Release Notes

Version 2.7.5 - 9^th Jan 2026

✨ Highlights

This release introduces a comprehensive Headless Personalization Demo, showcasing progressive personalization maturity across Adobe Experience Cloud.

🔹 End-to-End Headless Personalization

A structured set of four demo flows illustrating how personalization evolves from anonymous delivery to real-time, profile-driven experiences:

• Flow 1: Anonymous Personalization (Headless Foundation)
  • Pure anonymous experience with no user identity
  • App fetches content directly from AEM via headless APIs
  • Supports instant multi-brand switching
• Flow 2: AEM-Driven Personalization (Content-Led Personalization)
  • Personas defined in AEM using Content Fragments
  • Unlimited persona attributes supported
  • Adobe Target uses AEM persona attributes to deliver personalized offers
• Flow 3: AEM + Target Personalization (Persona-Based Experience Targeting)
  • Audiences and offers authored in Adobe Target
  • AEM personas drive audience qualification
  • App fetches the matching offer from Target on login
• Flow 4: Full-Stack Real-Time Personalization (AEM + Target + RT-CDP)
  • Personas and attributes sourced from Real-Time CDP
  • Target uses RT-CDP audiences for real-time decisioning
  • App retrieves personalized content based on live profile data

🛠 Enhancements & Bug Fixes

• Carousel fixes
• Performance and accessibility improvements
• Updated AEM Forms libraries
• CF Block bug fixes for CTA URLs
• Video component bug fixes
• Ability to name sections
• Reorganized component list for improved authoring experience
• New section background image styling options

🖼 In Beta

• Dynamic Media Image v2 — Introduced with a new centralized DAM Architecture for URL handling and delivery.

🔮 Coming Next

Early visibility into what’s actively in progress for upcoming releases:

• Dynamic Media Video — New player capabilities and enhanced video delivery
• Document Authoring (DA) Enhancements — Continued improvements to authoring workflows
• Adobe Journey Optimizer (AJO) Integration — Cross-channel journey orchestration for Headless Personalization use cases

Version 2.7.0 - 7th Nov

✨ Highlights

• AEM-driven Document Authoring (DA) Demos – Showcases the latest DA experience from Adobe using the new Document Editor and DA Apps.
• New Blocks: Tabs, Quote (extended from AEM Block Collection).
• Search Enhancements – Introduced Tag-based filtering.
• Maker-Checker Workflow – Ready-to-use example workflow integrated into the framework for 2-level Content Review using AEM.
• WeHealth Template – Enhanced with a core search experience and an external API for the "Find a Doctor” block.

🧩 Framework Extensions

• AEM–Firefly Extension – Generate and use images on the fly while authoring pages in AEM (built end-to-end on Adobe’s tech stack: AEM, Adobe Firefly, Adobe App Builder).
• Theme Generator Extension – Quickly build themes from external website URLs and Fragments.
• Preview & Publish Extensions – Quickly access the Preview & Publish URLs from Universal Editor.**

📘 Documentation & DIY

• Comprehensive Reference Demo Prerequisites now documented.
• Updated docs for WeHealthcare, New Blocks, Tag-based Search, Maker-Checker, and Automation Workflows.
• Added guidance on using Extension Apps.
• Deprecated Properties – Removed obsolete properties (logo-url, default).

🧪 In Beta **

• Experience v2 Libraries – For A/B testing and reporting.
• Headless Personalization – Showcases end-to-end personalization using AEM, Mobile, Target, and Adobe Experience Platform.

