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What is new in Twixl Publisher 21- December 6, 2023
Twixl Publisher 21: The enhancements just keep coming…
So what’s new?
Watch a video with step by step instructions:
Download the update today
You can update the Twixl Publisher macOS application using
the built-in update mechanism, or go to:
The updated Twixl app can be downloaded from:
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What is new in Twixl Publisher 20 - July 13, 2023
Twixl Publisher 20 is going to be a game changer.
Several new features are introduced that will
substantially enhance the reading experience.
It is all about improving the loading speed of
content on a user's device:
For the iOS and Android clients:
Content will display even faster than it ever did before.
Improvement of the experience for downloading and
reading content in the app.
Twixl delivered on this in different ways:
When you navigate to an article in a collection,
the next (and/or previous) article will now be
downloaded in the background.
This ensures that you no longer have to wait for
content to be downloaded first, allowing you to
smoothly scroll from one article to another.
Better feedback to users while content is being (down)loaded:
A loading indicator is added that shows a percentage to clearly
demonstrate the progress.
A caching mechanism is introduced that improves performance
across the board, both for downloading of the content and
for displaying content in the app.
For the browser client:
For customers publishing PDF content,
greatly improved the experience of reading a PDF
in the browser client:
PDFs in the browser client are now rendered in a
2-up display (i.e. you get a two-page view).
Improved performance for displaying PDFs.
A loading indicator while downloading PDFs shows a
percentage indicator to clearly demonstrate the progress.
For the platform:
Improvements to the user interface on the platform.
This is an ongoing effort that will continue to evolve
in the next couple of quarters.
Among already accomplished improvements
provided in the last three months are:
Introduced a sidebar menu for managing app content,
giving quick access to the pages you need to access the most.
In many parts of the interface icons with tooltips
were added for the available actions.
Wide screen support added to the UI.
Searching has become a lot more powerful by universally
searching across apps, collections and content items.
Download the update today
You can update the Twixl Publisher macOS application using
the built-in update mechanism, or go to:
The updated Twixl app can be downloaded from:
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What is new in Twixl Publisher 19 - March 29, 2023
Twixl Publisher 19 introduces a number of major new features:
Metered access
Twixl Publisher 19 introduces an easy "metered access" feature
that allows publishers of paid content to provide free preview
content to customers to increase conversions and get
more reader engagement.
It provides a short preview of selected articles and
brings the reader to the paywall.
Push notifications moved to Google Firebase
The sending of push notifications is switched to
Firebase for both iOS and Android.
This provides improved reliability and also allows
for sending segmented push messages.
To get an idea of what segmented push allows you to do,
go to this article.
All existing apps should switch to this approach before
the end of September 2023.
From now on, all new apps will only allow you to use
Firebase for push notifications.
Twixl Publisher now supports Google Analytics 4.
Google announced that support for the former
Universal Analytics will end on July 1st, 2023.
So if you are currently using Google Analytics in your app,
we recommend to switch to Google Analytics 4 asap.
If you are not using Google Analytics yet,
it’s good to know that using the combination of
Firebase and Google Analytics 4 offers even more
capabilities for sending segmented push notifications.
For more information on Google Analytics 4 go to this article.
Improved user interface changes In the Twixl platform
You will have noticed that in the last couple of months
the layout and look and feel on the platform is gradually changing.
This is an ongoing exercise that focuses on modernizing
the platform user interface, and making it more user friendly
and more efficient.
This overhaul will continue throughout the year.
With TP19, the analytics reports were given a complete revamp…
The 2023 roadmap also includes further improvements
for both publishers and users:
In the platform frontend,
several changes are planned that will allow users
to upload content faster and more easily.
A filtered search option will be added that allows publishers
to optimize search results.
On the backend side,
expected to provide a new reader API next year,
that will allow apps to load the app content
faster and improve the download speeds.
Update your app(s)!
As usual, there’s only one thing you need to do:
update your app and submit the new version to the app stores!
This way your app will continue to have support
for the latest OS on the market, and will be ready
for the new features just introduced.
