Loftware Smartflow 28.1 Release Notes

April 2026

Summary

Smartflow 28.1 offers more ways to manage content and create relationships, increasing ‘where-used’ traceability and supporting cost-saving initiatives through processes such as content use on shared components. The release also features improvements to help regulated/validation customers manage effectiveness and the expiration of artwork components.

Linked Rows in Master Datasheets

This new feature can be used to create reference links between Master Datasheet (MDS) rows in different sheets. A Master Datasheet can be set as a ‘Parent’ or ‘Child’, so the relationship has a clear hierarchy – for example, a parent-type Master Datasheet row can have links to multiple rows from one or more child datasheets. The relationship is added/edited in the ‘Linked Rows’ column of the parent Master Datasheet.

This feature also allows rows from multiple sheets to be brought into a project – so a row can be selected from a parent, and the user can choose to also bring in rows from child Master datasets that are linked to the selected row.

Creating relationships between rows from different source datasheets (such as product records or packaging component records) can improve traceability and expand options for generating where-used data.

An example use case might be a parent Master Datasheet used for SKU/product records (where each row is unique), with links to child Master Datasheets for Packaging Components, Cutters/Dielines, and other records that can apply to multiple SKUs.

Artwork Effectivity & Expiration Management

This enhancement to DAL asset management introduces configurable management of “effectivity” and “expiration” for approved artwork assets so users can clearly tell which approved version is current/usable, which is approved but not yet valid, which is no longer valid, and which has been replaced. To facilitate this, new or expanded approved file statuses are available when the feature is enabled.

Effectivity/expiration status can be automated using a Project Data “Event Date” field.

Enabling this feature ensures that only approved and effective artwork can be used for production, print, or downstream systems at any given time.

This prevents artwork that has been approved but is not yet allowed to be used (e.g. future regulatory change), or artwork that is no longer valid due to regulation, formulation, claims, or market change, from reaching those downstream distribution points in error.

Create ‘Asset Type’ Project from DAL Folder

Prior to 28.1, it was possible to create a new version of an existing DAL ‘Asset’ type file (stored in the main DAL folder hierarchy) in an approval workflow by creating a project and referencing back to an existing ‘Asset Type’ file in DAL, but not possible to create a net-new ‘version 1’ file using an approval workflow. Here, an improvement has been made to enable initiating a project directly from the DAL Folder Hierarchy.

This means a workflow approval project can be used to manage the creation and approval of a totally new DAL asset that can then be used in other projects (DAL main folder hierarchy is generally used for re-usable assets and components, in contrast to the Approved Files section, which serves as a repository for previously approved full artworks).

Configuration Migration - Workflow Templates

In previous versions, we introduced an automated migration tool that can transfer Project Type & Project Data configuration from one environment to another (e.g., shadow to production) without manual re-entry of the configuration. In this release, we continue to build on that feature and replace the existing Workflow Template Export/Import process (which was very manual and difficult to use) with the new, more user-friendly and less manual process that Project Type & Project Data uses.

Eliminating the manual effort of reconfiguring workflow templates between sites reduces the risk of migrating incorrect processes due to errors during manual entry

Duplicate 2D Table Tab

Project Data tables have been improved to allow users (with the appropriate right to enter data in the tab) to be able to duplicate an existing tab.

This feature will be useful to users entering data across multiple tabs with similar content, without having to switch tabs or copy/paste repeatedly, saving time and effort.

Prerequisites

Installation prerequisites

Loftware Smartflow 28.1 will also include 28.0. This package is a full installation that can be installed alone or as an upgrade from Smartflow 27.3.1 only.

New features and enhancements

Loftware has completed the following features and enhancements for this release.

