Changes Introduced in APL Version 1.1

(This is not the most recent version of the APL change log. Use the Other Versions option to see the documentation for the most recent version of the APL change log)

Alexa Presentation Language 1.1 introduces new features and capabilities for APL.

Work with APL versions

For details about how to check the APL version, see What's New in APL.

Vector graphics support

APL now supports Alexa vector graphics, a subset of the Scalable Vector Graphics standard. See these updates:

• Define a vector graphic with the Alexa Vector Graphics (AVG) Format.
• Store vector graphic definitions in the graphics property of the APL document or package.
• Use the VectorGraphic component to display the graphic.

Animation support

APL now supports animation. You can animate the position, scale, rotation, or opacity of any APL component or layout. See the AnimateItem Command.

User-defined commands

You can define and name custom commands in your APL document or package. These commands can take parameters and then call the standard APL commands.

• Define a command with the user-defined command format.
• Store command definitions in the commands property of the APL document or package.

Alexa Design System for APL

Packages for layouts, styles, and viewport profiles are now grouped within the Alexa Design System for APL.

New responsive components and templates

APL 1.1 introduces several new responsive components and templates as part of the Alexa Design System for APL (previously referred to as "Alexa layouts"). When you use these in your APL documents, you do not need to create the conditional logic to handle different screen sizes and shapes yourself.

To use the new components and templates, import the alexa-layouts package into your document. Be sure to specify 1.1.0 for the version:

{
  "import": [
    {
      "name": "alexa-layouts",
      "version": "1.1.0"
    }
  ]
}

For an overview of the components and templates, see Responsive Components and Templates.

For details about the new responsive components, see:

• AlexaBackground
• AlexaButton
• AlexaDivider
• AlexaImage
• AlexaOrdinal
• AlexaPageCounter
• AlexaTextListItem

For details about the new responsive templates, see:

• AlexaHeadline
• AlexaTextList

For more about building responsive APL documents, see Build Responsive APL Documents

Alexa header changes

APL 1.1 adds the following new properties for AlexaHeader:

• headerBackButtonAccessibilityLabel
• headerDivider
• theme
• headerBackButtonCommand

Note that the headerNavigationAction parameter has been removed from the 1.1.0 version of AlexaHeader. Use headerBackButtonCommand to specify the command to run when the user selects the back button.

To use this updated version, be sure to specify 1.1.0 for the version when you import the alexa-layouts package.

Alexa footer changes

APL 1.1 introduces the following new properties for AlexaFooter:

• theme

Version 1.1.0 removes the deprecated footerHint property. Use the hintText property instead.

To use this updated layout, be sure to specify 1.1.0 for the version when you import the alexa-layouts package.

Other APL Updates

Commands

New commands:

• AnimateItem
• ClearFocus
• OpenURL
• SetFocus
• User-defined commands

New properties for Sequential command:

• catch
• finally

Document

New top-level properties on APL Document:

• commands
• graphics
• onMount
• settings

Components

All components now support the following new properties:

• accessibilityLabel
• checked
• disabled
• display
• onMount
• transform

Components also now support the karaokeTarget state, which can be used to control the color of text being spoken. See Styles.

Pager:

• The height and width of the Pager component default to 100dp if not specified. The height and width of a Pager must be either an absolute or relative dimension. You cannot use auto. The height and width of the children of a Pager are fixed at "100%".
• The default for the navigation property is wrap.

Video

• Video now supports the onTimeUpdate property.
• You can now use the disallowVideo property in the data-binding context to determine whether the device supports video.

Data-binding context

New environment properties are available in the data-binding context:

• allowOpenURL
• animation
• aplVersion
• disallowVideo

The viewport object now includes the mode property.

Transformers

• The ssmlToSpeech transformer now accepts only valid SSML text as input. The SSML must be wrapped in <speak> tags.
• A new textToSpeech transformer converts plain text into speech.

Both transformers work in the same way. Bind the output of the transformer to the speech property of the component. See Transformers.