Many new releases in recent weeks, starting with 3.3.25, then 4.0.1, and finally here we are with Forma 4.1, the first minor release of the 4 series that introduces important new features and marks a significant step towards Forma 5.
The main updates concern learning paths, user profiles, a new SCORM player, and numerous removal and refactoring efforts aimed at preparing the ground for the upcoming major release 5.
Improvements to Learning Paths
Learning paths are an important feature that we plan to expand significantly in the future. In this release, the creation and visualization of paths have been improved, with the ability to insert a logo and display the list of courses contained directly. Registration features have also been enhanced, allowing the choice and modification of roles for users enrolled in the path. The behavior when removing users from a path has been improved, ensuring that they retain enrollment in the courses they were registered for prior to joining the path.
Refactoring of the User Profile
The user profile has been refactored and redesigned with a new tabbed layout for a more modern and organized view. Additionally, users can now finally manage their consent to the privacy policies accepted during registration in accordance with GDPR regulations.
New SCORM Player (Beta)
An important new feature is the introduction, still in beta, of a new SCORM player that will replace the current one based on outdated technologies and logic in future releases. The new player implements data tracking in JSON format instead of XML.
JSON is the natural format for interacting with modern web APIs, especially for AJAX applications and RESTful services, and is natively supported in many programming languages, particularly JavaScript, but also in Python, Ruby, PHP, and others. Additionally, its more compact and lightweight structure will offer improvements in performance and efficiency.
You can enable the new SCORM player by adding a simple variable to your platform's config file:
The new SCORM player will completely replace the current one starting with Forma 5. You can participate in the testing by trying it out in your test environments and sharing your results on the forum.
Removals and Refactorings
As mentioned in previous months through webinars and articles (https://formalms.org/blog/features-plugins/354-the-road-to-forma-5-a-major-functional-overhaul.html), the path toward the future Forma 5 includes several removals and refactorings of obsolete features. In Forma 4.1, the following functionalities have been removed:
Labels
Competitions
Obsolete LOs: FAQ, Glossary, Bibliography (existing objects will continue to function, but new ones cannot be created. They will be permanently removed in future versions.)
Obsolete course modules: Calendar, Projects, Wiki, Notebook
News
SMS
LDAP
Additionally, the two modules for managing course and public forums have been unified: there are no functional improvements, but they now use the same code for better maintainability in the future.
Forma 4.0 is Public!
Finally, great news for the entire community: with the release of Forma 4.1, version 4.0.x is finally public and is freely available for download on both Sourceforge and the GitHub repository. Version 3.x is now deprecated and will no longer receive official support.
