Table of Contents
Fotoware release history - build numbers and new functionality
30. April 2025
Table of Contents
This article lists the functionality for Fotoware 8.1 as well as the individual Fotoware 8.0 Feature Releases and the new functionality introduced with each release.
Updates are available to all customers covered by an Agreement.
Fotoware tests upgrading from the previous two On-Premises releases to the current release, and we offer support for the current On-Premises release as well as the last major On-Premises release.
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Fotoware On-Premises Feature Releases and Hotfixes
Feature Release 19 Hotfix 7
June 2024
Product build number
FotoWeb 8.1.1225
Fixed issue
- A crash issue seen in some installations is now fixed.
Feature Release 19 Hotfix 6
January 2024
Product build number
FotoWeb 8.1.1224
Fixed issue
- There was an issue with logging metadata information for Activity Logging when deleting assets. This is now fixed.
Connect release
June 2023
Product build number
Connect 8.1.1109
Fixed issues
- The Save button is activated when additional outputs are added to a channel.
- The Directory (tenant) ID field is only displayed for server types where it has meaning.
- Previously, transferring images from an Index Manager source would only work once after each service restart. This is now fixed.
- The Save button is activated when you change the destination folder in a channel.
- Previously, when you deleted a channel, it was not always deleted. This is now fixed; you can delete channels, servers, and routings successfully.
- Previously, when creating a new channel, the channel was saved, but an error message appeared, and the Connect settings app had to be restarted. This is now fixed.
- Source and destination servers in a channel are listed alphabetically based on the server name.
Feature Release 19 Hotfix 5
May 2023
Product build number
FotoWeb 8.1.1223
Fixed issues
- The Run now action is executed only once, regardless of how often the action is selected.
Feature Release 19 Hotfix 4
April 2023
Product build number
FotoWeb 8.1.1222
Fixed issues
- To ensure better control of asset integrity, Upload new version will only be available when Version Control is activated for an archive.
- Extended search now combines different search values correctly again when using the OR logical operator.
Feature Release 19 Hotfix 3
April 2023
Product build number
FotoWeb 8.1.1221
Fixed issues
- The FotoWeb Selection Widget now applies the mask marker to the selected assets panel when using multi-select mode.
- There is no longer a limit on adding metadata criteria when using Extended search.
Feature Release 19 Hotfix 2
March 2023
Product build number
FotoWeb 8.1.1220
Fixed issues
- The ID counter of SQL table "dbo.UserMemberships" no longer overflows after many runs of data pump if legacy reporting module is used.
- A guest user can now successfully connect to Index Manager and see indexes that allow access to everyone.
- When assets were moved from one pool to another (with an action, for example), users sometimes received an error message even though the action was successful. This is now fixed.
- The asset preview page was displaying a blank image for zip files containing a "preview.jpg" with the zip preview option enabled. This is now fixed, and the asset preview displays the "preview.jpg" image for the zip file.
Feature Release 19 Hotfix 1
February 2023
Product build number
FotoWeb 8.1.1216
Fixed issues
- In the previous release, using or creating an archive was limited to 100 archives. This limit is now removed and there is no limitation on the number of archives that can be used or created.
- The Hide option for assets connected to actions now works as expected again in the Main Interface.
Feature Release 19
February 2023
Product build numbers
FotoWeb 8.1.1215
Operations Center 8.1.1119
Index Manager 8.1.1036
Color Factory 8.1.1024
Connect 8.1.1107
New and updated functionality
-
Asset Linking
For more information, see Asset linking -
Guardian consent
For more information, see Signing a consent form on behalf of another. -
Consent status markers
For more information, see Consent status of an asset.
Fixed issues
In the previous release, alert emails were not being sent. This issue is now fixed, and alert emails work as expected.
Known issues
The following issues will be fixed as part of a hotfix:
- Data pump fails with The INSERT statement conflicted with the FOREIGN KEY constraint "FK_UserMembership_User" error if the legacy reporting module is used.
- Guest access to FotoStation FWP configuration is not working.
- The Hide option for assets connected to actions is not working in the Main Interface. It works as expected in the Pro Interface.
- Anonymous guest access to indexes from FotoWeb is not working.
Fotoware 8.1 (Feature Release 18)
July 2022
Product build numbers:
FotoWeb 8.1 Build 1206
Index Manager 8.1 Build 1022
Connect 8.1 Build 1106
Color Factory 8.1 Build 1013
Operations Center 8.1 Build 1114
This 8.1 version comes with the major underlying changes described below as well as an updated User Interface (UI).
