2022 Release Three (3) Expere Engine and Tools Changelog

Expere Engine Release: 2022 Release Three (3)External release date is December 2022. Expere Engine build number is: 22.3.0.4737.

Engine: SMARTDoc 1.02 Enhancements -
  • Type: Feature
  • Reference: PBI 743015, 743059, 743055, 743120, 740965, 740966, 741679, 739618, 740398, 723227, 738190, 738378, 738379, 738720, 738731, 738732, 739602, 747444, 746721
Summary: Recently, Wolters Kluwer updated Expere to generate MISMO SMARTDoc version 1.02. The work items below consist of enhancements made for this feature:

Hosted / Self-hosted users:

  • SmartDoc updated to handle ord() masks and missing values correctly (PBI 743015): per this work item, the following issues were addressed:
    • When an "01" is used with an ord() mask, "01st" appeared instead of "1st." This behavior has been corrected to now display a value as "1st" in the corresponding PDF file.
    • A missing value resulted in a validation failure; This behavior has been enhanced so that a validation failure no longer appears.
  • Decimal values for Percentage amounts mismatch between the HTML view and MASK (PBI 743059): during the course of a validating a related work item, a user reported that when using decimal values for percentages, the output displayed a leading 0; for example: "0.123%." The value was expected to appear as ".123%." This behavior has been addressed so that the leading 0 no longer appears.
  • Mask enhancements (PBI 738190, 738378, 738379): we have implemented additional masking updates for percentages, non-currency numbers, and currency values. See Using SMART Doc functionality for more information.
  • Value 999999 is not displayed properly in the VIEW and in the PDF generated (PBI 743055): when a value of 999999 is used as a number or percentage, a comma appeared at the beginning of the value in the PDF document. This behavior has been corrected so that the comma appears in the correct location.
  • Leading # for numbers larger than 999 added (PBI 740965): numbers larger than 999 are now represented as #,###. See Using SMART Doc Functionality for more information.
  • SmartDoc now handles 0% values correctly (PBI 740966): when 0 or 0.0 is passed as a percent format, the value now appears with a percent (e.g. 0% or 0.0%).
  • ID's updated to handle underscores (PBI 746721): previously, transactions failed when an underscore prepend was added to elements and attributes that were not ID's. This behavior has been modified so that underscores are now only prepended to the following ID's:
    • TargetsIDREFS
    • TargetIDREF
    • DataIDREF
    • AreaIDREF
    • SignatureIDREF
    • BorrowerID
    • BorrowerIDREF
    • REO_ID
    • LiabilityID
    • JointAssetBorrowerID
    • _ID
    • SectionIDREF
  • _FormNumberIdentifier attribute value now customizable (PBI 739618): previously, the _FormNumberIdentifier attribute value always appeared as "3200e" even if the value was different in the corresponding document. SMART Doc behavior has been modified so that the value for _FormNumberIdentifier is extracted from an internal value of the corresponding document.
  • Package behavior enhanced (PBI 741679): when a packet was part of a PKG (package) or inline package, included an eNote, and did NOT include an <EClosingNoPDFCopyInd>1</EClosingNoPDFCopyInd> in the transaction, the eNote was placed in the specific packet, but the corresponding PDF copy was placed in the default packet. Now, the eNote and PDF documents will reside in the same packet.
  • InstanceSigningInstructions enhanced (PBI 738720); users reported that when generating an eNote, the InstanceSigningInstructions element was set to "InkSign." The correct values should be "NoSignatures" for PDF files and "ESign" for SMART Docs. See Using SMART Doc functionality for more information.
  • Error messaging enhanced (PBI 740398): previously if a SMART Doc exception occurred, only a portion of the error message appeared. Expere has been updated to now display the entire detailed error message.
  • Exception thrown if transaction results in generating multiple eNotes (PBI 747444): Expere now displays an informative error message if multiple eNotes are present in the same transaction. Only one eNote is allowed per transaction.
  • MergeCopyPDF not working with SmartDoc XML returned in packet (PBI 743120): a user reported that the Expere returned a SOAP error message when attempting to use the MergeCopyPdf functionality when the SMART Doc XML was returned in a packet. As a result, the PDF copy of the SMART Doc file will be merged with the other PDF documents that are part of the package; however, the SMART Doc itself will remain as a separate file, as an XHTML file cannot be merged with a PDF.
