This release corrects certain issues.  If you received an interim release from IceFire support for testing, it must be updated with this release.  This release is a bug fix release, with minor functionality changes.  It is recommended that you update if you have encountered the issues that are discussed.

Documentation is available here.  

This is the last scheduled release, although support continues.

Release Notes – February 18, 2025

Deploying PointFire 2016

It is recommended that you run the installation on the server where Central Administration is located. Once PointFire 2016 is installed on the target server you can deploy the feature by running the PFConfiguration tool:

Start ->PointFire 2016 ->PFConfig

Note: If you experience issues running the configuration tool from the shortcut, you can navigate to the PointFire directory and run PFConfig or one of the installation scripts directly.

C:\Program Files\IceFire\PointFire2016

⦁ PFConfig.exe – PointFire Deployment Manager
⦁ InstallPointFire.ps1 - to install PointFire using PowerShell.
⦁ UpgradePointFire.ps1 - Upgrade PointFire using PowerShell.
⦁ RemovePointFire.ps1 - To retract the solution using PowerShell

Note: Deploying using the scripts requires additional configuration steps. Please see the install guide for detailed information.

Updating PointFire 2016 

If you are updating an existing PointFire 2016 deployment, launch the PointFire Deployment Manager and follow through the upgrade process, or retract then re-deploy PointFire, or navigate to the installation directory to run the upgrade script.
Note: If configuration keys in the web.config files have been edited manually after PFConfig initially set them, using PFConfig to update the PointFire may erase or overwrite some of those keys. For safety, note the values of the keys currently in web.config prior to updating.

Upgrading from PointFire 2013

If you are upgrading from a PointFire 2013 deployment, please consult the PointFire 2013 v1.0 to 2016 v1.0 Upgrade Guide.

New Features

• none

Resolved Issues

• French term when applied as filter value on Managed Metadata column returns zero results.

• Upgraded JQuery to a newer version (v3.7.1) to resolve the vulnerabilities.

• Javascript error on Edit form of a task list when inspected using browser tools.

• List view page with large number of columns and items, has a long loading time.

• Text message containing the list name, that is displayed when a list has no items, does not translate.

• Column names containing some special Unicode characters do not translate.

• Site Contents page with large number of items/ apps takes few minutes to load the page.

• When a url is provided in PFExcludedPaths, it does not work.

Documentation
Documentation for PointFire 2016 is available to be downloaded from the following links:

PointFire 2016 Installation Guide: 
http://community.icefire.ca/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/134/0/pointfire-2016-documentation

PointFire 2016 Administrators Guide:

http://community.icefire.ca/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/134/0/pointfire-2016-documentation

PointFire 2016 Users Guide: 

http://community.icefire.ca/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/134/0/pointfire-2016-documentation

PointFire 2013 v1.0 to 2016 v1.0 Upgrade Guide: 

http://community.icefire.ca/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/134/0/pointfire-2016-documentation

Support
We recommend that you, or whoever you designate for support, register an account on the support site http://community.icefire.ca/index.php?/Base/UserRegistration/Register . Support can be obtained by clicking on New Ticket on the site after you login or by sending an e-mail to icefire@wssplus.ca

PointFire Translator Express version 1.3.2 has been released and is available using Microsoft AppSource.  It translates modern pages, documents and metadata, and list items using an app, without the need for a server component, in your account, in your region, using a private endpoint.

The free version translates documents.  The full version also translates pages and metadata, among other features.  It works with PointFire 365, or with SharePoint's Multilingual page publishing.

New and changed features:

• Support for new Editorial Card webpart
• Improved support for people and quick links web parts

Bug fixes:

• Error when the folder name contains special characters
• When MLP is enabled, re-translation of an updated page was not working because SharePoint makes async change
• Trick for when translated text contains apostrophe
• Support for pages from some standard site templates with webparts that contain nonstandard parameters
• "Failed to upload page to Azure Storage" on certain pages created from site templates
• Fix for Countdown and Activity webparts in event planning template
• Section title with special characters
• Fix issue with subsites
• Issue with folder names containing certain special characters
• Fix slash at the end of the folder URL

If you are not providing secure managed translation for your users, then where are they sending your internal data to be translated?

PointFire 365 v3.1.1.0, December 20, 2024

This is an optional official release.  It can be used for production.  It adds few new features and corrects several issues.  

If this is a new install, you will only need the "PointFire 365 Modern" app, not the "PointFire 365" add-in. It you are updating an existing install, you will still need both, as part of the transition to eliminating the add-in before Microsoft's April 2026 deadline. All configuration functionality has been moved from PointFire 365" to PointFire 365 Modern", and all PointFire screens are now side panels.

