4D 21 R5 Beta Starts Today

Beta testing for 4D 21 R5 starts today, with faster vector search for AI applications, stronger Web Server protection, a smoother component workflow, deeper VS Code integration, and more flexibility to modernize your Windows interfaces.

This release is about removing friction where it matters: keeping vector search fast as your data grows, protecting a Web Server before excessive traffic becomes a problem, compiling components without leaving the host project, jumping straight from 4D to the right file in VS Code, or refining an interface without maintaining another set of image assets.

• Native vector indexing: Speed up similarity search on 4D.Vector fields with Cosine, Dot, and Euclidean indexes.
• Smarter embedding maintenance: Automatically identify vectors that need to be regenerated when source data or embedding configuration changes.
• Web Server rate limiting: Control requests, data transfer, sessions, and other workloads before they overwhelm your application.
• Component compilation from the host: Compile and validate compatible components alongside the project that uses them.
• Fluent UI for list forms: Extend the modern Windows experience, including Dark Mode, to existing list forms.
• Direct VS Code workflow: Open methods and classes in VS Code directly from the 4D IDE without searching through project folders.

And that’s just the beginning, there’s much more to discover!

Download 4D 21 R5 now (Exclusive to 4D Partners)

 AI Integration

Faster Vector Search with Native Indexing

4D.Vector fields can now use Cosine, Dot, and Euclidean indexes, improving similarity search performance as embedding datasets grow. Indexes can be configured from the Structure editor and used for semantic search, RAG, recommendations, and other AI driven workflows.

Programmatic Vector Index Management

Vector indexes can now be created, inspected, paused, resumed, and removed from code. DataClass.getIndexes() also makes it easier to validate index configuration during deployment or administration.

Smarter Embedding Invalidation

4D Embedding Studio can now identify vectors that may be outdated when source data, embedding phrases, or models change. This reduces manual tracking and helps keep semantic search and RAG results aligned with current application data.

Security

S/MIME Signing for SMTP Transporter

SMTP Transporter can now digitally sign outgoing emails with S/MIME, helping recipients verify the sender and confirm that message content was not modified after signing.

OpenSSL 4 for QUIC and TLS

The networking stack now uses OpenSSL 4 for NGTCP2 while preserving existing QUIC and WebSocket behavior. TLS configuration now focuses on TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3, with TLS 1.3 used by default on the server.

HTTP Server

Built In Rate Limiting

The 4D Web Server can now limit request volume, data transfer, sessions, guest sessions, and entity sets. When a limit is reached, requests are rejected early with HTTP 429 Too Many Requests, helping protect server resources before excessive workload affects the application.

Database

Modernized Windows Installer

The Windows installer is now easier to use and automate. All supported languages are installed by default, while 4D, 4D Server, 4D Volume Desktop, and 4D Components can be selected from the same installer. Silent installation also simplifies CI and deployment workflows.

 4D Components

Compile Components from the Host Project

Compatible project components can now be compiled directly from the host project. The Compiler window lets developers compile components, check syntax, and clear compiled code from one place, reducing the risk of deploying outdated component versions.

Direct Access to 4D Corner

4D Corner is now accessible directly from the project dependency workflow. Developers can discover components shared by 4D and the community without leaving the Dependency Manager.

User Interface

Fluent UI for List Forms

List forms now support Fluent UI rendering, bringing the same modern Windows appearance and Dark Mode support already available in other forms. Existing list forms keep their layout and behavior, so no redesign is required.

More Flexible Button Styling

Custom styled buttons, radio buttons, and check boxes can now use background colors, border colors, border widths, and corner radii. These properties can be configured from the Form Editor, CSS, or 4D code, reducing the need for dedicated image assets.

Padding and Vertical Alignment

Text Areas and Input objects now support vertical alignment and independent padding on every side. Developers can create cleaner layouts directly from the Form Editor, CSS, JSON, or 4D code.

Visual Studio Code Extension

A Smoother 4D and VS Code Workflow

A new Code editor preference lets developers choose 4D or VS Code as their default editor and switch to the other with the Alt key. Methods and classes can now open directly in VS Code from the Explorer, Form Editor, Debugger, and other 4D IDE workflows.

Need more technical details? The 4D 21 R5 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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