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What is new in Twixl Publisher 18.5? - December 19, 2022
In the Twixl platform,
several user interface changes is made
and introduces a lot more icons instead of just plain text.
These first steps were necessary to allow for future changes.
To help you in getting acquainted with the new icons,
a tooltip has been added when you hover over the icon.
"Save read position in PDF files" as a setting in Application settings.
This makes sure that your reader of a PDF file
can continue reading even if the app was killed.
Miscellaneous fixes and minor enhancements
(iOS, Android & Twixl Platform).
What is new in Twixl Publisher 18.1?
Content item alias are now available as an alternative for weblinks.
This way you can add multiple aliases to a collection link item.
Alias items don't show up in the downloads page and
make it more organised for the reader.
The "Library" feature allows the publisher to display all the collections
that are free for a user (either because the collection is free,
the user has purchased the collection or is entitled to the collection)
by using tp-library:// (e.g. in the Hamburger Menu).
All connections within Twixl's apps are https-only now.
Permissions have been optimised so your customer
gets less permission requests.
Miscellaneous fixes and minor enhancements
(iOS, Android & Twixl Platform)
What was already in Twixl Publisher 18.0?
The Reports Menu has been replaced by a Reports Page (platform)
All reports can now be exported as .csv (platform)
Added support for using test payments in the Twixl app (Android)
Removed automatic page numbering from PDFs (iOS & Android)
Lots of under the hood changes and improvements (Android)
Content item alias are now available as an alternative for weblinks.
This way you can add multiple aliases to a collection link item.
Alias items don't show up in the downloads page and
make it more organised for the reader.
The “Library" feature allows the publisher to display all the collections
that are free for a user (either because the collection is free,
the user has purchased the collection or is entitled to the collection)
by using tp-library:// (e.g. in the Hamburger Menu).
All connections within our apps are https-only now.
Included manage subscription button so users
can check their subscriptions in Google Play.
Miscellaneous fixes (iOS & Android)
The minimum requirements for the mobile apps are iOS 14 and Android 7.
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Recently Google implemented some changes to how you submit
an app to Google Play and to the way you need to sign your app.
If you publish a Twixl app to Google Play this means that in
order to submit an update of that app, it needs to be built with
Twixl Publisher 16 or higher.
Google now requires that you submit an
Android App Bundle (.aab) to Google Play
instead of the former Android Application Package (.apk).
An .aab file is now required for new apps and starting in November
it will also be required for updates of existing apps.
Since Twixl Publisher 15.4 (released in May 2021) Twixl Publisher
generates both types of files when you build your Android app:
An .aab file bundles the different versions of an app into one package.
When someone downloads your app, only the relevant portion for
that type of device will be downloaded, resulting in a smaller size.
When moving to Android App Bundles, Google also requires
that you use Play App Signing.
This lets Google manage the app signing instead having
to do this yourself, and it offers a higher level of
security to the user.
With this change,
it is now possible to reset your keystore
if you lost it or if it was compromised.
To comply with the new requirements Twixl media strongly advise
to plan an update of your app, built with TP 16 or higher.
To learn more, just visit these portals:
Play App Signing and Deploying an app to Google Play.
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The TP12 macOS builder app, used to create your iOS and Android apps,
has been rewritten from the ground up.
It offers a fully automated build process with automatic code signing.
Build settings for your apps are now stored on the Twixl platform.
By doing this, customers can now safely move from one Mac to
another without the risk of losing any essential app information:
The builder app is now tightly integrated with the Twixl platform,
as the first thing you’ll do when you open the new macOS app
is login to your Twixl account.
In TP11 Twixl introduced ‘Scheduled push notifications’,
Twixl is now adding support for ‘Rich push notifications’.
With such push notifications, you can add the following to your message:
This makes your notifications way more effective.
The following functionality becomes deprecated with
the release of version Twixl Publisher 12.0:
As an alternative, we'll add the ability to upload
multiple .article files to the Twixl platform at once.
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On iOS Twixl Publisher now offers:
On Android Twixl Publisher comes with a lot of under the hood changes
to keep supporting the variety of devices and Android versions,
and to make things work even smoother.
