Collaborator Release Notifications

[JCollier]

Welcome to Collaborator v10.1!

Collaborator 10.1 is the latest release from SmartBear Software’s dev collaboration team.  This new version introduces a lot of fantastic new features!   

Bitbucket Support

This release introduces support for Atlassian’s Bitbucket hosted/SaaS offering.  Users can now create Collaborator code reviews when a pull request is initiated in Bitbucket.  The integration is driven through a webhooks and easily allows Collaborator to be the peer review tool for teams using Bitbucket as their repository management solution.  Just like the GitHub integration, pull requests can be automatically merged when the review completes, and feature branches deleted if you choose.

Bitbucket Integration Details

GitHub

We continue to improve our GitHub integration for teams that need more than a basic conversation model for reviews.  In Collaborator 10.1, pull requests can automatically be merged when a review completes.  In addition to this capability, features branches can also be deleted automatically.  Finally, checkins can be gated to ensure that reviews are actually taking place.

GitHub Integration Details

Group Administration

In this release a new level of administration has been added to Collaborator.  The Group Administration capabilities provide the following:

• Group Admins can now be granted granular access to modify individual sections of the admin area.
• Templates can be assigned to groups, which ensures that only certain templates can be selected by users for used within a review. Additionally, a default template can be configured for any given group

Group Administration Details

Savings Report

Our savings report allows you to determine how much money is being saved from performing reviews.  It calculates costs based on time savings as well as defect related savings.  To access this report navigate to Admin > Savings Report.

Savings Report Details

RTC Improvements

1. Ability to select which history version is used as the before diff. This is an improvement over the previous N-1 version that was selected by default.
2. Backported 10.x features to 9303 version of Collaborator. This allows support of for RTC Eclipse client versions 4, 5, and 6.

RTC Integration Details

Admin UI Improvements

The Admin section of the UI has been modified to group related items together in a more intuitive manner.  As an example, all items related to templates are listed as child items in the navigation menu.

Performance Improvements

We have modified how are conversation model is handled within the database.  This has allowed for improved review load times.  In our testing, we have seen as much as 98% improvements when loading conversations within the review.

To learn more about Collaborator 10.1, please check out the links below.

Press Release

Collaborator 10.1 Release Webinar

Download the latest release of Collaborator.

You can view the full list of fixes and improvements here.

If you have any questions about licensing, please contact sales. If you have any technical support questions, please contact SmartBear Support.

Best Wishes,
Justin Collier & The SmartBear Team

[JCollier]

Welcome to Collaborator v11.0!

Collaborator 11.0 is the latest release from SmartBear Software’s dev collaboration team.  This new version introduces a lot of fantastic new features!   

GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket Integrations

In this release we are introducing support for GitLab and have enhanced our support for GitHub, and Bitbucket.  Our integration allows users to easily create Collaborator reviews whenever a pull request is initiated.  In addition to creating the review, Collaborator can merge the pull request or close its branch once the Collaborator review is completed.  Finally, we’ve made it easier to add repositories by basing their management off of webhooks.

Repository Management

Custom Syntax Highlighting Schemes

Collaborator has always supported syntax highlighting for a number of languages.  However, this latest release adds the ability to create custom syntax highlighting schemes.  This change now allows Collaborator to support syntax highlighting for any language.

Syntax Highlighting

Document Review Improvements

In Collaborator 11.0, users can now Pan, Zoom and Scroll using their mouse.  The addition of these features makes reviewing both documents and images easier and more intuitive. 

Document Review

Hide Files Under Review

Often times changelists include files that don’t necessarily need to be reviewed.  Though they don’t need to be reviewed, they are still part of an atomic changlist and cannot be deleted from the review.  Hide Files allows users to selectively determine which files are displayed on the Review Summary screen.

Hide Files

Collaborator 10.2

Collaborator 10.2 was released during the holiday season and you may have missed it.  Here’s what you missed:

• Custom Logos – You can now add a company logo to the Login screen and the Home screen.
• iCal Invites – If you would like to schedule a meeting as part of your peer review process, there is now an iCal Everyone option located in the participant section of every review.

To learn more about Collaborator 11.0, please check out the links below.

Download the latest release of Collaborator.

You can view the full list of fixes and improvements here.

If you have any questions about licensing, please contact sales. If you have any technical support questions, please contact SmartBear Support.

Best Wishes,
Justin Collier & The SmartBear Team

[JCollier]

Welcome to Collaborator v11.1!

Collaborator 11.1 is the latest release from SmartBear Software’s dev collaboration team.  This new version introduces enhanced support for JIRA Issue linking.  In addition to JIRA linking, we have added the ability to copy reviews and archive the content cache.

Remote System Links

In this release we have introduced a new section to the Review Summary screen labeled Remote System Links.  Remote System Links allow you to have quick and easy reference to JIRA as well as GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket. 

Configuring JIRA Integration

Remote System Links

Copy Previous Review

Many Collaborator users create multiple reviews at the start of a project.  This ensures that all artifacts are reviewed by the appropriate people at the right time.  To make this process easier, we have added a Copy button to the Review Summary screen.  You can title the review as well as copy participants, custom fields, and review materials.