Status	Description
Administration
Complete	Following the introduction of the new Workflow Template migration tool, the 'old' manual export/import template workflow functionality has been removed. Specifically, the ‘Import from Excel’ button on the Template list page has been removed, and the ‘Import Workflow Template’ menu from Import Client Configuration has been removed.
Complete	Add logging to the Data Connector BI tool to aid troubleshooting and make process timing easier to identify.
Advanced Requests
Complete	Enhancement to Advanced Request configuration UI, to allow data tables to display more fields - this is achieved by enabling horizontal scrolling.
BI/Reporting
Complete	New option for DAL Overview to display and report on file sizes of DAL assets. File Size for DAL assets will also be added to BI reporting tables. This will help customers find which assets use the most storage capacity.
Complete	This change addresses issues with the task report logic in the Smartflow UI that, based on user feedback, caused confusion and inconsistency in exported data: the Task Report date range was previously available only to be set based on the Project Scheduled Start Date. This feature will add a checkbox option 'Use Task Actual Start' to the Task Report, to allow users to export the Task Report based on the Task Actual Start date. If this option is not used, the existing logic will run the report based on Project Scheduled Start.
Complete	Improvement to the configuration area of the Data Connector (accessible only in the Loftware Settings area) to allow the export to be limited to a specific date range via a new checkbox option, "Set Date Range - based on Project Actual Start Date." UI also denotes the views that will be affected by this change.
DAL
Complete	Enhancement to DAL Overview capabilities to allow selection of Project Document item types. Please note that DAL Overview cannot support mixing Asset Item Type, Normal Item Type, and Project Document Item Type in a single overview.
Complete	To support the implementation of additional artwork statuses driven by Effectivity & Expiration dates, a new column type and filter for Artwork Approval Status can be added to DAL Overview.
Complete	To support the implementation of additional artwork statuses driven by Effectivity & Expiration dates, a new filter for Artwork Approval Status has been added to DAL Search.
Datasheets/Master Datasheets
Complete	Addition of a facility to search within the DAL asset picker when accessed from the Master Datasheet image/file cell to enhance usability and locate the correct asset without manually clicking through assets in the DAL hierarchy.
Complete	Improvement to the Master Datasheet export content option, to include Asset IDs as well as file name when stored in MDS cells.
Complete	New option in Master Datasheet (MDS) column properties to restrict MDS Image cells to only allow linking of DAL asset via a checkbox option. Based on customer feedback, where customers using MDS to control content would prefer that the upload to the MDS cell does not allow content from the user’s local machine to be directly uploaded - i.e., only Link DAL Asset should be available - where inputs are approved content.
Complete	Enhancement to the Master Datasheet/Standard Datasheet file/image cell when multiple DAL assets are selected, at least one of which is expired: the Cell Data display now highlights out-of-date assets in red.
Infrastructure/General Performance
Complete	Loftware Operations tool for automation of copying customer site data for the purposes of copying back from production to a non-production site. Includes in-product configuration and project content/data.
Integration
Complete	Following the new Linked Row functionality added in this release, getMDSRowContent has been augmented to include content from Linked Row cells (without affecting existing usage of this API).
Complete	Based on multiple customer use case requirements, the getMDSRowCOntent API has been augmented to allow it to return results based on partial matches of the specified criteria, offering the option to query the MDS and start projects for multiple rows that contain a criteria that may also be amongst other numbers e.g. get row content for all rows that contain SKU value 12345 - but some cells contain multiple SKU values e.g. cell value is [12345, 23456, 34567] so a partial match of the data is needed.
Phrase Library
Complete	"This change to the page memory function in the Phrase Library page introduces a subtle difference for users by switching the frontend memory to be browser-based. This means that, for a user, even if they log out or time out while keeping the browser open, any applied search criteria/filters will be remembered. In contrast, the previous backend-based memory relied on HTTP sessions—so the search or filter data would be lost once the user session timed out, or they actively logged out."
Complete	Increase in permitted phrase size limit from 1000 to 2000 characters to accommodate customer phrases exceeding the current maximum.
Complete	Addition of Export option to ‘References’ tab (in Phrase or Translation detail pop-up) in the phrase library to facilitate easier sharing and analysis of project 'where-used' data.
Project Data
Complete	Resolves an issue with the incorrect storage of the 'Clone' property value in the Project Data field configuration in the database. An issue was found where the value of the ‘clone' data field property in the table ‘tab_data_field' for newly created project data fields was -1. But after selecting the 'clone' check box and unselecting it, the value of the ‘clone' field in the table ‘tab_data_field' for the newly created project data field is 0 - both values should have been 0.
Workflow
Complete	This change allows triggering the 'Team Notify Event' (TNE) notification text output email to all role members if the TNE is set to ++Single User++ AND the user is unassigned, but the role is set. This change reverts the logic change implemented in 27.1.1, where the task was set to ++Single User++ AND user unassigned (but the role was set), the TNE text content was no longer being sent out.
Complete	Improvement to the visibility of multiple file uploads in the 'Upload to DAL' task to prevent user confusion. A table will be displayed so that if the user uploads a file, then leaves the task before completing it. When they return to the task, the previously uploaded file is visible.
Complete	New filter options in 'Reassigns Tasks/Projects for My Roles' to be consistent with My Tasks/Projects, so that the user is able to locate all items to reassign by using specific project data to filter the results displayed.
Complete	This enhancement adds a feature that allows customers to set a specific default task for the "insert sub-project after task" setting when creating sub-projects from a datasheet. Selecting the new option 'Select task insertion point' prompts a secondary list to select the specific task. This adds to the existing options of 'Below this task' and 'Below last task in workflow'.

