A new version of Digital Experience Accelerator (DXA) for both .NET and Java web applications is now available. This release includes:

• Support for SDL Tridion Sites 9 features
  • Support for GraphQL Content Service
  • Support for Content Mashups
  • Support for native Page Regions
• Support for SDL Tridion Sites 8.5 and higher
• Community Contributions

Support for SDL Tridion Sites 9 features

Earlier DXA 2.1 introduced several new features which leverage and showcase the new capabilities of SDL Tridion Sites 9, and was available only for .NET web applications. DXA 2.2 makes these features of SDL Tridion Sites available for Java web applications as well.

Support for GraphQL Content Service

DXA 2.2 leverages the new GraphQL Content Service (aka Public Content API) introduced in SDL Tridion Sites 9. The Content Service is extended with a so-called DXA Model Extension and replaces the DXA Standalone Model Service that was introduced in DXA 2.0.

This new, more integrated architecture provides better performance and also facilitates retrieving content from both SDL Tridion Sites and SDL Tridion Docs on the same delivery environment to provide better customer engagements.

Support for Content Mashups

DXA 2.2 provides several features for Content Mashups: digital experiences which combine content from SDL Tridion Sites and SDL Tridion Docs.

• Use of GraphQL Content Service to retrieve content from SDL Tridion Sites and SDL Tridion Docs from the same delivery environment.
• Semantic mapping for SDL Tridion Docs Topics to define Strongly Typed View Models for SDL Tridion Docs content.
• SDL Tridion Docs Mashup Module which provides an example implementation for retrieving related SDL Tridion Docs content.

Support for native Page Regions

SDL Tridion Sites 9 introduced Page Regions, which provides page creators with guidance about what content is expected on the page.

DXA already had the concept of Page Regions (based on Component Template metadata), but DXA 2.2 leverages native Page Regions, showcasing their use in its Core Module and example site implementation.

Support for SDL Tridion Sites 8.5 and higher

DXA 2.1 supported SDL Tridion Sites 9.0, DXA 2.2 supports SDL Tridion Sites 8.5 and higher, including SDL Tridion Sites 9.1 upon release.

Using DXA with SDL Tridion Sites 8.5, you won’t be able to benefit from the SDL Tridion Sites 9 features described above, but you will benefit from updated third party libraries, performance improvements, bug fixes and enhancements contributed by the Community.

SDL Tridion Sites 9.1 will support AdoptOpenJDK 11 and DXA 2.2 also supports this to be future-proof.

Community Contributions

Being an Open Source project, DXA relies on the Community contributing fixes and enhancements through GitHub.

SDL ensured that the majority of those Community fixes and enhancements are incorporated in DXA 2.2, which makes it easier to upgrade (no need to reapply customizations) and makes those fixes and enhancements readily available to everyone.  This is Community-based Open Source development at its best.

NOTE

DXA 2.2 initially ships without Dynamic Documentation Module; a DXA 2.2 Dynamic Documentation Module will be released shortly after the main DXA 2.2 release.