Progress launches R2 2024 Telerik & Kendo UI with AI updates
Progress, a trusted provider of infrastructure software, has unveiled the R2 2024 release of Progress Telerik and Progress Kendo UI. These .NET and JavaScript UI libraries and tools for application development have been equipped with significant updates aimed at integrating artificial intelligence, optimising design workflows, and enhancing accessibility features.
The latest release primarily includes artificial intelligence prompts, enhanced design-to-code productivity, and new UI components, such as the first-to-market Blazor Spreadsheet component. Loren Jarrett, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Digital Experience at Progress, commented, "Businesses are rapidly adapting their products to take advantage of AI, and developers have to respond quickly to this new opportunity. With this latest release, we make it easy for developers to include Gen AI prompts in their apps and embed AI for a better user experience, in addition to advanced design-to-code automation and accessibility features. The world is moving quickly, and we are empowering developers to stay ahead of the game."
The Centrepiece of the R2 2024 update is the inclusion of a new AI Prompt component available across all Telerik and Kendo UI libraries. This feature aims to facilitate the creation of quality content, messages, and documents, as well as expedite information retrieval through in-UI searches. To reduce the learning curve associated with AI integration, Progress has included demos in Telerik and Kendo UI libraries for components such as TextBox and Spreadsheet. These demos are designed to help developers explore new methods for incorporating AI-powered interactions into their digital experiences.
Progress has also focused on accelerating design-to-production workflows with this latest release. While design systems are crucial for maintaining design consistency, the conversion of design to code often leads to issues and delays in production timelines. Progress aims to address these challenges by improving the designer-to-developer handoff with enhanced Figma UI Kits, an improved colour system for themes, and enriched design system documentation. Moreover, the new unified rendering feature supports standardisation requirements across various JavaScript and .NET web frameworks. Developers can also leverage over 600 component-specific theme variables and a smart CSS code editor within the Progress ThemeBuilder cloud application to ensure brand consistency.
Accessibility and inclusivity have also been a significant focus in the recent release. Global research commissioned by Progress has shown that 76% of developers believe that building human-centric applications with accessibility at the core is more critical than it was two years ago. To support these efforts, the Telerik and Kendo UI libraries comply with Section 508, WCAG 2.2, and WAI-ARIA guidelines. All web chart components now include built-in accessibility and keyboard navigation features, making data visualisations more accessible to a broader audience.
In addition to these updates, Progress has introduced new features for embedded data-driven experiences, reporting and visualisation functionalities, and the modernisation of legacy projects with support for complex migration scenarios. The latest release also includes support for .NET 9 Preview.
Progress states the company continues to strive for innovation and inclusivity in the technology sector. The new functionalities in the R2 2024 release of Progress Telerik and Progress Kendo UI exemplify the company's commitment to providing tools that simplify the lives of technology professionals and enhance user experience.