Resolved issues

Loftware has fixed the following issues in this release.

Status	Description
BI/Reporting
Resolved Re Resolved solved s	Resolves an issue with Task_Report where the Decision Task (DT) workflow loops within other Decision Task (DT) loops, resulting in duplicate task entries in the data. Please note that Loftware does not advise the use of DT within another DT loop, as some configurations can cause circular dependencies. However, when carefully implemented, this fix supports the correct reporting of tasks.
Resolved	Fix to ensure that actual_end dates are not stored/recorded where the project should not yet have one. Previously, it was found that the actual end date was stored in the database for projects that had not been started - this was caused by the projects being created using a duplicate of projects (specifically sub-projects) that did have an actual end date.
DAL
Resolved	Fix to update the security group control logic for the Approved artwork files DAL download resized asset button to align with the main download button in the DAL detail window.
Resolved	Resolves a UI issue in the DAL Bulk Import tool: the 'Pending' files list lacked informative tooltips for files with no value for the mandatory field, leaving the user unsure why they cannot be imported. Following this change, a message will alert the user '‘Missing mandatory Project Data Field value' with a red icon displayed.
Datasheets/Master Datasheets
Resolved	Resolves issue of the admin datasheet page incorrectly displaying failed processing master datasheets (e.g. duplicate datasheet, duplicate tab, import DS/Master DS by Excel), caused by the tab_datasheet_processing_info table not being properly cleared, leading to outdated processing status reports.
Resolved	Resolves an issue with inconsistent phrase ordering during MDS import. Phrases should be imported into MDS to set the import content (i.e., the Excel file).
Resolved	Resolves an issue in Master Datasheets where the image cell, including the non-latest DAL asset file, isn't highlighted in red after refreshing the cell. Fix ensures that the non-latest DAL Asset file is highlighted red to indicate that out-of-date content is referenced in the cell.
DaVinci
Resolved	Resolves an issue where the densitometer tool does not work in the DV client when the render.sliceformat in DV Settings is set to PNG.
Infrastructure/General Performance
Resolved	Resolves a performance issue in the migration of sites from MSSQL (pre v28.0) to PGSQL in version 28.0.
Phrase Library
Resolved	Resolves an issue in the Phrase Library UI where memory values were not assigned during page initialization and loading, causing the 'By Library' value to be displayed incorrectly after creating a translation admin project with a filtered phrase.

Open issues and known behaviors

Loftware has identified the following open issues scheduled for resolution in a future release, as well as known behaviors to be aware of.

Status	Description
Known	When importing to the Master Datasheet with 2000 rows x 250 columns, the validation process is run twice, causing a delay in performance
Known	In a Range Approval project’s ‘Download Artwork’ task, if the artwork has more than one approved cycle (i.e. create new approval loop has been used), when downloading one of them and then refresh the screen (or go to other page then back to download artwork file task), the other approved cycle file cannot download – link not clickable).
Known	In the Datasheet tab of a project (where Master Datasheet rows are displayed), it takes 1.6 minutes to refresh the image cell, which contains 2 DAL assets
Known	In the Datasheet tab of a project (where Master Datasheet rows are displayed) – during edit mode, the options of a single drop-down list cannot be shown if the cell value is long and the row is near the bottom of the datasheet frame.
Known	On the Time and Cost’ Audit History page, the value of "Additional Activities" is displayed with 4 decimal places. It should actually show 2 decimal places.
Known	The withdrawal notification email for the Advanced Request type project doesn't include the user-entered reason comment.
Known	In the Master Datasheet (MDS) admin UI, when exporting MDS, the value order of the phrase cells is inconsistent with the MDS admin UI.
Known	In the getMDSRowContent API return message, the value order of phrase cells is inconsistent with the Master Datasheet admin UI
Known	'addRemoveMDSRow' API - there should be a check as to whether there are duplicated rows when adding rows to the non-admin project
Known	Admin->Access Log->Admin Log->CHANGE PROJECT INITIATOR LOG - The PID of sub-projects is incorrect, as Smartflow_PID is displayed instead of Display_PID

How to get Smartflow 28.1

Smartflow 28.1 roll-out program will begin with deployment to non-compliance customer non-production sites on

More information

For information on how to use this product, see the Getting Started Guide and other documentation available on help.loftware.com, or click Help from within the product.