Overall underlying changes in 8.1:
- separate native configuration applications and web-based status/monitoring interfaces
- all Microsoft Silverlight interfaces have been removed
- the web-based status/monitoring interfaces cannot be opened with Internet Explorer. Instead, another browser must be used, such as Google Chrome, Safari, or Microsoft Edge.
Note: The 8.1 versions of Index Manager, Connect, Color Factory, Operations Center, and FotoWeb Server settings cannot be installed on the same server as the 8.0 versions of the respective products. If you are running multiple Fotoware suite products on the same server, you must update them to 8.1.
The Fotoware 8.1 release is a major update to all Fotoware server components that, in addition to major new features, contains important component upgrades, including:
- Update of all .Net Framework dependencies
- Removed dependency on Internet Explorer (Microsoft ended support in June 2022)
- Removal of Silverlight-based components (Microsoft ended support in October 2021)
- Support for Windows Server 2016, 2019, and 2022
Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer 11 is no longer officially supported in any web-based Fotoware user interfaces. Fotoware 8.1 (and future releases) have no dependency on Internet Explorer. Previous versions of Fotoware have an indirect dependency on Internet Explorer due to Silverlight, it can be still used with Microsoft Edge after end of support for Internet Explorer. Learn how to open Fotoware Operations Center 8.0 in Microsoft Edge.
Microsoft Authentication Library
Starting with version 8.1, all versions of FotoWeb use the new Microsoft Authentication Library (MSAL). Customers using FotoWeb On-Premises with Azure AD single sign-on (SSO) should update FotoWeb 8.1 version. ADAL, used by all 8.0 versions of FotoWeb, is no longer in use in 8.1.
No configuration changes in Azure AD or SSO configuration in FotoWeb are necessary for this update, but due to improvements in the SSO integration on our side, it is now possible and recommended to switch to role-based access control (RBAC) and disable implicit grant. See our documentation for details.
Silverlight
All Silverlight-based components are removed. The new Operations Center applications are independent of Silverlight and, from this On-Premises release onwards, Fotoware also becomes independent from Internet Explorer.
All settings related to FotoWeb sites are available in Site Configuration directly in the Fotoware user interface. All Color Factory, Connect, Index Manager, and FotoWeb Service settings are available in native configuration apps. The status monitoring screens for Fotoware server components are available in a modern web interface.
Reporting
Fotoware comes with its own custom reporting tool that generates regular reports in common formats such as HTML, CSV, and XML. The configuration of these reports has been done in a Silverlight-based tool. We aim to have a solution for this by Q1 2023. In the meantime, we will ensure that the legacy tool continues to work as a Silverlight out-of-browser application. This toolkit has no dependency on browsers such as Internet Explorer or Edge.
New and updated functionality
-
New Operations Center applications
Operations Center is replaced with the following apps which you access directly on the server (usually though RDP). The overall functionality remains the same as the latest 8.0 version.- Operations Center Setting
- Operations Center Status
- Index Manager Settings
- FotoWeb Settings
- Color Factory Settings
- Connect Settings
-
Version Control
You will receive the necessary Version Control licenses automatically with your next agreement renewal. If you would like to use Version Control before that, contact Fotoware. Version Control needs to be actively enabled. Note that enabling Version Control directly affects storage capacity as the asset and metadata are stored multiple times.
For more information, see Version Control in Fotoware On-Premises and Setting archive access and permissions.
-
Support for large file uploads through our APIs and Web Uploader
For more information, see Large File Upload API.
-
Metadata Macros on Ingestion
For more information, see Updating asset metadata on ingestion to an archive.
Full support of dark mode
For more information, see Toggling light and dark mode in Fotoware.
-
Update of our database engine MongoDB
-
New SSO implementation
- New Session Management UI
Note: We are continuously updating Learn with all of this new information, so you may notice some discrepancies between the available functionality and the Learn topics describing same. We will be up-to-date as soon as possible!
Feature Release 17
September 2021
Product build numbers:
Fotoware 8.0 build 1062
News:
- Search feature to find albums based on their metadata (Title, Tags, Description)
- Usage Consent Management - Create usage consent forms and invite users to approve the use of their images directly from Fotoware.
- User Interface Integrations - A new way to create custom web UX integrations directly in Fotoware.
Changes
- MongoDB updated from version 2.6 to version 4.4.
The Fotoware Update Assistant will migrate the existing database. We recommend manually backing up the MongoDB database before installing the updated Fotoware version. Also worth noting is that the drive hosting the MongoDB database will require additional space during the update as the database will be duplicated before migration. Roughly 1,5 times the size of the existing database size will be required. The space taken up by the additional database will be freed up after migration. - Changes to user password hashing for increased security. Make sure you learn about the changes and things to consider before upgrading.