Copy Previous Review

Archive the Content Cache

This feature has been added for the Collaborator administrators.  As you know, the Collaborator content cache is growing as reviews are taking place.  To help free up space on your storage device, you can now archive the files from older reviews.  The reviews stay in Collaborator’s database and all of the review details are still stored.  Only the files will be removed.  Users will see a message letting them know that the files have been archived by an administrator.

Content Cache

Review Subscriptions

Collaborator 11.1 now supports Review Subscriptions for Templates as well as Review Pool Subscriptions.  This capability makes it easier to ensure that the correct people are participating in reviews.  To learn more about these subscription types, follow the links.

Template Subscriptions

Group Subscriptions

Other Improvements

Additional features and improvements include:

• Support for VS 2017
• TFS Changeset selection
• Custom Field Due By phases

To learn more about Collaborator 11.1, please check out the links below.

Download the latest release of Collaborator.

You can view the full list of fixes and improvements here.

If you have any questions about licensing, please contact sales. If you have any technical support questions, please contact SmartBear Support.

Best Wishes,
Justin Collier & The SmartBear Team

[JCollier]

Welcome to Collaborator v11.2!

Collaborator 11.2 is the latest release from SmartBear Software’s dev collaboration team.  This new version introduces an improved Visual Studio and Team Foundation Server support as well and SSO support vis SAML.

Visual Studio & TFS

Collaborator 11.2 improves upon our existing Visual Studio and TFS integration by making it easier to use and secure.   With Collaborator’s Visual Studio plug-in, it is easy to create reviews with changesets and shelvesets as well as link TFS Work Items to Collaborator.  Additionally, we’ve added Single Sign On support for VS online and the Collaborator VS plug-in.

The Collaborator VS plug-in also supports participating in reviews directly from Visual Studio.  Users can open reviews, add comments and file defects without leaving Visual Studio.  Finally, review creation with other SCMs including Git, Subversion and Mercurial is supported.

Visual Studio plug-in

TFS Work Item Links

SAML Support

Collaborator now supports Single Sign On via SAML.  With SAML, users no longer need to remember a separate user name and password for their access to their domain and to Collaborator.  Administrators can easily configure Collaborator to work with SSO by providing provider and certificate information in the Administration section of the Collaborator WebUI.

Configuring SAML

To learn more about Collaborator 11.2, please check out the links below.

Download the latest release of Collaborator.

You can view the full list of fixes and improvements here.

A 10.2.10203 patch has also been made available on the Installers page.  The patch is to address UI issues with the latest release of Google Chrome.

If you have any questions about licensing, please contact sales. If you have any technical support questions, please contact SmartBear Support.

Best Wishes,
Justin Collier & The SmartBear Team

[JCollier]

Welcome to Collaborator v11.3!

Collaborator 11.3 is the latest release from SmartBear Software’s dev collaboration team. This new version introduces an improved UI including themes such as ‘light mode’ and ‘dark mode’, as well as support for Microsoft PowerPoint and Visio. Additionally, we’ve extended the JIRA integration to make it easier to transition Collaborator defects to JIRA. Read below for a full list of improvements.

UI Improvements

The Collaborator UI has been modified to make navigation through the UI easier. Themes have also been added to improve the experience for users, including a ‘Dark Mode’. Themes can be configured at the admin level - to set defaults and at the individual level - for personal preference.

Web UI Changes

Improved Diff Viewer Display Mode

Collaborator’s Before and After diff viewer selection has been improved with the addition of a ‘Simple’ mode that can be toggled on and off from the Diff Viewer. The Simple mode makes the diff selection process more intuitive by providing commit messages and creation time information. Users can also configure which items to display via their personal user settings.

Diff Viewer

Enhanced Participant Custom Fields

Participant custom fields can now be edited by Authors, Moderators, and individual participants. This makes setting the field values an option for other review participants instead of just the assigned participant. As an example, many customers like to use a participant custom field to flag the Review Lead. This field can now be assigned by the Author or Moderator at the start of the review.

Custom Fields

Visual Studio plugin – RTC

With Collaborator 11.3, RTC version control users can now create Collaborator reviews based on RTC changesets and work items through a new Visual Studio add-in.

Visual Studio add-in

JIRA Issue Creation

When users want to transition a Collaborator defect to a JIRA ticket, they can now do so from the Diff Viewer. Clicking Track External will popup a new window with the required JIRA fields for a specific project. Once filled in, a new JIRA ticket will be created and the Collaborator defect will be marked as External with a link to the JIRA ticket.

JIRA Issue Tracking

LDAP/AD User and Group Sync

Collaborator administrators can now configure User and Group sync for LDAP/AD. This makes adding users to Collaborator, with all of their personal information, quick and easy. In addition to adding users, they can now be assigned to Collaborator groups based off of the groups that are defined in LDAP/AD.

