Ravenblack Blog

Content Intelligence changes: Content Suite versions 22.1 to 23.1

This is the first time we’ve added a blog reviewing Content Intelligence changes in the quarterly Content Suite updates. As there isn’t value in re-stating the release notes, this is a commentary based on our observations and discoveries related to undocumented changes, or any issues we’ve found. Given that this is inherently selective, we decided to base this blog on a year’s worth of updates from 22.1 to 23.1, with a few references to changes prior to 22.1. This is obviously not all encompassing, so if you find anything we’ve missed, please leave us a comment on LinkedIn or get in touch.

Application Analyzer 1.3.2 a small but mighty release

The crown jewel of the Ravenblack Productivity Suite—the Application Analyzer—recently underwent a few improvements that make it an even more robust and powerful tool. While version 1.3.2 is a minor release, it still comes chock full of new features.

The tribble effect: getting control of your WebReports

A common concern I hear from Content Server customers is that they don’t know what WebReports functionality is running on their system. Conversely, in some cases, customers have no idea that they have multiple active WebReports enhancing their system, which makes it very hard to support any customer requests or problems!

Should I use CSApps or Transport for my WebReports?

Did you know that Content Server Applications Management (CSApps) and Content Server Transport don’t actually do the same thing? Or maybe you didn’t know CSApps is a thing, period? Either way, you’re in good company. It’s a commonly held assumption among Content Server users that these two products compete with each other, but the truth is that they’re not mutually exclusive. As one of the original developers of the CSApps product, and as someone who was party to the origin story for Transport, I’ll explain what they’re both for, and how they complement each other.

Why the WebReports language is still relevant

At a glance, some might think the WebReports syntax (and the overall framework) is unusual (or just plain weird) compared to most modern day programming languages. There is also a common misconception that the WebReports language (being proprietary) is difficult to learn. The many features of the WebReports object, and the huge library of functions (tags) can be daunting, but the actual syntax is quite straightforward, and the template-based framework is is an approach now universally used in most equivalent development languages.

How to create custom sub-tags for WebReports and ActiveView

This article provides an overview into the mechanics of WebReports “sub-tags.” I discuss how to deliver new sub-tags, or extensions to existing sub-tags. I also discuss the pros and cons of using this feature along with some useful tips and tricks you can use if you choose to take advantage of it. If you don’t know what a sub-tag is, why are they so important, or just how you can use them, take a look here, we explained the basics of sub-tags for WebReports.

Introducing Sub-Tags for WebReports

One of the most important facets of WebReports - and by extension the ActiveView module - is the extensive library of sub-tags available. But what is a sub-tag, and why are they an integral part of WebReports? In this blog post I explain the basics of WebReports sub-tags. If you'd like to learn more about our Sub-Tag Loader and Sub-Tag Suite product offering, you can check out the Productivity Suite product page.

How RavenBlack improves your ROI from WebReports products

Whether you know it or not, a significant number of OpenText customers have WebReports installed within their Content Suite environment. It is often bundled with Content Suite, and more recently, all Extended ECM products include WebReports as part of their software license.

What the Ravenblack Application Analyzer has in common with the pacemaker

Some of the world’s most important inventions and discoveries happened completely by accident. A few famous examples include penicillin, the microwave, and, the pacemaker. Inventor Wilson Greatbatch was actually attempting to build a heart rhythm recording device, but ended up creating the pacemaker instead when he accidentally installed the wrong part. The result ended up being a far more valuable product that’s now been saving lives for more than 60 years.

New training courses available

I'm excited to announce that we’ve just completed piloting brand-new versions of two WebReports training courses. What is brand new? We’ve taken the traditional two-day training program - similar to the ones that were originally developed by RKT and later modified by OpenText) and made some sensible modifications along with some format changes to make remote instruction more effective. Some of our objectives for the content changes were:

OpenText World 2021: watch now our Turbo Talk on-demand! Reinventing Content Suite Customization

Well, it’s tough to replicate a live OpenText World but this was as good as it gets. It seems the keynotes get better every year and there was a ton of great content and information. We were happy to contribute! Great job everyone!

RavenBlack is presenting at OpenText Digital World: Reinventing Content Suite Customization

One of the most common requirements for Content Suite customers is the ability to customize or configure their system to their unique business needs. “Out of the box”, OpenText Content Suite provides an infrastructure of powerful, business-critical features that are vital to companies all over the world.