KB001660

DOWNLOADS K2 for SharePoint 4.6.9 New Features List.pdf (197 KB)

SEE ALSO KB001672 - K2 for SharePoint 4.6.9 upgrade issue when attempting to connect to the Metadata Endpoint

Important: Before reading this KB article, see K2 for SharePoint Upgrades (KB001793) for information on how to upgrade K2 for SharePoint as there are differences depending on the version of K2 you currently have and what version you are upgrading to.

K2 for SharePoint is a business app that seamlessly integrates with SharePoint, on-premises or in the cloud enabling you to build simple workflows within SharePoint or complex applications that simply use SharePoint as a line-of-business system.

K2 for SharePoint 4.6.9 can be downloaded from the K2 blackpearl downloads page available on the K2 Partner and Customer Portal site. There is one package that once extracted will provide you with all the K2 installers required to run K2 for SharePoint 4.6.9, or you can download the K2 for SharePoint component as a separate installer. See the Installation details below for more information.

New Features and Enhancement

There are several new features and enhancements available in this release. For a detailed list click here.

The Knowledge Base article KB001659 - K2 for SharePoint 4.6.9 Resolved Issues List, lists the issues resolved in this release.

The Knowledge Base article KB001658 lists the unresolved issues in this release.
Read KB001672 regarding an issue experienced when upgrading to K2 for SharePoint 4.6.9

Important Considerations

1. 1. K2 for SharePoint Online Released
      K2 for SharePoint Online is no longer in preview mode as Microsoft has released the Common Consent Framework. The Framework has been applied to K2 for SharePoint in the 4.6.9 release.
      For more information on the Common Consent Framework, please see:
      http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/dn605895(v=office.15).aspx.

Important:The newly released K2 for SharePoint Online App (version 4.4120.5.1) requires K2 4.6.9. Ensure that all servers are upgraded to the K2 4.6.9 stack before upgrading to the latest K2 for SharePoint Online App. The new app will not function on a previous version of K2. If you have upgraded the app on an older K2 version follow KB001443 to revert to the old preview App.

K2 for SharePoint utilizes a user and app policy. The rights required will vary depending on where the K2 for SharePoint app is installed from, either the SharePoint Store or the App Catalog.

SharePoint Store

1. 1. 1. K2 for SharePoint from the SharePoint Store requires Web.Manage user and app rights. For more information see, Plan app permissions management in SharePoint 2013: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj219576(v=office.15).aspx
      2. The Tenant Administrator is required to install the app or run the Registration Wizard for the first time in a site collection.
      3. Users that want to use the K2 for SharePoint app will require the following:
         1. SharePoint Site Member rights to see the K2 Application in the ribbon of the List or Library.
         2. K2 Solution Designers permissions to design SmartObjects, Views, Forms and workflows.
         3. K2 Solution participant permissions to start and view information about workflows they participate in.

App Catalog

1. 1. K2 for SharePoint from the App Catalog requires Site.FullControl user and app rights. For more information see, Plan app permissions management in SharePoint 2013: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj219576(v=office.15).aspx
   2. The Tenant Administrator is required to install the app or run the Registration Wizard for the first time in a site collection.
   3. Users that want to use the K2 for SharePoint will require the following:
      1. SharePoint Site Member rights to see the K2 Application in the ribbon of the List or Library.
      2. K2 Solution Designers permissions to design SmartObjects, Views, Forms and workflows.
      3. K2 Solution participant permissions to start and view information about workflows they participate in.
2. When deploying a SharePoint 2013 integrated workflow from K2 Studio or K2 Designer for Visual Studio that is configured to start manually, the K2 Service account must be granted start rights to the workflow. The same applies to workflows that are exported from the Workflow Designer (as*.kprx) in K2 for SharePoint, modified in the thick clients and redeployed, in this case the rights between thin client and thick client are not transferred in the export. No error is encountered if the rights are not granted, but the workflow will not be started.
3. The document Guidelines for installing K2 for SharePoint in existing K2 environments describes the various SharePoint environments that can function in a K2 environment and how you can move to K2 for SharePoint.

Behavioral Change

Prior to K2 for SharePoint 4.6.9, if Forms were created for a List in a SharePoint Online environment, the resulting SmartForms would display outside of SharePoint context (in other word, the forms would show as a stand-alone page and not be hosted inside a SharePoint frame). The Common Consent changes introduced in K2 for SharePoint 4.6.9 allows Forms for Lists in SharePoint Online to be rendered inside SharePoint. To make use of this new functionality, use the New > Generate SmartObjects and New > Generate Forms options in the K2 Application elements page to re-generate the Data and Forms for the List. The regenerated Forms will then show inside of SharePoint, as opposed to stand-alone pages outside of SharePoint.

Warning: Re-generating Forms will reset any customizations you may have made previously. If you had customized the generated Forms for the List, you will need to re-apply the customizations after regenerating the Forms.