Sync Capabilities

Microsoft PowerPoint and Visio

Collaborator 11.3 introduces the ability to review both Microsoft PowerPoint and Visio files without having to first convert/save the file to Adobe PDF. Now users can simply upload a PowerPoint or Visio file directly to Collaborator and that file will be displayed in the Diff Viewer for review.

PowerPoint Support

Visio Support

To learn more about Collaborator 11.3, please check out the links below.

Download the latest release of Collaborator.

You can view the full list of fixes and improvements here.

If you have any questions about licensing, please contact sales. If you have any technical support questions, please contact SmartBear Support.

Best Wishes,
Justin Collier & The SmartBear Team

[JCollier]

Welcome to Collaborator v11.4!

Collaborator 11.4 is the latest release from SmartBear Software’s dev collaboration team. This new version adds Checklist custom fields, Git improvements for submodules as well as rebased or squashed commits. Additionally, Collaborator now integrates with Bitbucket Server via Atlassian’s recently released webhooks capability.

Checklist Custom Fields

Collaborator now provides configurable custom fields for review Checklists. This new capability extends checklists to ensure that additional information can be captured as part of the review process.

Review Checklists

Bitbucket Server

Collaborator has supported Bitbucket server for quite a while via a plug-in. However, Atlassian recently added similar webhooks to their on-prem offering that they have had in their hosted version. Users can now integrate Collaborator and Bitbucket without needing to install a plug-in.

Bitbucket Server

Git Submodules for Repository Management Solutions

Customers that utilize solutions such as GitHub, Bitbucket and GitLab can now see the changes in submodules of tracked repositories within Collaborator. 

Submodules

Rebased or Squashed Commits

If your Git workflow involves rebasing or squashing commits, Collaborator will now display information related to those commits within the Review Summary screen.

Group Importing from LDAP/AD Servers with SSO

Collaborator now allows admins to import user groups from LDAP/AD servers when using SSO for authentication. The user groups can automatically be added to Collaborator based on the new user that is logging into Collaborator.

LDAP/AD Group Sync

To learn more about Collaborator 11.4, please check out the links below.

Download the latest release of Collaborator.

You can view the full list of fixes and improvements here.

If you have any questions about licensing, please contact sales. If you have any technical support questions, please contact SmartBear Support.

Best Wishes,
Justin Collier & The SmartBear Team

[JCollier]

Welcome to Collaborator v11.5!

Collaborator 11.5 is the latest release from SmartBear Software’s dev collaboration team. This new version adds improved revision selection options to the diff viewer, configurable document diff scales, git log information to the Review Materials section, the ability to filter comments by users in the diff viewer chat section and will now keep participant and custom field data when review templates are changed.

Revision selection

Users can now choose between simple revision selection options or switch to Advanced Mode and customize which revisions are displayed in the before and after windows.  Users now have more control over the revisions that are being displayed.

Document diff scales

When viewing documents in the diff viewer, users were forced to use the default page width option. Now, users can modify their default document diff view scale within their user settings.

Default Scale

Filter comments by user

As a user, it can be challenging to see which comment threads someone is participating in. With 11.5, users can now filter out comments in the diff viewer chat section based on an individual participant. Only those conversation threads that an individual is participating in will be displayed in the chat section of the diff viewer.

To learn more about Collaborator 11.5, please check out the links below.

Download the latest release of Collaborator.

You can view the full list of fixes and improvements here.

If you have any questions about licensing, please contact sales. If you have any technical support questions, please contact SmartBear Support.

Best Wishes,
Justin Collier & The SmartBear Team

[JCollier]

Collaborator v11.5.11501

Collaborator 11.5.11501 is a patch release that contains our new SmartBear and Collaborator logos as well as several quality fixes.

To learn more about Collaborator 11.5.11501, please check out the links below.

Download the latest release of Collaborator.

You can view the full list of fixes and improvements here.

If you have any questions about licensing, please contact sales. If you have any technical support questions, please contact SmartBear Support.

Best Wishes,
Justin Collier & The SmartBear Team

[JCollier]

Collaborator v11.5.11502

Collaborator 11.5.11502 is a patch release that contains updated to support Bitbucket Cloud’s latest API, additional reopen review options for GitLab, GitHub and Bitbucket as well as several quality fixes.

To learn more about Collaborator 11.5.11502, please check out the links below.

Download the latest release of Collaborator.

You can view the full list of fixes and improvements here.

If you have any questions about licensing, please contact sales. If you have any technical support questions, please contact SmartBear Support.

Best Wishes,
Justin Collier & The SmartBear Team

[JCollier]

Collaborator v11.5.11503

Collaborator 11.5.11503 is a patch release that addresses several items. One important note is the documentation for Collaborator’s JIRA integration has been updated to reflect Atlassian’s recent deprecation of password-based authentication.

To learn more about Collaborator 11.5.11503, please check out the links below.

Download the latest release of Collaborator.

You can view the full list of fixes and improvements here.

If you have any questions about licensing, please contact sales. If you have any technical support questions, please contact SmartBear Support.

Best Wishes,
Justin Collier & The SmartBear Team