These new features also ensure that you’ll be able to comply with updated
guidelines for publishing in the app stores that are expected later this year.
Make sure to plan an update of your app in the near future,
something Twixl always advise you to do on a regular basis anyway.
Twixl moved to a unified code base for:
This guarantees that you’ll now experience the same behavior across the board.
At the same time, Twixl also modernized the design of Twixl Viewer Classic
and added support for dark mode (iOS 13 only).
You can now schedule your push notifications.
So if you want to send a push notification in the weekend or early in the morning,
no need to open your laptop and login to your account at that moment.
You can now plan this in advance, and rest assured,
Twixl takes into account the time zone you are in.
When Google changed their requirements for Google Analytics in October 2019,
Twixl initially decided - mainly because of technical reasons - to drop support for it.
But based on customer feedback, it was clear that for many this was a crucial feature.
So Twixl went back to the drawing board and came up with an alternative approach
that allowed Twixl to restore support for Google Analytics in TP11.
Twixl continues to add features to the Twixl Publisher product and platform,
with quite a bit of interesting stuff in the pipeline, so more to come!
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Twixl Publisher 10 introduces a completely new way to
create and manage the interface and navigation in your app.
A smart grid layout approach that lets you design the interface
of your browse pages exactly the way you want to!
The biggest update are the new capabilities for defining
how content will appear in the cells on the browse grid.
Cell styles are now called item styles,
and we invite you check out what’s now possible.
Advanced Scripting lets you filter content
based on properties available in the app.
This can be a user preference, the user’s profile or
even specific events triggered by the user.
Consequently you can decide which content will be
displayed to a user based on certain criteria.
Learn how to get started with Twixl Publisher.
Vastly improved grid styles:
Pre-TP10 rendering (TP9 and earlier) - Cells rendered row by row:
TP10 rendering - Auto-flow fills the gaps:
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There are two main new features in Twixl Publisher 9:
Twixl introduced the article-based approach to content publishing back in 2016.
Today 99% of new Twixl Publisher apps and about 85% of all apps on
the Twixl Publisher platform are article-based.
If you want to give your app a new boost and bring your readers
an update and a refreshing look at your content,
article-based is the way to go.
Over the last three years all new development pf Twixl Publisher
has been focused on features for article-based apps.
Article-based apps now offer a wealth of capabilities that you
couldn’t find in issue-based apps.
Article-based apps offer what users have come to expect today:
fast downloads, non-linear reading approach, overview pages,
content in relation to a user’s preferences, offline access if needed, …
Now is the time to migrate from issue- to article-based apps.
With Twixl Publisher 9, Twixl is introducing an automated process
to migrate legacy issue-based apps to article-based.
This feature is obviously targeted at existing Twixl customers
that are still using legacy issue-based publishing.
Every issue-based app on the Twixl Distribution Platform
can now be converted to an article-based app with
a single click, at no extra cost.
All your content and all app settings will automatically be converted,
all issues will become collections, and your article-based app
will have a default kiosk-like interface, that can further be
adjusted according to your preferences.
One-click migration from issue- to article-based apps:
What will be the future of issue-based apps from Twixl:
The Advanced Scripting feature in Twixl Publisher 9
is a very powerful way of determining which collections and
content items to show in an app, based on a set of (JavaScript) rules.
Content segmentation via Advanced Scripting:
Properties:
What is possible with Advanced Scripting?
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New approach to testing/previewing article-based apps in a very easy way.
"Twixl App Reviewer" replaced by a new app, simply called "Twixl".
When you create a new project on the Twixl Distribution Platform,
you can scan a QR code to preview it with the Twixl app.
That way you’ll immediately see the full app experience
on your mobile device - with zero configuration!
You can also share a link to your app to allow
others to preview as well.
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This release is about bringing your app experience
to the web with Twixl Publisher.
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This release is all about optimizing different
features and capabilities in the Twixl Publisher.
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(So many new features coming in v5.5,
that version number jumped straight from v5.2 to v5.5)
In Twixl Publisher 5.5, the reading expercience when
navigating in a collection has been improved.
