline Packages: support for shared offline packages between channels
• Device Dashboard features:
  • See status (Uptime, Last Ping, Storage) and change player configuration
  • Request screenshot
  • Request log file from player
  • Clear the player offline cache
  • Trigger firmware update
  • Restart player for remote
  • Configure PING update mode - automatic (default - changes are applied instantly) or manual (needs 'push config' action to be applied on player)
• HTTP API on server to interact with screens (e.g. for mobile apps)

AEM Screens Player

Adobe releases the player on a regular cadence. Below the highlights shipped since AEM 6.2.

• Android
  • Support for Android 5+
  • Leverage GPU for accelerated rendering
  • Option to use OS-level video player 
  • Remote Inspection: ability to debug player runtime from remote
  • For VIA Alta DS players: Auto-Reboot on issue/scheduled with integration to VIA Smart ET
• macOS
  • Leverages GPU for accelerated rendering
  • Support for MultiTaction hardware https://www.multitaction.com/ 
• iOS
  • Support for iOS 10.x
  • Distribution via App Store
• All
  • Admin UI show free Storage
  • Admin UI allows disable/enable Admin UI & Channel Switcher
  • Clean offline cache
  • Reset to Factory Settings