  • ExcludeESignatureAndENotaryInd enhanced (PBI 738731): users reported that when passing the ExcludeESignatureAndENotaryInd in the request that the eNote placeholder documents generated as PDF files instead of XML files, regardless of the value set by the user. See eOriginal Quick Guide: Expere Transaction XPaths for eOriginal for more information.
  • Extra Spaces in XHTML when decoding from Base64 (PBI 738732): users reported that when viewing the SMART Doc in an internet browser, the corresponding XHTML file contained extra unwanted spaces.
  • SMART Doc functionality enhanced for use with WKES_ESignatureAndFieldSupport ancillary option (PBI 739602): users reported that errors occurred when attempting to generate a SMART Doc using a WKES_ESignatureAndFieldSupport ancillary option.
  • SMART Doc help topic added (PBI 723227): the Expere Developer Guide has been updated with a Using SMART Doc Functionality help topic that provides greater detail when using SMART Docs.
Engine: QR Barcode functionality implemented - dynamic, static, embedded PDF documents
Summary: The Expere Engine has been enhanced to support the use of QR Barcodes as an ancillary output option when generating PDF documents.
Note: This feature applies to dynamic, static, and embedded PDF documents and does not apply to transactional barcodes.
WCAG 2.0: Expere Engine enhanced to support Tagged .PDF's
Summary: As a part of our continued effort to create WCAG 2.0 compatible documents we have updated the Expere Engine to now support the generation of Tagged .PDF documents. We will continue making enhancements to the Expere Engine for Tagged .PDF support, so check back for items being identified and corrected. As part of our continued work to support Tagged .PDF's, we have implemented enhancements to resolve the following WCAG 2.0-related changes:
  • Tagged PDF behavior enhanced (PBI 737331): the Tagged PDF document format now support the following barcodes when generating dynamic and embedded PDF documents:
    • Code39 (3 of 9)
    • 2D (PDF 417)
    • Code 128
    • Inter25
    • QR
Note: In order to pass the accessibility checker, additional development is required to fully implement TaggedPDF with barcode functionality. This work will be completed in a future release.
  • Bookmark behavior enhanced when using ESignatureAndFieldSupport ancillary option and sub-settings(PBI 730636 / 686592): A user reported that bookmarks did not appear when generating Tagged PDF documents using an ESignatureAndFieldSupport ancillary output option and ESignatureFieldCoordinatesOnly="yes" and NonESignatureFieldCoordinates="yes" in certain instances.
  • Multiple column lists being tagged as a single list for each column (PBI 693418): when a list of items spanned multiple columns, the Adobe Acrobat Tag Tree diplays this as one continuous list.
  • Link behavior for footnote tagging updated (PBI 696222): when the "Link -" element was used, it was only linking to the last instance of an asterisk. As a result of the updates, the "Link -" element can now be tagged to multiple link references with the same name.
  • Engine updated to pass Accessibility Check for Language and Title (PBI 742711): users reported that when generating a Tagged PDF dynamic document with barcodes, those barcodes appeared in the tag tree; this behavior is not correct for WCAG 2.0-related documents. Subsequently when running the Accessibility Checker in Adobe Acrobat, failures occurred for Language and Title. This behavior has been enhanced:
    • Language from the Document Properties > Advance tab is set to English or Spanish as specified in the REQ file.
    • Title from the Document Properties > Initial View tab is set to Show > Document Title.
WCAG 2.0: Expere Engine enhanced to support Embedded PDF's
Summary: As part of our continued effort to create WCAG 2.0 compatible documents, we have updated the Expere Engine to support a new document format that we refer to as Embedded PDF. The Embedded PDF will allow Expere to support Tagged PDFs of what was traditionally Static REQs. We will continue making enhancements to the Expere Engine for Embedded PDF REQ files, so check back for items being identified and corrected. As part of our continued work to support Tagged PDFs for Embedded PDF REQ files, we will have implemented the below enhancements:
  • Embedded PDF documents with WKES_ESignatureAndFieldSupport ancillary option (PBI 737530): When testing embedded PDF REQ files with a WKES_ESignatureAndFieldSupport ancillary option, we determined that checkboxes were not being labeled in a manner that WKES could identify. For example: rather than being labeled with the following nameing convention: WKES_Checkbox_<email>_<sequence#>-<navigation#>_<O for Optional, M for Mandatory>, they were simply being labeled as: Checkbox<##_##>.
