What's New With 5.0.0

🎉 Major Release - BoxLang Support & Modern UI Overhaul

BREAKING CHANGES

• Minimum CFML engine requirements updated:

  • Lucee 5.x minimum (dropped Lucee 4.x)

  • Adobe ColdFusion 2018+ (dropped ACF 2016, 2018)

• HTML output now uses Bootstrap 5 (previously Bootstrap 3)

• Default theme structure reorganized with new Alpine.js-based SPA architecture

NEW - BoxLang Support 🚀

• Full BoxLang 1.0+ Runtime Support - DocBox now runs natively on BoxLang

• BoxLang CLI Module - New boxlang module:docbox command for generating docs from BoxLang CLI

  • boxlang module:docbox --source=/path --mapping=app --output-dir=/docs

  • Support for multiple source mappings

  • JSON array format support for complex project structures

  • Built-in help system with --help and --version flags

• Dual Format Metadata Handling - Automatically detects and handles both BoxLang array format and CFML struct format for implements metadata

• ModuleConfig.bx - Native BoxLang module configuration for seamless integration

NEW - Modern HTML Theme System 🎨

• Two Professional Themes:

  • Default Theme - Modern Alpine.js SPA with client-side routing and dynamic filtering

  • Frames Theme - Traditional frameset-based layout with Bootstrap 5

• Theme Selection - Choose themes via theme property:

  new docbox.DocBox()
      .addStrategy( "HTML", {
          outputDir : "/docs",
          theme     : "default" // or "frames"
      } )

• Dark Mode Support - Full dark/light theme toggle with localStorage persistence

• Responsive Design - Mobile-friendly layouts with proper breakpoints

NEW - Enhanced UI/UX Features 💎

• Modern Color Scheme - Purple gradient accents (#5e72e4), softer colors, reduced blue overload

• Visual Indicators - Emoji badges throughout:

  • 📚 Packages, 📁 Folders, 🔌 Interfaces, 📦 Classes

  • 🟢 Public, 🔒 Private, ⚡ Static, 📝 Abstract

• Real-time Method Search - Live filtering with keyboard navigation

  • Search methods by name or signature

  • Navigate results with Enter/Shift+Enter

  • Visual highlighting and auto-scroll

  • Clear with Escape key

• Method Tabs - Tabbed interface for filtering methods (All/Public/Private/Static/Abstract)

• Bootstrap Tooltips - Contextual help on visibility badges and deprecated methods

• Smooth Scrolling - Enhanced navigation with smooth scroll behavior

• Auto-expanding Navigation - jstree automatically expands first 2 levels for better UX

NEW - Complete Relationship Documentation 📊

• All Known Implementing Classes - Interfaces now show all classes that implement them

• All Known Subclasses/Subinterfaces - Display complete inheritance hierarchy

• Fixed Inheritance Queries - Properly handles both current class and ancestor interfaces

• Improved Package Highlighting - Subtle left border instead of full background

NEW - Developer Experience Improvements 🛠️

• Enhanced JavaDoc Support - Comprehensive documentation with <br> tags for BoxLang compatibility

• 50+ Updated Code Examples - All strategy files updated with proper line breaks

• Improved Error Messages - Better validation and user-friendly CLI output

• Modern JavaScript - ES6+ features with proper spacing conventions

• CSS Custom Properties - Comprehensive theming system with CSS variables

NEW - Strategy Enhancements 📝

• CommandBox Strategy - Enhanced CLI command documentation with namespace support

• JSON Strategy - Machine-readable JSON with hierarchical package structure

• XMI/UML Strategy - Enhanced property inference and generic type support

• Abstract Template Strategy - Improved helper methods for all strategies

IMPROVED

• Build System - Updated build process with BoxLang support

• Testing - Multi-engine testing (Lucee 5/6, Adobe 2023/2025, BoxLang 1.0/BE)

• Documentation - Comprehensive updates for all new features

• Code Formatting - Consistent CFFormat rules across entire codebase

• Performance - Optimized query operations and template rendering

FIXED

• Metadata Format Handling - getImplements() now properly handles both array and struct formats

• Interface Implementation Display - Fixed empty queries for implementing classes

• Package Navigation - Improved CSS styling for better UX

• Line Break Handling - Workaround for BoxLang metadata line break stripping

• Inheritance Detection - Properly checks current class before ancestors

TECHNICAL DETAILS

• Bootstrap 5.3.2 - Modern component syntax and data-bs-* attributes

• Bootstrap Icons 1.11.2 - Comprehensive icon set for UI elements

• Alpine.js - Lightweight reactive framework for SPA theme

• CSS Architecture - CSS custom properties for theming with light/dark mode

• JavaScript Conventions - Proper spacing in all control structures and function calls

MIGRATION NOTES

From 4.x to 5.0

1. Minimum Requirements: Ensure you're running Lucee 5+, Adobe 2018+, or BoxLang 1.0+

2. HTML Output: The default theme now uses Bootstrap 5. If you have custom CSS, review for compatibility

3. Theme Selection: Explicitly set theme="frames" if you prefer the traditional frameset layout

4. BoxLang Users: Use the new boxlang module:docbox CLI command for native BoxLang integration

Updating HTML Customizations

If you extended the HTML strategy:

• Update Bootstrap 3 classes to Bootstrap 5 equivalents

• Review custom CSS for CSS custom property compatibility

• Test dark mode if you have custom themes

UPGRADE INSTRUCTIONS

# CommandBox users
box update docbox

# BoxLang users
boxlang install docbox

# Verify installation
box package show version

COMMUNITY

• GitHub Issues: https://github.com/Ortus-Solutions/DocBox/issues

• Documentation: https://docbox.ortusbooks.com

• Community Forum: https://community.ortussolutions.com