Modules

The Insites platform is made of modules that you can update on their own. This lets you control when and how a change reaches your application. For example, you can keep a stable version of the Data module running while you update the Forms module to get its newest front-end features and security fixes.

The Modules tab lists the modules on your instance. Every module is installed when an instance is created, so the list is the same on every instance. Each row shows the version this instance runs and its status: Up to date or Update available. While a version change runs, the row shows what it is doing instead, for example Updating to v<version>.

You can do the following with a module:

• View a module and its versions
• Update a module to a newer version
• Roll a module back to a lower version
• Reinstall the version you have

Who Can Change a Module Version

You need the Developer role or above on the instance to change a module version. Everyone who can open the instance can view the modules and read their changelogs, but with a lower role the version buttons are not available.

Only one version change can run on a module at a time. Your live site stays up while it runs.

Viewing a Module

The module page shows the module's name and description, then one card for each version, newest first. Each card shows:

• The version number, and a Breaking change badge if that version has one.
• An Installed badge on the version you run. If a Console user installed it, the card also says who and when.
• The action for that version: Update, Roll back or Reinstall.
• The version's changelog, and the date it was released.

To view a module:

1. Navigate to Instances from the main menu.
2. Find the instance on the main page or inside a folder.
3. Select the instance to open it.
4. Select the Modules tab.
5. Select the module you want to view. To go back to the list, select All modules.

Updating a Module to a Newer Version

1. Open the module, as described above.
2. Find the version you want and select Update on its card.
3. Read the dialog. If the update crosses a breaking change, tick the box that says you understand.
4. Select Update to v<version>.

An Update started message appears, and the version's card shows the update running. You can leave the page while it runs. When it finishes, a message names the version the module is on and says it is installed and running.

Note: Updating or rolling back modules may involve breaking changes. See the Breaking Changes section of Insites Modules for how to handle them in your instance.

Rolling a Module Back

1. Open the module.
2. Find the version you want and select Roll back on its card.
3. Read the dialog. A roll back always shows as a warning, because a lower version misses newer features and the latest fixes. If it undoes a breaking change, the parts of your instance updated for that change stop working, and you must tick the box that says you understand.
4. Select Roll back to v<version>.

Reinstalling the Version You Have

Reinstalling repairs a module without changing its version. Some data may be reset, so read the changelog first.

1. Open the module.
2. On the card marked Installed, select Reinstall.
3. Select Reinstall v<version>.

If a Version Change Does Not Start

The dialog stays open and shows why:

If a Version Change Fails

If a version change starts but does not finish, a message such as Update failed appears and stays on screen until you close it. It tells you which version the module is on now. Usually the module is back on the version it started on, and nothing changed, so you can try again.