In Q1 2022, Progress will deprecate several Sitefinity features. This FAQ provides a detailed overview of what the deprecation entails, what to expect, the alternatives and options available to you and practical guidance on how to move forward.
We understand the level of commitment and customizations some customers have, especially to the WebForms widgets. Here is how your project may be affected as of Sitefinity 14.1.
ASP.NET Web Forms widgets:
Support for ASP.NET Web Forms in the Sitefinity frontend was deprecated as of version 14.1 (March 2022). However, ASP.NET Web Forms capabilities are still included in later versions, such as 14.4 LTS and 15.x, to facilitate transition to ASP.NET Core or Next.js.
Progress strongly advises against using ASP.NET Web Forms for production deployments in any version beyond 13.3 LTS, which remains the last officially supported version for ASP.NET Web Forms. Customers who choose to deploy ASP.NET Web Forms-based websites on versions beyond 13.3 do so at their own risk. ASP.NET Web Forms capabilities are no longer eligible for support, feature development or bug fixes, including security updates. Any newly introduced or discovered issues, including critical bugs without workarounds, will not be addressed.
Classic UI:
The option to enable the Classic UI will be removed from the management interface and the Sitefinity’s New Content Editing Experience will be the only UI available for all backend users.
With the release of Sitefinity 14.1, the following Sitefinity features and capabilities will be deprecated:
1) WebForms for front-end development (Built-in WebForms Widgets, WebForms Widget templates, Hybrid Page templates, Responsive design module)
Recommended alternatives:
2) Sitefinity’s classic backend UI (Affected are all backend screens which already do support Sitefinity’s new backend UI like Pages, Content, Media, Taxonomies, Page Templates, etc.)
Recommended alternative:
Versions prior to Sitefinity 14.1 are not affected. Customers on Sitefinity version 14.0 and lower can continue to use both WebForms and Sitefinity’s classic UI in their projects.
We understand the level of commitment and customizations some customers have, especially to the WebForms widgets. Here is how your project may be affected as of Sitefinity 14.1.
WebForms widgets:
Classic UI:
There is no separate release line for Sitefinity Cloud. The same version that you could deploy on-premises is also available in the cloud. That is why, all deprecations into Sitefinity DX itself will affect the Cloud customers as well.
The support of Sitefinity versions can be determined in the lifecycle policy guide: https://www.progress.com/support/sitefinity-lifecycle-policy
The automated upgrades in Sitefinity Cloud don't change the project source code apart from its configurations. Given that, it's not covering the fixing of breaking changes. This remains on the customer/partner. Progress can help with that if the customer purchases Premium Upgrade Service (https://www.progress.com/documentation/sitefinity-cms/cloud/upgrading-the-project#premium-automated-upgrades).
Either way, customers are not forced to accept the automated upgrade and can stay on previous versions.
Refer to previous point.
Please refer to the following resources:
As one of the most robust content management platforms on the market, Sitefinity continues to be at the core of many digital experience projects. Peer reviews and analyst reports praise Sitefinity for its flexibility, ease of use and level of customization. With the recent releases, we continue to innovate and fold in new capabilities that improve stability, performance, security and enable both marketers and developers to meet their KPIs.
The recent Sitefinity versions enable organizations to leverage technology to boost SEO, marketer productivity, digital analysis and connectivity, and in turn – grow the top line. There has never been a better time to upgrade than now. MVC and .NET Core support provide the productivity and performance boost needed in today’s fast moving business environment and growing customer requirements. Quick time to market, fast onboarding and ease of use are some of the key drivers that can help organizations reduce total cost of ownership, improve efficiency, productivity, and ROI. Lastly, an upgrade to the latest version is an opportunity to review your existing web presence and improve the experience for your visitors, customers, and partners, building lasting relationships and brand loyalty.
Can I still use the Classic UI and WebForms after they become deprecated?
Customers are advised to upgrade to the most recent version. If your project is running on a version where the listed capability is still supported, you may continue to use it, however we recommend switching to an alternative option as soon as possible. As of Sitefinity 14.1, Progress will not invest in feature development or bug fixes.
Will I be able to get any support should I run into an issue with any of the features that are being deprecated?
No further feature development and no bug fixes will be provided. In terms of related technical support, we will provide best-effort support, which means that the availability of knowledge and skills to diagnose and resolve technical issues is not guaranteed.
Any security issues will be treated with the appropriate attention, as usual.
Will we be forced to upgrade/stop using the features that are being deprecated?
An upgrade to the latest version provides access to a host of improvements, bug fixes and new features. However, customers will not be forced to upgrade their Sitefinity projects. Please refer to Sitefinity's life cycle policy guide for information on your specific version’s support and product updates availability.
Sitefinity DX is our core content and experience management platform. Customers who still have projects on previous versions should contact either their implementation partner or Progress for information on how your current license/edition maps to the product packaging that we have introduced with Sitefinity DX 14.
The AdminApp UI supports a huge portion of the Classic UI capabilities, with some exceptions (such as backend UI localization, custom recurring events). However, there are various efficiency improvements and features that are only available in the AdminApp UI (autogenerated/low-code widget designers, single item editor sync, etc.). Learn more about how the new content editing experience compares to the classic interface.
Due to the technological disparity, not all legacy customizations will be supported without changes. However, we have made some features available OOTB (e.g., related data and media fields for dynamic modules can be added to the grid from the backend screen tweaks UI, etc.) and we have enabled low-code customizations via config changes. For the rest, there’s a framework for customizations, which makes extensions reusable across projects. Please, see the repository of Sitefinity Admin App Extensions.