The beta 1 release of RT 5.0.0 is now available and that brings us one step closer to the final release. We've added a long list of new features since the alpha release and we'll continue to highlight all of these new items as we move through the release process. It was hard to pick out just few, but here’s a short list of things to preview when you’re testing the beta:
Dark theme
Elevator-dark in RT 5
Our new theme is called Elevator and with the popularity of dark modes now, we knew RT needed one too. So RT 5 has elevator-light and elevator-dark so you can pick the mode that best matches your current desktop settings, or maybe your mood. The dark theme was actually available in the alpha but we've made some updates to add contrast and make some elements easier to see. We look forward to feedback and suggestions from the dark theme lovers out there.
Graphical Lifecycle Editor
RT has had configurable statuses since version 3 and fully configurable lifecycles starting in version 4. As with other configuration options, updates were made in a configuration file, which limited access for some users who couldn’t log into the RT server. RT 5 now has a visual lifecycle configuration tool that you can use right in your browser.
Lifecycle editor
Over the years we have seen so many RT users working with just the default lifecycle. We hope this makes it much easier for users to customize RT to align with their workflows.
Dashboard and RT at a glance Editor
The interface to select the components for dashboards and RT at a glance has be updated with a new drag and drop interface, allowing you to select components from the list on the left and drag them where you want them.
Dashboard editor
Even more useful, however, is the redesign of the selection list. If your RT has a long list of saved searches and charts like ours, you know it could be difficult to find a search when building a new dashboard. The new interface is divided into sections based on the type of item and there is now a search box at the top. Just start typing to narrow down the list and find the component you are looking for.
Query Builder for Assets
If you manage assets in RT, you'll be happy to see there is now a full Query Builder for assets supporting AssetSQL, just like tickets. This was previously available as an extension and it's now part of core RT.
Asset Query Builder
REST 2 API and Tokens
All of our users who integrate RT with other systems will be happy to see the REST 2.0 API is now part of core in RT 5.0. We have also moved RT::Authen::Token into core. With these two tools, it's never been easier to integrate RT with other systems. We received some great community contributions to REST 2 over the last year which allowed us to add even more access and endpoints.
We need your help
We’re very thankful for the feedback we got on the alpha release from the early testers. We’re hoping even more people will give the beta a try.
As an open source company, we develop in the open, so if you're interested in experimenting along with us, the future release is on the RT 5.0.0 beta 1 tag, accessible on GitHub. If you have feedback, feature requests, or bug reports, you’ll see the new RT 5 version as an option in our public RT system. You can sign in with a Google account or post as a guest. Note that we can’t notify you of updates on guest posts.
One important note we added to the documentation: if you are testing an upgrade on your current system, don’t install RT 5 as an upgrade over RT 4. You’ll have better results if you install the RT 5 files fresh (in /opt/rt5 by default), then restore your database from backup and run the upgrade steps.
If you want to take a look without installing the beta, we have a demo site available with a guest account. We hope you enjoy the beta and we look forward to your feedback!