Release Date:
Summary
This release focuses on graduating a large number of previously experimental features into the standard Synapse experience, while also adding a new anonymous chat capability for select portals and polishing several existing tools. With this update, capabilities that users may have seen behind "experimental mode" toggles are now simply part of the default product.
Key areas of work in this release include: entity and project pages (metadata display, ACL editing, storage locations, virtual tables), search, curation and provenance tooling, challenge submissions, wiki widgets, and the file uploader. This release also enables anonymous chat access for two research portals and includes minor UI polish.
In total, 21 tickets were completed as part of this release.
No breaking changes or required user actions are included in this release.
Affected Users & Systems
|
Who/What |
Impact |
|---|---|
|
All Synapse users |
Several previously experimental features (search, metadata display, ACL editor, virtual tables, provenance visualization, and more) are now part of the standard experience with no action needed. |
|
Users uploading files |
The next-generation file uploader is now the default upload experience. |
|
Project administrators |
Custom storage location settings are now visible by default in project storage settings. |
|
Team members viewing team pages |
An interactive map view is now available by default for teams. |
|
Bridge2AI and CCKP portal visitors |
Anonymous (non-logged-in) users can now use the AI chat feature on these two portals. |
|
Users viewing entity pages |
Created/modified metadata has moved into the page sidebar for a cleaner layout. |
Deprecated or Breaking Changes
None in this release.
New Features
Next-Generation File Uploader New
The redesigned file uploader is now the default way to upload files to Synapse, replacing the previous experimental version. It offers a smoother, more reliable upload experience for large and multi-file uploads.
Who benefits: Anyone uploading data or files to Synapse.
Interactive Team Map New
Team pages now include a "Show Map" option by default, letting members see a geographic visualization of team participation.
Who benefits: Members of teams that use the map feature to visualize participant locations.
Anonymous Chat Access for Bridge2AI and CCKP New
Visitors to the Bridge2AI and CCKP research portals can now start an AI chat session without needing to log in first, making it easier for new visitors to get quick answers.
Who benefits: Prospective users and the public exploring these portals.
Custom Storage Location Settings New
Custom storage locations are now shown by default in the "Change Project Storage Location" settings, making it easier for teams to manage where their project's data is stored.
Who benefits: Project administrators managing where data is stored.
Broader Rollout of Previously Experimental Tools New
A large batch of features that had been available only in "experimental mode" are now enabled by default for all users. These include: AI-assisted grid analysis, dataset/recordset synchronization, linking curation tasks to grid sessions, an improved metadata tab, upgraded search, a streamlined portals dropdown, an updated entity permissions (ACL) editor, virtual table support, provenance visualization, challenge submission settings, wiki widgets, entity descriptions, Docker image provenance tracking, and a view of associated projects. Because these were already available to opt in, most users will notice no change other than the features being consistently on.
Who benefits: All users who rely on search, curation, provenance tracking, or table/dataset tooling.
Entity Page Metadata Relocation New
As part of an ongoing entity page redesign, the "created by" and "modified by" metadata has moved into the page sidebar, giving the main page more room for content.
Who benefits: Anyone browsing files, folders, or other entities in Synapse.
Fixes & Improvements
Table/View Button Styling Fix
Fixed a cosmetic issue on the project Tables tab where the "Table/View" button did not reset to its correct text color after canceling out of a dialog.
Who benefits: Users navigating the Tables tab on a project page.