One year after the release of GeneXus 17, we can say that it is the GeneXus version most widely adopted by the Community. Since its launch, we have continuously added new features to this version, totaling more than 200 improvements released in 2021 through Upgrades.

The most recent upgrade is described here: What’s New in GeneXus 17 U6:  Design System Object, Security, .NET Core, API Integration

We have kept our promise to deliver value every 2 months through upgrades, and the platform has evolved in terms of security, design, and integration.

Every GeneXus upgrade addresses challenges and solutions
arising in a world that needs increasingly more—and better—software
. In turn, these challenges fall neatly into four pillars: 

1. Design & multi-experience
   ,
2. Integration & evolution, 
3. Mission critical, 
4. Expanded DevOps.

I discussed each of these aspects in the GeneXus Live presentation titled
State of the art: GeneXus 17

Activate subtitles in your language.

In this post, I will address the GeneXus team’s work in relation to the design and multi-experience pillar
, which is now available for production with GeneXus 17
.

Design & multi-experience: GeneXus challenges and solutions

Design_

The challenge has been to remove the friction between design and development in order to speed up design, construction, and evolution to increase productivity. That’s why we have focused on two aspects: importing external designs
more easily, and modeling designs
inside GeneXus.

When designers work on the tools created for them—Sketch, for example—they can export those designs to GeneXus. In addition, developers can import those designs and use them to generate the solutions based on those designs. 

Front-end development times have been reduced by 75 percent! Thanks to this functionality—and most likely with the new features introduced throughout this year, more specifically in the last few months—we believe the GeneXus Community will be able to reduce these times by 85 percent. 

Even more so regarding software design and development:
GeneXus is the first Low-Code development tool with a domain-specific language for modeling design systems
. This means you can model your own designs, design options, and styles. 

VIDEOS:

• DesignOps Strategies: Paths from design to code
• Amplify the value of design and make a large-scale impact with DesignOps
• How to model a Design System from scratch

Multi-experience_

GeneXus allows you to model your applications and front end. In addition, it allows you to generate, from one object, for multiple devices in different sizes and with different technologies.

From one model, you can generate for native iOS and native Android, and now also for web and web mobile Angular, thanks to the new Angular generator added this year to GeneXus 17.

VIDEOS:

• 
  Benefits of modeling Multi-experience Apps to increase Software Development Productivity
• 
  Fiori Design System:
  Productivity for integration in the SAP world

Geographic data_

In solutions built with GeneXus, we have noticed that geographic data and the handling of this data from user interfaces are becoming increasingly important. 

Therefore, it is important for UX/UI how this data is resolved into maps, reports, and dashboards within applications, to display geographic data in different layers and for different uses and scenarios.

Besides display scenarios, we have also considered scenarios where operators work with this data when they register points, lines, polygons, and their work environment revolves around these maps.

VIDEOS:

• 
  How to make Geo Reports
• 
  Building applications for Smart Cities

Android, Apple, Angular_

New GeneXus 17 multi-experience features also include new controls, APIs, and generation for the latest technologies in Android, Apple, and Angular.

With GeneXus, we model multi-experience. We generate native apps on iOS or Android, as well as web applications that run on different browsers with the Angular generator.

VIDEOS:

I recommend watching these 3 videos from GeneXus Live Enterprise Low-Code 2021:

• 
  State of the art:
  Android platform and GeneXus
• 
  State of the art of Apple platforms: iOS, tvOS, watchOS, macOS, and GeneXus
• 
  Future-proof web generators

More productivity by adding tools from Partners
_

We have also worked together with our
Platform Partners
so that their tools can leverage all the new features of GeneXus and accelerate development even more
.
 

In particular, K2BTools and WorkWithPlus have also introduced their most important developments, and I thank them for joining this initiative to showcase the platform’s new features at GeneXus Live.

VIDEOS:

• 
  K2B Tools based on a Design System:
  Improve user experience and team productivity
• 
  Increased productivity and automation in GeneXus 17 with WorkWithPlus

In this post, I introduced the key elements of GeneXus 17 related to the design and multi-experience pillar, including what’s new in mission-critical applications, design, multi-experience, Geo Reports, and Design Systems. In the next post, I will address the challenges and responses of GeneXus regarding Technology Evolution and integration in the development of Mission-Critical Software solutions.

You may also be interested in these websites and articles:

• 
  genexus.com/genexus17
• 
  https://genexus.com/v17
• 
  Design Systems 
• Design System Objects
• Sketch