This release of PointFire SE is the current supported release version 1.0.10509.  Release date May 10, 2024

PointFire SE can only be installed on SharePoint SE (Subscription Edition) servers.  If you have been using an interim release, you must upgrade as soon as possible.  For a complete list of fixes and known issues, consult the release announcement or the readme.rtf file (copy attached).  This release is suitable for a production environment.

The installation package and documentation are available here.  

The next update release is expected in February 2025.

Release Notes – May 10, 2024

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

Start ->PointFire SE ->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\PointFireSE

⦁ 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.

PointFire SE also includes an optional app for modern sites. To add it to app catalog ur update it, you can drag and drop the pointfire-SE-sppkg file, or use the PowerShell script UploadAppToAppCatalogSite.ps1 . Then for each site, add it using the Site Contents page, or upgrade it if a previous version is already on the site, or use the scripts

   InstallAppFromAppCatalog.ps1 or UpgradeAppFromAppCatalog.ps1 .

Updating PointFire SE

If you are updating an existing PointFire SE 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.

Also remember to update the PointFire-SE.app in the app catalog and in the individual sites.

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 2019
Upgrading from a PointFire 2019 is not yet fully supported. Contact support for availability. The scripts PFSEMigration.ps1, SetWebPartLangSetting.ps1 and CallSetWebPartLangSetting.ps1 are included, but additional work is needed to complete the migration. Please note that Item Language and language variations columns have changed, so any customizations based on them will also have to be revised.

New Features

• (none)

Resolved Issues

• Users with read only access can see the "Multilingual Setting" and "Translate Document" options in classic and modern view.
• Content type name from Content type hub which are already associated with a document library does not translate.
• When using a custom master page (not Seattle or Oslo), the language change does not work and the page does not reload.
• Group By on columns like Created By and Modified By does not work in a classic list view for some content types
• Adding some specific text into a multiline text column, results to a blank page.
• Web part menu option "Display this web part in" is not available in modern mode.
• Sometimes language menu is not visible in modern mode after clearing the cache
  
  

Please read the manuals attached and the readme.rtf file within the installation.

The PointFire 2016 language packs can be used and are optional.

This is a trial version, which you may use for development and testing.  To obtain a licence key, contact sales@icefire.ca

If you already have a licensed or unlicensed version installed, this package will install the upgrade.

To get support, submit a ticket here 

PointFire 365 v2.7.0.0, April 9, 2024

This release introduces new features and improves existing ones, including better user counts, more complete deactivation, and better performance.  Version 2.7 is the final version using the two-app architecture.  Version 3.0 will only need the modern app.

This is a supported official release. It can be used for production.  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. If no one has yet run the command "Register-PnPManagementShellAccess", you must get a global admin to consent for the Tenant. This only has to be done once for the entire tenant. Contact support if you need an alternative.

Details here

https://pnp.github.io/powershell/cmdlets/Register-PnPManagementShellAccess.html

New and Changed Features

• In single-page model, translations of Call to Action text in Hero webpart
• ApplyingMUIFromTenantRootSiteWithoutUsingSiteLevelMTL.ps1: New script gets the MTL entries from tenant root site and applies the translations in all the sites present in a tenant without using the site level MTL.
• Script DeactivatePF365.ps1 now optionally removes Multilingual Translations list and Multilingual column 'Item Language' and 'Source Item' from site
• Improved performance for lists and libraries newly made multilingual
• ItemLanguageCalculated hidden added to lists and libraries newly made multilingual, to help with PnP modern search.
• Improved message in MUI step 3 when the app is not trusted
• More consistent override of translations: Resx<root<hub<site
• Scripts changed to use PnP.PowerShell rather than native login: EnableScriptingMultiSites.ps1 SetFooterPropertyInTenantLevel.ps1 EnableScripting.ps1
• MTL was cluttered with language codes when there was a choice column with those codes.
• No making Page library multilingual if MLP feature is enabled (still allow translating choice column)

Resolved Issues

• In MUI step 3 for classic webpart title translations, 'Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation'
• Manage variation page names Blank for library with more than 5000 pages
• MUI step 3 stuck for library with more than 5000 pages
• Poorer performance with more than 5000 pages
• When custom scripting is enabled and the Edit permission user is setting the webpart language, showing 'Please enable custom scripting on the SharePoint admin center.'
• Errors when using "forceLocale=" URL parameters
• While making the Library Multilingual, it is showing the error "FAILED: The content type {...} is read only." in console when a new content type is read-only
• The script ActivateApp.ps1 showed the Error "The remote name could not be resolved: 'mytenant-admin.sharepoint.comfalse' Method invocation failed because [System.String] does not contain a method named 'Load'."
• Error running EnableScriptingMultiSites.ps1 for some subsites
• After running Uninstall.exe, some files did not remove from folder
• Error while running script DeployingMUIForSite.ps1 when there is certain sealed content types
• Eliminated instances of error "Refused to set unsafe header "Origin"' in the console
• More accurate users count while checking the PF365 license
• In Manage Variations on list with more than 5000 items, Save and Publish is not working
• In MUI step 1, it sometimes did not add the choice column choices value to the Multilingual Translation list
• Rare ActivateApp error "cannot convert argument 'context', with value "PnP.Framework.PnPClientContext", for "GetAppInstances" to type "Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.ClientRuntimeContext" :"
• After clicking on the Deactivate button, the removal was not complete
• "Created date" format issue for items with two instances of "Created date", one hidden
• On a site where Multilingual Page Publishing was once enabled, language variation fields in MUI step 2 sometimes incorrect
• MUI step 3 "Error in StartApplyTrans5: Unexpected response data from server."
• PF365Installer.ps1, when it is activating the app in sites that it upgraded, message "You must add PointFire 365 add-in app to this site"
• CallActivateAppMultiSite.ps1 sometimes activated all the languages not just the selected one.

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 has been released and is available using Microsoft AppSource.  See the press release with a quote from Microsoft Vice-President Giovanni Mezgec here.

Major features include:

• Translates modern pages
• Translates documents and metadata
• Compatible with SharePoint built-in multilingual or PointFire 365
• Translates documents, including Excel, PowerPoint, PDF
• App only, no server.  Easy to install and maintain
• Available from Microsoft AppSource for easy upgrades
• Translates 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.

If you already have PointFire Translator Server, you can get PointFire Translator Express for free.  It does not have all the same features, but it is easier to maintain and has higher translation quality.

If you already have PointFire 365, it is fully compatible.

If you are using SharePoint's Multilingual page publishing, it is fully compatible.  When you press the translation button, it creates the copies of the pages and translates them in a single step.

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

This is to announce the release of the PointFire Localizer 1.0.0. It is a free open source GitHub Action that allows you to localize your SharePoint Framework (SPFx) solutions with the help of the Azure AI Translator.  It does not require any paid PointFire tool, but it does require an Azure account.  

You can learn more and download here: https://github.com/marketplace/actions/pointfire-localizer

Also see this blog post for details: https://blog.icefire.ca/blogs/post/localize-your-spfx-solutions-with-pointfire-localizer1

We are available to offer any needed support with the tool and answer all your questions.

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 29, 2023

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

• Distorted image of spimn.png seen on a view page when grouped by Modified By

• Javascript error prompts on search results page with some custom refiners

• Blank page appears when multiple webparts in a specific sequence are present on a page

• Possible memory leak with error messages generated in ULS logs

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