Important things to note about this update
- FotoWeb FR17 can no longer be installed on Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2. The minimum required Windows Server version is 2016.
- A downgrade from FR17 to earlier versions is not possible. The only way to downgrade is to restore the entire configuration from a backup.
- FR17 includes an updated version of MongoDB (specifically, version 4.4). See the Changes section above for recommendations before proceeding with the update.
- FotoWeb 7.0 can be upgraded directly to FotoWeb 8.0 FR17, so long as it runs on Windows Server 2016 or higher.
- FotoWeb 8.0 FR17 is the last version where updates from Fotoware 7.0 are supported. Future versions will only allow updates from Fotoware 8.0 and up.
Feature Release 16
November 2020
Product build numbers:
Fotoware 8.0 build 1031
News:
- Select All feature added to Fotoware Pro user interface
- Custom links can be added to Fotoware Pro user interface
- An access list can now be set on a whole selection of archives
- New option to select a Fotoware archive as the destination of a workflow action
- Implemented WCAG compliance for the visually impaired
Changes:
- Completely redesigned user and group administration interface
- Fotoware now requires manual adding of ffmpeg binaries
Improvements:
A host of bug fixes and minor user experience improvements - a complete list of fixes and changes is available in the release notes on the Fotoware Customer Portal.
Feature Release 15
March 2020
Product build numbers:
FotoWeb 8.0 build 972
New features:
- Migrated configuration interface for workflows (actions and markers) and image processing to new site configuration.
- Migrated appearance settings for site branding to new site configuration. Individual documentation topics are found in the Site Configuration guide.
Improvements:
A host of bug fixes and minor user experience improvements - a complete list of fixes and changes is available in the release notes on the Fotoware Customer Portal.
Feature Release 14
August 2019
Product build numbers:
FotoWeb 8.0 build 937
Index Manager 8.0 build 851
New features:
- Migrated configuration interface for archives and metadata views - accessible from the Fotoware / Fotoware Pro user interfaces
- Webhooks on asset ingestion, modification, and deletion
- Custom SAML 2.0 property mapping
Improvements:
- Improvements to OAuth user consent for third-party apps - customizable text in the consent box and more information about the requesting user and required permissions.
- Improvements to the Upload API
- Improved navigation in the Fotoware Main interface
- Various user interface improvements
Feature Release 13
November 2018
Product build numbers:
FotoWeb 8.0 build 877
Index Manager 8.0 build 812 (64-bit only)
New features:
- Advanced video playback functionality, such as adjusting playback speed, framestepping, and snapshot extraction
- Annotations - Add visual and textual annotations to images
- SAML integration for group management
Changes:
Feature Release 12
July 2018
Product build numbers:
FotoWeb 8.0 build 851
Index Manager 8.0 build 814
New features:
- Custom links in the FotoWeb title bar
- Access to asset permalink in FotoWeb Pro
- Persistent logins to FotoWeb ("Remember me")
- Require users to accept Terms and Conditions on Login
- Require users to accept Terms and Conditions on Download
- OAuth for Custom Applications
- Searching in all archives using the API
Changes and improvements:
Feature Release 11
December 2017
Product build numbers:
FotoWeb 8.0 build 830
Index Manager 8.0 build 778
New features:
- Crop and Download pictures
- Crop images that are sent to a workflow destination (FotoWeb Pro only)
- Printing images (FotoWeb main interface)
- Full-screen preview of assets in FotoWeb Pro
- Application of user identity to metadata in workflow actions
- Metadata Views API
- PIWIK site tracking
Changes:
Aug 2017 Update to the Fotoware 8.0 suite
August 2017
This release introduces Fotoware Protocol (FWP) version 2.0, which enables full client-server communications without requiring client access to Index Manager's document folders over Windows networking (SMB) or Apple File Protocol (AFP). This change affects FotoStation, Index Manager, and Color Factory. Several new features not directly associated with the FWP 2.0 implementation have also been added, as outlined below.
Products and build numbers:
- FotoStation 8.0 build 771
- Index Manager 8.0 build 770
- Color Factory 8.0 build 770
New and improved features:
FotoStation
New features:
- Asset comparison tool
- Copying and pasting of metadata
- Configuring FotoStation to prefer SMB over FWP
- New sub actions:
- Improved RAW file handling using Adobe DNG converter
Changes:
Index Manager
New features:
- All remote file operations available via the FWP protocol without requiring access to the file repositories via SMB
Feature Release 10
June 2017
Product build numbers:
- FotoWeb 8.0 build 810
- Index Manager 8.0 build 766
New features:
- Metadata Views replace Metadata Sets and are more customizable
- Configurable SmartFolders to improve navigation
- New Shopping Cart functionality in FotoWeb
- New Renditions API to download custom asset renditions
- New workflow features:
- Updated Search Expressions
- Support for Dynamic tags for use in searches, workflows, and SmartFolders.