If you were using an earlier supported release, the upgrade requires no change to data or licenses, however you must press the "Activate" button on each site after upgrade or use the ActivateApp script. Some JavaScript from the previous version will remain cached until the next session unless you press Ctrl-F5 or equivalent on your browser.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

All of our PowerShell scripts use the PnP.PowerShell module. The PF365 installation script will install it if that has not already been done.  In addition, Microsoft has recently deleted the app registration on which the "Interactive" login relies.  You can run UserAuthentication.ps1 to create a new app registration in your own tenant, or to change authentication methods

Details here
https://github.com/pnp/powershell/issues/4250

New and Changed Features

• TenantLicenseRequest.ps1 installs Azure-AD module if it is not been installed

Resolved Issues

• MUI step2 is not working if the endpoint url contains '/' in the end.
• Error in language toggle and incomplete translations for Chinese Simplified and a few other languages
• Localization is not showing for the message "You do not have any license."
• Command bar text did not translate properly
• Changes to log messages in console.
• Show command bar options(Multilingual Setting, Manage Variation) in event list and in classic list(New experience)
• Pages library in Publishing site, the Multilingual setting option is not showing in the command bar.
• Some content were not visible properly in Dark theme.
• Announcement list manage variation is stuck while saving
• Manage variation is stuck while setting a folder for a specific language and showing the below error in console. "Uncaught TypeError: $ is not a function"
• After doing manage variation of the items inside the folder, when I am again checking the manage variation panel, it did not show the values properly.
• Clear variation was not working properly.
• Improved messages in the text file "PF365Installer.txt"
• For scripts, connect to appcatalog site rather than to tenant root site to ensure user has permission to update tenant properties
• Webpart show hide is not working sometimes
• Page redirection not working properly if we are adding page url in the mega menu dropdown list.
• Fix for slow load/multiple refreshes when users switch languages
• In Viva connection site, the Rewrite URL is not working properly.
  
   

PointFire makes SharePoint truly multilingual and lets your users collaborate in their language.  Two different users going to the same page on the same site will each see it almost entirely in their language, both UI and content.

To get your copy, go to http://community.icefire.ca/index.php?/Knowledgebase/List/Index/1/pointfire-installation-packages and log in or create an account.

The fully-featured trial version can be downloaded for free and can be used for development and testing, with some pre-sale support.

PointFire Translator Express version 1.3.1 has been released and is available using Microsoft AppSource.  It translates modern pages, documents and metadata, and list items using an app, without the need for a server component, in your account, in your region, using a private endpoint.

The free version translates documents.  The full version also translates pages and metadata, among other features.  It works with PointFire 365, or with SharePoint's Multilingual page publishing.

New and changed features:

• (none)

Bug fixes:

• Error - Failed to copy site page (nonstandard character)
• For some languages (zh-cn,ru,hi,he etc.) the page name is not showing properly after translation for some characters
• When there are multiple translations in parallel, some files may be missing
• Optimize multiple file translation
• The target language selection box should be disabled when the translation copies are already present
• For Multilingual Page Publishing determination of when the translation copies are already present was sometimes incorrect
• Improve language handling in Translator panel without closing and reopening panel
• Various fixes and performance improvements.

If you are not providing secure managed translation for your users, then where are they sending your internal data to be translated?

PointFire 365 v3.1.0.0, November 28, 2024

This is an optional official release.  It can be used for production.  It adds few new features and corrects some issues.  Although it has little new functionality, it has major internal changes for those who use the "single page model".

If this is a new install, you will only need the "PointFire 365 Modern" app, not the "PointFire 365" add-in. It you are updating an existing install, you will still need both, as part of the transition to eliminating the add-in before Microsoft's April 2026 deadline. All configuration functionality has been moved from PointFire 365" to PointFire 365 Modern", and all PointFire screens are now side panels.

If you were using an earlier supported release, the upgrade requires no change to data or licenses, however you must press the "Activate" button on each site after upgrade or use the ActivateApp script. Some JavaScript from the previous version will remain cached until the next session unless you press Ctrl-F5 or equivalent on your browser.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

All of our PowerShell scripts use the PnP.PowerShell module. The PF365 installation script will install it if that has not already been done.  In addition, Microsoft has recently deleted the app registration on which the "Interactive" login relies.  You can run UserAuthentication.ps1 to create a new app registration in your own tenant, or to change authentication methods

Details here
https://github.com/pnp/powershell/issues/4250

New and Changed Features

• Setting or changing webpart language visibility no longer requires the site custom scripting setting 

Resolved Issues

• Some scripts now ask the user to enter the tenant root URL instead of the admin URL
   

PointFire makes SharePoint truly multilingual and lets your users collaborate in their language.  Two different users going to the same page on the same site will each see it almost entirely in their language, both UI and content.

To get your copy, go to http://community.icefire.ca/index.php?/Knowledgebase/List/Index/1/pointfire-installation-packages and log in or create an account.

The fully-featured trial version can be downloaded for free and can be used for development and testing, with some pre-sale support.