Release Notes Purple DS 3.4

Everything in favour of user experience. 

This new release focuses on an optimized user interface and thus a greater user experience. With lots of new action URLs, you can direct your users to the pages with the highest value for your business and at the same time improve the navigation within your app and web view.

New features available for our Purple DS® Manager. To activate these new features, please ensure you use the most recent App Build Template “Standard 3.4” in the Purple DS® Manager.

Further information can be found here.

Purple DS® Manager

• New action URLs support improved user navigation; e.g. direct your user to most relevant publications in newsfeed or newsstand: This feature enables you, for example, to position links to your specific newsfeed or newsstand publication in your app menu:
• Newsfeed publication - Newsfeed will be opened directly in the specifically selected newsfeed
• Newsstand/library publication (e.g. if you manage several publications in one app) - Newsstand/library will be opened and will show only the respective publications
• This feature opens a publication – if available – and if the required newsfeed or newsstand/library exists
• Required Action-URL: Purple://kiosk/publication/<PUBLICATION_ID>/open
• Start point of your app can be defined! This feature provides the possibility to direct your user when starting the app either directly in your newsstand, newsfeed or an individual HTML-file. 
• An HTML-file could be advertisement or important information that are displayed to your users. 
• Path: Basic Setting/App start point/01. App-Start (choose from dropdown menu)
• With a HOME Action URL, the user can be redirected to the predefined app start point (see information regarding Home Action URLs)
• HOME Action-URL – simply “back to the beginning“: with this action URL you can easily re-direct your user back to the predefined app start point.
• This action URL can be linked to an icon or text.
• Respective Action URL: purple://app/home/open
• Context-based search for better user experience:
• The so far existing search option (=search in all content) has been enhanced with a context-based search option. This allows users when searching within an issue, they only get search results from within this particular issue. Using the search function with the newsstand/library or newsfeed, results will include all relevant content of the app, i.e. all search results from all newsstand issues and newsfeed articles.
• This search is also online-based.
• Path: Newsstand-Design/General/Basic settings/Search: 06. Context-based search (activate)

Web Newsstand

• Customized content available for web newsstand. It is now possible, to upload individual content for app and web. Hence, you have the option to completely customize your content and publish – if desired – specific content for app, web, tablet, phone, Android and iOS.
• The use of different versions for one issue  (versions of issues) is only available when using the manual synchronisation. Within this workflow you can activate one PKAR for various platforms, e.g. “web“ or create various PKAR files for one issue with varying layouts depending on the platform. Hence, you can realize differing control elements, e.g. swipe events for app vs. click events for web, to enhance user experience. 
• REMARK: Your current content available in the web newsstand has been migrated from our side. These will be still available. No need for action.
•  
• Optimized security standards – https-supported display: Besides http://, we now also support https:// for display of HTML-pages in our web newsstand.

iOS-specific optimizations: 

• Additional subscription information is required: In order to publish an app in an iTunes store, Apple requires additional information for the users. More info here.
• This information has to be displayed on the same page as the subscription information.
• SPRYLAB provides a demo HTML version of the text, that can be adapted to your needs and be uploaded in the dynamic content
• PLEASE NOTE, that the provided text is only an orientation and does not represent a complete and fully legally binding content. Please check the content regarding your app with your respective legal advisor.
• In addition, you need to link your terms of use and privacy terms.
• Apple requires that the user is able to see the status bar; within full screen content this can be hidden:
• Status bar is per default visible within newsstand and newsfeed.
• It will be turned off within full screen content in an issue (from the newsstand), if the title bar/action bar is also turned off.
• The respective text colour of the status bar can be chosen in Purple DS Manager. You have a choice between dark (=black) and light (=white) colours.
• Path: App-Design/iOS/Basic settings/Status Bar: 01. Status Bar Style (choose from dropdown menu: light or dark colours)

Android-specific optimizations: 

• Push notifications: Firebase Cloud Messaging has been updated to the newest version; this service replaces Google Cloud Messaging.