  • Embedded PDF behavior enhanced when using the WKES_ESignatureAndFieldSupport ancillary option (PBI 742236): a rendering error occurred when executing an embedded PDF document using the "WKES_ESignatureAndFieldSupport" ancillary option; internal analysis determined that the use of checkboxes with this ancillary option resulted in the aforementioned error.
  • Embedded PDF transaction barcode functionality updated (PBI 740367): updates were made to the transaction barcode functionality for embedded PDFs in order to replicate static document transactional barcode functionality. Subsquently, when a Transaction Barcode is specified in the request, the embedded PDF will generate a barcode with a barcode type of "3of9."
  • Barcode cover page functionality enhanced for use with embedded PDF (PBI 742259): Users reported that a barcode cover page was being created inadvertently when generating an embedded PDF. This behavior has been enhanced so that a barcode cover page is generated with an embedded PDF when the following criteria are met:
    • The Form_Barcode field does not exist on any page.
    • The transaction request contains the Ancillary output barcode option with a UseCoverPage="true" element and value.
  • Barcodes not appearing in embedded PDF (PBI 744898): During the testing of a related work item, ancillary barcodes did not appear when generating an embedded PDF document. Users reported that ancillary barcodes were only present after adding a <TaglineBarcodeDesc> element and value to the transaction, which is not necessary.
  • Tagline items appearing in tag tree for embedded PDF documents (PBI 742712): users reported that items within a document tagline, including a barcode when applicable, were appearing in a Tagged PDF tag tree. This behavior is incorrect for WCAG 2.0 documents. The Expere Engine has been enhanced so that no tagline items will appear in the tag tree and subsequently will not be read by a synthetic screen reader.
Note: Although we continue to work on enhancements regarding embedded PDF REQ files, base content containing embedded PDF REQ files will be released in the future.
Support embedded PDF for a DB installation
  • Type: Enhancement
  • Reference: PBI 750269
  • Documentation Impacts: No documentation impact
Summary: Expere now supports storing embedded PDF's in a content database. There is no user action required.
Note: Although we continue to work on enhancements regarding embedded PDF REQ files, base content containing embedded PDF REQ files will be released in the future.
Expere: fillable checkboxes enhanced for use with 4506C
  • Type: Enhancement
  • Reference: PBI 746321
  • User Action Required: Users must install 2022 Release Three (3) of the Expere Engine to support the updated IRS Form 4506-C.
Summary: 4506C authors require that fillable checkboxes within that form be sized at a 10 point square. Previously, Expere had sized these fillable checkboxes at a 9 point square without the ability to adjust the sizing per IRS requirements. Expere has been enhanced to size the fillable checkboxes as a 10 point square for the 4506C. All other fillable checkboxes will remain as a 9 point square.
Expere: Smart Quote / Apostrophe behavior enhanced when authoring Tool Tips
  • Type: Enhancement
  • Reference: PBI 741131
  • Documentation Impacts: No documentation impact
Summary: Users reported that an error occurred when authoring Tool Tips with Smart Quotes and Apostrophes. Analysis determined that an internal technology update to the Expere Engine resulted in the aforementioned errors. As a result, Expere has been updated and no longer errors when Smart Quotes and Apostrophes are authored in the Tool Tip; however, depending on the type of field, the character may not appear properly. Currently for Tool Tips associated with a radio button, these characters are not appearing correctly in the generated document’s Tool Tip for the field. An additional work item has been created to address this in the future.
Expere: Assembly errors addressed when attempting to generate a Tagged PDF
  • Type: Enhancement
  • Reference: PBI 745529
  • Documentation Impacts: No documentation impact
Summary: Users reported the following rendering errors:
  • XPath string behavior enhanced (PBI 745529): a user reported an error when passing in a lengthy XPath string value that contained several line breaks when attempting to generate a Tagged PDF. Internal analysis determined that the error occurred because the string value started at the bottom of the page on the resulting PDF, then continued on the next page. Expere has been enhanced so that documents generate when passing in a lengthy XPath string.
Expere: Notary SignatureRequired element set to 'true' but returned as 'false' in response
  • Type: Enhancement
  • Reference: PBI 741401
  • Documentation Impacts: No documentation impact
Summary: Users reported that the Expere Response XML returned for the <SignatureRequired> element and value was set to ‘false’ for a notary <SignatureRequired> element despite the value being set to "true" in the request transaction. The Expere Engine has been enhanced so that the response value for the <SignatureRequired> element matches the <SignatureRequired> value in the transaction.