Beta testing for 4D 21 R2 starts today, introducing document-aware AI workflows, semantic result ranking, modern Windows UI rendering, and a series of focused improvements across the editor, components, and 4D View Pro, designed to reduce friction and keep intent closer to the code.
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4D AIKit – File Upload Support: Upload documents like PDFs and use them directly as context in AI conversations.
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Vector-Based Ordering in Queries: Sort query results by semantic similarity, not just filters.
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Fluent UI Rendering on Windows: Modernize 4D forms with a Windows-native look, including light and dark modes.
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Unified Syntax Checking and Code Completion: One inference engine across the IDE, VS Code, and Qodly.
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Qodly Pages from the 4D IDE: Create and edit web pages directly from the Explorer.
And that’s just the beginning, there’s much more to discover!
Download 4D 21 R2 now (Exclusive to 4D Partners)
AI Integration
Upload and Use Files in AI Conversations
4D AIKit now supports native file uploads. Use OpenAI.files.create() to upload documents and attach them to messages so the AI works directly with the original file. Summaries, questions, and analysis stay grounded in the source document, with explicit lifecycle control and no preprocessing.
Vector Based Ordering in Queries
Queries can now order results by vector similarity. When a vector field is used in both the filter and the order by clause, the same similarity calculation determines relevance and ranking. The query itself expresses what matters most, and results come back already ordered by meaning.
4D Qodly Pro
QODLY PAGES ACCESSIBLE FROM THE 4D IDE
Create and edit Qodly Pages directly from the 4D Explorer. Pages live alongside the rest of the project, and opening them launches Qodly Studio immediately, keeping backend and web UI workflows connected.
User Interface
FLUENT UI RENDERING FOR 4D FORMS (DEVELOPER PREVIEW)
4D forms can now be rendered using the Fluent UI design system on Windows, as a Developer Preview. Enable it globally or per form to adopt a modern Windows look with native light and dark mode support. Existing forms keep their logic and structure, while deployment remains predictable with automatic fallback to classic rendering.
4D language
UNIFIED SYNTAX CHECKING AND CODE COMPLETION
Syntax checking and IntelliSense now share the same inference logic across the 4D IDE and VS Code. Errors are underlined precisely where they occur, types are inferred consistently, and editor feedback becomes reliable instead of noisy.
4D Write Pro
AUTOMATIC INDENTATION FOR BULLETED LISTS
Bulleted and numbered lists created using standard actions are now automatically indented. Lists align correctly inside the page without manual margin adjustments, and removing bullets restores the original layout. Formatting stays predictable, even in multilingual documents.
4D Component
FIND IN DESIGN ACROSS COMPONENTS
Find in Design now searches across the host project and all accessible components. Results clearly indicate their origin, and exports preserve project and component context for refactoring and audits.
CUSTOM ICONS FOR COMPONENT DEPENDENCIES
Components can now display custom icons in the Component Manager. A simple logo file gives each dependency a visual identity, making large dependency lists easier to scan.
4D view Pro
SPREADJS ENGINE UPDATED TO 18.2
4D View Pro now runs on SpreadJS 18.2, improving performance, reducing memory usage, and unlocking new PivotTable, calculation, and import/export capabilities, without changing existing documents.
Need more technical details? The 4D 21 R2 Beta documentation is available on the 4D Doc Center.
Your feedback is greatly appreciated and will help us improve our product quality and better serve your needs. We’d love to hear your thoughts about any of the features above. Contribute to our beta forum (accessible for all 4D Partners). And don’t hesitate to tell us about your needs; we take votes very seriously!
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