- Improved searching for date and time values and ranges
- Sorting of archive content in FotoWeb
Feature Release 9
October 2016
Product build numbers:
- FotoWeb 8.0 build 790
New features:
- New authentication mechanisms and SSO settings
- New, fine-grained administrative privileges for groups - the single site administrator privilege has been deprecated
- FotoWeb now converts web URLs in metadata fields to clickable links
- The order of Actions and Markers in the UI can be customized
Feature Release 8
August 2016
Product build numbers:
- FotoWeb 8.0 build 781
- Index Manager 8.0 build 738
New features:
Feature Release 7
July 2016
Product build numbers:
- FotoWeb 8.0 build 770
- Index Manager 8.0 build 737
New features:
- Album filtering in FotoWeb Pro
- Assigning workflow Actions to specific archives
- Assigning custom background images for use on the login screen
- Site white-labeling by removing all "Powered by FotoWeb" badges
- Support for free text search in Asian languages
- Preservation of existing metadata when using the web uploader
- Switching between metric and imperial size measures in FotoWeb and FotoWeb Pro
- Changes to folder navigation and navigation breadcrumbs
Feature Release 6
May 2016
Product build numbers:
- FotoWeb 8.0 build 760
- Index Manager 8.0 build 723
New features:
- Avatar shown for currently logged in user
- Administrators can send sign-up invitations to users and organizations
- Drag and drop export of assets to desktop applications
- When a user or group is deleted, FotoWeb cleans up resources owned by the user or group.
- Updated keyboard shortcuts in FotoWeb Pro. Complete list here.
Feature Release 5
April 2016
Product build numbers:
- FotoWeb 8.0 build 730
New features:
- Online user signup - configurable in the FotoWeb site configuration
- Users can change passwords
- Users can reset passwords
- Password complexity requirements can be set using Regex
- Video and audio transcoding and playback available in all FotoWeb versions. Advanced features still only available with optional AV module.
You can read about the changes here: - Options to control the performance of the audio/video transcoder (available in build 731)
- New functionality in CMS Export:
Feature Release 4
February 2016
Product build numbers:
- FotoWeb 8.0 build 724
- Index Manager 8.0 build 720
New features:
- Improved user database that boosts performance
- Transcoding and playback of audio in addition to video
- Playback of video and audio files in FotoWeb Pro
- Re-transcode option to retry a failed transcoding operation (available for site admins only)
- High-res image zoom added to FotoWeb Pro Filmstrip and Preview views
- New hotkeys for improved keyboard navigation in FotoWeb Pro: W to open metadata editor and then Alt-Enter to save metadata and go to the next selected asset.
- Multi-page document browsing in FotoWeb Pro
- Batch metadata editing in the main FotoWeb interface
- Quick Actions are now also accessible on the Asset Details page in FotoWeb
- Suppressing LDAP queries during AD lookup
Feature Release 3
October 2015
Product build numbers:
- FotoWeb 8.0 build 715
New features:
- CDN support for CMS exports
- Alerts implemented in FotoWeb Pro
- New asset comparison view in FotoWeb Pro
- Updated file type support for 2D vector file formats: Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) and Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM)
- Updated password complexity on embedded SQL Express server for fresh installations - Affects updates and fresh installs
- API update: User authentication for embeddable widgets
Feature Release 2
August 2015
Product build numbers:
- FotoWeb 8.0 build 710
- Index Manager 8.0 build 708
New features:
- FotoWeb supports installation on Windows Server 2008 R2 (previous versions only supported Windows Server 2012)
- Customizable welcome message in FotoWeb
- Added support for renaming assets in FotoWeb Pro
- Added support for MongoDB Replica sets
- API Login Tokens
- Misc. bug fixes. See Release notes on Fotoware Update Center for details.
Feature Release 1
June 2015
Product build numbers:
- FotoWeb 8.0 build 705
- Index Manager 8.0 build 705
New features:
- Customizable footer in FotoWeb
- Markers in the main FotoWeb interface
- Asset pinning in main FotoWeb interface
- Drag and Drop to copy/move assets in FotoWeb Pro
- Upload in FotoWeb Pro
- Asset info panel in FotoWeb Pro. Allows users to
- Misc. bug fixes. See Release notes on Fotoware Update Center for details.