Installation

K2 for SharePoint 4.6.9 is available as an independent installation package. Refer to the K2 for SharePoint documentation for detailed installation instructions.
Prerequisites

Before installing K2 for SharePoint, ensure the following prerequisite software has been installed in your environment.

K2 Software Requirements

K2 for SharePoint is an add-on for K2 blackpearl and requires the following K2 software to be fully installed and configured.

• K2 blackpearl 4.6.9 (4.12060.1640.1) Read the K2 blackpearl 4.6.9 Release Notes for further details.
• K2 smartforms 4.6.9 (4.12165.1650.1) Read the K2 smartforms 4.6.9 Release Notes for further details.
• K2 smartforms Control Pack 4.6.9 (4.13180.1675.1) Read the K2 smartforms Control Pack 4.6.9 Release Notes for further details.

SharePoint Requirements

• SharePoint Server 2013 Standard Edition or SharePoint Server 2013 Enterprise Edition

Other Software Requirements

• Microsoft Silverlight 4.0.50917.0 or higher (required by all client machines which will access the web-based K2 Workflow Designer)
• .NET Framework 4.5 required by the K2 Server and the K2 Setup Manager
• SharePoint Server 2013 Client Components SDK (required for distributed installations on machines that do not have SharePoint installed)
• PowerShell 2 or higher required on the K2 Server by the K2 Setup Manager

Supported Browsers

SharePoint users/participants need a SharePoint-compatible Internet browser to view and use K2 for SharePoint features, including:

• Internet Explorer 9, 10 or 11
• Google Chrome (latest released version)
• Mozilla Firefox (latest released version)
• Apple Safari is only supported on Mac (latest released version)

Installation Steps

Installing the K2 for SharePoint package needs to be performed in a specific order to ensure a successful and functional environment. Below are the steps that must be followed:
Step 1: Install K2 blackpearl 4.6.9 (4.12060.1640.1).
Step 2:Install K2 smartforms 4.6.9 (4.12165.1650.1). If you do not have K2 smartforms, install it using a K2 smartforms runtime license which is available from https://portal.k2.com/licensekey/default.aspx. Note that certain SmartForms functionality is limited with a runtime license such as creating custom artefacts (SmartObjects, Views and Forms) and extending (editing) existing forms.
Step 3: Install K2 smartforms Control Pack 4.6.9 (4.13180.1675.1)
Step 4: Install K2 for SharePoint 4.6.9 (4.13350.1660.1)
Step 5: Add the K2 for SharePoint App to your site
Step 6: Register your K2 for SharePoint App
Step 7: Create a SharePoint List or Library, click on the List/Library ribbon and select K2 Application.
Now you can create data, forms, workflows and reports in your SharePoint 2013 environment.

1. Upgrade the K2 components in the following order:

   Step 1:	K2 blackpearl 4.6.8 (4.12060.1600.0)		K2 blackpearl 4.6.9 (4.12060.1640.1)
   Step 2:	K2 smartforms 1.0.7 (4.12165.1635.0)		K2 smartforms 4.6.9 (4.12165.1650.1)
   Step 3:	K2 smartforms Control Pack 1.0.1 (4.13180.1670.0)		K2 smartforms Control Pack 4.6.9 (4.13180.1675.1)
   Step 4:	K2 for SharePoint 1.0.1 (4.13350.1645.0)		K2 for SharePoint 4.6.9 (4.13350.1660.1)

2. Update the K2 for SharePoint App. If you do not update the App, the runtime will continue to function, meaning the Worklist, Form Viewer, New/Edit/Display Forms of lists or libraries that had previously used the App's functionality will work. However, you will not be able to add the App to any new lists or libraries and will receive an error until you have updated the App on the site. Follow these steps to update the App:

   Note: To upgrade the K2 for SharePoint App you will need to have Site Collection Administrator rights in SharePoint. The System Account cannot be used to upgrade the app.

   
   a) In SharePoint 2013 navigate to Site Contents.
   b) Navigate to the K2 for SharePoint App, hover over the App until the 3 ellipsis appear, click on the ellipsis.
   c) Select the ‘About’ option to be redirected to the Upgrade App Page (Note: It can take a number of hours after upgrading for the K2 App to reflect the upgrade status). There are two versions of the App namely;
   4.4120.5.100 - is available for on-premises via the App Catalog.
   4.4120.5.1- is available for SharePoint Online from the SharePoint Store.
   d) A new Version of the App will be available, click on the Get It button.
   e) The Trust validation screen will appear, click on Trust It.
   f) The App will be upgraded.
3. Run through the Registration wizard found on the K2 for SharePoint page under the General section. (Note that you will require at least Site Owner rights to run the Registration  wizard).
4. Be sure to regenerate the SmartObjects on existing Lists and Libraries by selecting the Generate SmartObjects option under the New menu on the K2 Application page. This will ensure that any new functionality added in the upgade is applied to the existing artifacts. For more information, see the Generating SmartObjects from the K2 Application Page topic in the documentation.
5. Your upgrade is now complete and K2 for SharePoint is ready for use.