When navigating to the first article in a collection,
the subsequent article will be pre-loaded
in the background for quicker access.
Also, when e.g. navigating to article 5 in a collection,
not only the subsequent article (6),
but also the previous article (4) will be
pre-loaded in the background.
Twixl Publisher 5.5 introduces an app setting
(i.e. determined by the app publisher),
where all content of all collections will be downloaded
completely when first starting up the app.
This is ideal for sales people who sometimes don’t have
an internet connection when they are on the road.
Everytime a user goes back to the app and he’s online,
a check will be performed if there is new and/or
updated content that needs to be downloaded.
This capability lets readers choose to download
one or more collections for easy offline access.
There is also an option to manage the content
that’s stored on the device, and to remove
certain content to free up space.
One can now add a quick access menu in the top
right corner of article-based apps.
This menu is managed through a special collection called the “Hamburger menu”.
It can be managed like other collections, with its own grid and cell styles,
but is limited to the following types of content items:
Twixl Publisher 5.5 introduces a much more visual way
of managing grid and cell styles.
Changes one makes to settings will immediately be reflected
in the preview on the Twixl Distribution Platform backend.
UI Design - Browse pages grid styles
UI Design - Browse pages cell styles
One can now easily search through all the metadata in an app:
From the search results, one can quickly navigate to a revelant article.
Allows a publisher to analyze usage behaviour of users
that have logged in (if the app is using entitlement).
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Redesigned new look and feel of the paywall.
It will now display the single in-app purchase separately
from the subscriptions options (if any).
The extra information for in-app purchases are also displayed
as being defined in iTunes Connect and/or Google Play.
The “inline web viewer” allows you to display an
http(s) URL in a Web Viewer,
while the “embedded web viewer” let you
upload a zipped HTML article or .oam file
as the source for the web viewer.
The content sources option can be used for
integrating an RSS feed in your app.
Now an own custom template can be created that
determines how that RSS content is displayed.
Just select the ‘Content Templates’ item from the app menu,
then duplicate an existing template and start editing it.
The “Content Item Link” has been renamed to
Content Item Alias” to better reflect what it is.
Basically a content item alias allows you to re-use
the same content item in different locations in your app,
possibly also applying a different cell style.
Instead of exporting an InDesign book as one Twixl .publication package file,
you can now export the complete book as separate .article files as well.
Just select the new “Separate articles” under the Export options.
The iOS version of the Twixl App Reviewer has
added support for the 1Password App Extension.
If you have 1Password installed on your device,
you can now access your 1Password Logins to
automatically fill in your account information.
In this release, we have changed how to implement a
Panorama VR in your InDesign articles/publications.
You will now use an HTML5-export from Pano2VR and
include it in your InDesign document as a web viewer.
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Provide delay, auto-play, … for relevant elements:
Because of this, Twixl Publisher now also supports
the iPad Pro and Android hi-res devices as well.
At the same time, moving to PDF has improved
the image quality, especially for text-based content.
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Previously Twixl used to offer two solutions,
one targeted at App Store publishing and one for Enterprise publishing.
Now Twixl Publisher 4.1 and the Twixl Distribution Platform
allow you to do both.
The Pro Pack also lets you define categories to provide
multiple sections in your multi-issue app.
Current subscribers to the Entitlement option will automatically
be upgraded to the Pro Pack at no extra cost.
In addition to existing entitlements options like
“Print subscribers”, “Promo code”, etc., the new option
“Users & Groups” is targeted at in-house publishing.
This will allow businesses to define which users and groups
will get to see which content in their apps.
Automatic detection of active devices on your network;
no longer need to manually enter an IP address
for the Viewer device.
Note! Twixl continues to improve the Twixl Publisher solution and
offers an even better price vs. value proposition at a time where
the rest of the market is increasing its prices and offering
extra features only targeted at the high end of the market.
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Content sharing will undoubtedly be a feature all
Twixl Publisher developers will use intensively.
To make sure everyone can find out how unique and easy it is to use,
trial users of Twixl Publisher Explore Edition are also able
to share their work with a client, a prospect, …
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