User Experience

Feature

Benefit

Streaming Upgrade

Significant upgrade to streaming technology (the technology that transforms RDP objects into HTML, enabling us to deliver desktops and apps to a browser). This upgrade provides enhanced performance, connection stability, error handling, and optional features we can take advantage of in future releases.

Cloud Drive (beta)

Ability to mount Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive. Users can mount cloud drives using their Google or Microsoft credentials. Once mounted, they will be able to access all their files from within the application file navigator in Apporto and save files back to the drive.

Copy Paste

Support

New clipboard with enhanced support for copy paste. Users may copy and paste to and from Apporto (or within Apporto) via menu options and keyboard shortcuts, such as Control-C and Control-V (on a PC) or Command-C and Command-V (on Macs). Note that Windows shortcuts are required within Apporto.
Also, the current implementation supports copying and pasting of text. We plan to enable copy paste for images in the future.

IMPORTANT : Users will be prompted by the browser to allow access to the clipboard. They need to accept this for the new copy/paste to work.

Messenger

(beta)

Brand new collaboration tool enabling students to find their classmates who are online and message them – for instance if they have a joint assignment or need help. Similarly a faculty or teaching assistant may make himself available in the Messenger to mentor students who need help.

Users can open Messenger by clicking on an icon in the desktop ribbon. Within Messenger, users will see pre-populated contact lists (based on group affiliation) and can add new contacts within your organization.

Clicking on a contact initiates a chat. Users may also start group chats and invite other users to participate. They must bookmark a group chat in order to access it in subsequent sessions.

Like all features in the desktop/app ribbon, you may turn off Messenger if your university does not wish to use this feature.

File Upload Enhancements

Added a spinner to provide users with an indication that the file navigator is loading. Limited file upload to Desktop and Documents to prevent users from uploading to directories that cannot be accessed in Windows (ex. My PC).

Fixed

Multiple Session Issue

In the past, when users close their browser, the Windows session was still running. As a result, when the user started a new session (before the Windows session timed out), they’d see a prompt to choose which session to open. This caused user confusion. So, we have implemented a way to kill the Windows session when the user closes their browser.  

Ensured Menu Accessibility

Fixed an issue that prevented menu icons in the ribbon from responding to Accessibility Readers.

Help Center Enhancements

Improved the layout of the Help Center. The table of contents is always in view (left side) and content loads in the same page (right side).

Admin Experience

Feature

Benefit

Start / Schedule App Servers

Ability for Admins, Sub-admins, and Faculty to start or schedule application servers. This ensures servers are up and running when a group of users meets for a class, for example. Currently limited to 6 hours per week, but may be extended in the future if this feature becomes popular.   

License Scheduling Enhancements

Added logic to prevent scheduling more licenses than the concurrent user limit (as set in the Licenses screen). Users outside of reserved groups may now launch apps as long as additional licenses are available.

Users Export

Enabled Export from the Users screen. Ability to export and download a csv with a list of users based on account creation date. Relevant fields include name, email, last login, role, and groups.  

Default Values for Apps

To make it easier to create new apps, Apporto Superadmins will configure default values (ex. data center region, server hostnames and ports). These values will appear in grey font in the Create and Edit streamed application forms. Default values may be overridden.

Setup Cleanup

Simplified Setup screens and improved consistency of UI elements across screens.  

Fixed SSO Sync Issue

When users are manually created or imported into Apporto and later attempt to login via SSO, we will enable login, match the user account, and update their username.  

Accessibility Enhancements

Ensured alt-text, missing links, and contrast issues were fixed in various parts of the Admin UI.

Fixed Misc Dashboard Bugs

Fixed an issue in which the bottom left chart got too crowded. Limited the number of apps shown and enable users to open full report when needed.  Fixed a date sorting bug that affected the upper left chart. Added a 365 day option to drop down menu. Added user email to Faculty Dashboard so instructors can contact students if they see an issue.

Fixed Active Sessions Count

Fixed a bug that was causing the count of active sessions to be incorrect.

Infrastructure

Feature

Benefit

Improved Redundancy

Added load balancing at all levels in the architecture, including the App Store and Streaming layers to ensure system availability.

Enhanced Monitoring

Added additional sensors in preparation for comprehensive application monitoring.