🔗 Related Jira Issues

• REF-11: Dark Alley (DA) Migration to New Libraries
• REF-13: [Mobile App] Ability to Enable/Disable Dynamic Media Template
• REF-16: MFE App for Headless Use-case (CF List, Image List, etc.)
• REF-23: Ability to Showcase Target Personalization on Reference Sites
• REF-36: Explore Zoltar Demo Copilot from Developer's POV
• REF-42: [Extension] AI-driven Styling using CFs
• REF-57: Develop Preview and Publish Extension
• REF-15: Implement a Simple "Maker-Checker" Workflow
• REF-56: Create New Documentation for WeHealthCare Template
• REF-17: Firefly Extension for Universal Editor to Generate and Use Images
• REF-18: Add Support for CF Picker in CF Block
• REF-21: [DOC] Add Chapter for Content Fragments
• REF-24: Support for Experience v2 Plugin
• REF-28: Find a Doctor Block – External API
• REF-34: Firefly App Migration to XSC Showcase App Builder
• REF-40: [DOC] List of All Features Needed for RD 2.0 Scenarios
• REF-41: [DA] Apps and Features
• REF-43: Enhanced Search Filters
• REF-50: Integrate Adobe Analytics & Generate Report for Ref Demo Mobile App
• REF-51: Update Documentation as per Page Hierarchy and Other Blocks
• REF-60: Create Re-synch GitHub Code Utility for Ref Demo
• REF-62: Remove Not Supported Component from Column Component (Reported by Jennifer Salazar)
• REF-63: Check for Lint Issues in RD Codebase
• REF-77: Implement Tab Block Variations
• REF-78: [Block] Quote Block
• REF-80: [Block] Tabs Block
• REF-81: Integrate Search with WeHealth Template
• REF-26: DM Template Text Character Limit
• REF-84: Search Block UI Fixes for WeHealthcare Header
• REF-85: Refdemo DA Carousel Block Issue
• REF-83: [DA]: Fix fonts and styling
• REF-12: Deprecate Unused Properties in Placeholders (logo-url, default)

**Available on-demand and on a need basis. Reach out via Slack channel: #reference-demo-2-0

If you need help, drop a note to refdemo@adobe.com

Version 2.6.5 - 8th Oct

New Features

• WeHealthcare Template – A brand new EDS template for the Healthcare Industry Demos
• Brand Restructuring - Accommodate multiple brands under the "Reference Demo EDS" framework (Content & Code)
• Mobile App - Introduced a toggle for Dynamic Media Templates (REF-27).

Improvements & Styling

• Multiple Styling Enhancements – General UI polish across blocks.
• Industry Blocks: Added new blocks tailored for specific industry use cases (Find a Doctor, Forex, etc.).
• GraphQL: Introduced a new generic Ref-Demo GraphQL endpoint.
• REF-4: [UI/UX] Configurable themes (navigation & footer).
• REF-6: Templatized sitename in placeholders (sitename no longer needs to be updated manually)
• REF-7: Updated TEASER block property names for translation support.
• REF-18: Added support for CF picker in CF Block.
• REF-19: Added support for CF variations dropdown in CF Block.
• REF-2: CF Hostname moved to placeholders.
• REF-25: Updated Forms libraries to sync with latest release.
• REF-20: [Docs] Split documentation for individual blocks.
• REF-21: [Docs] Added chapter for Content Fragments.

Bug Fixes

• REF-26: Character limit for DM Template text.
• REF-3: [Mobile App] Removed dependencies on /content/dam/mobile.

Infrastructure

• Repository Migration – A new location to unify multiple sources in one place: https://github.com/AEMXSC/refdemoeds

How to upgrade to v2.6.5:

• Take a Backup -
  • Before upgrading, always back up the following “WKND” paths — these will be overwritten during the upgrade:
    • /conf/wknd-universal
    • /content/dam/wknd-universal
    • /content/wknd-universal
• Get Latest Content & Code -
  • “Install” & “Replicate” the latest content package (v2.6.5) using CRX PKG Manager.
  • Sync your existing GitHub repository with the Ref Demo Repo to ensure your codebase is up to date with the newly released changes.

• Changes for Custom Brand Sites -
  • For Content Fragments (Themes, DM Template, CTA Offer, Mobile App):
    • Enable New CF Models on “YOUR_BRAND” Assets folder.
    • Go to AEM Assets > {YOUR_BRAND} Folder.
    • Open Properties → Policies tab.
    • Under Allowed Content Fragment Models, add the relevant paths from “/conf/ref-demo-eds".
    • As per your requirement, create your existing CFs again using the new models selected above.
    • In your site pages, replace old fragments with newly created ones.
  • For Teaser Block: Re-author as it now has translation support.

If you need help, drop a note to refdemo@adobe.com

Version 2.6.1 - 24th Sept

New Features

• Search Block – New search block component for content discoverability.
• Language Switcher – Multi-language toggle for enhanced localization.
• Accordion Block – Added collapsible content block for improved UI/UX.
• Mobile App Theme – Introduced dedicated theme support for mobile applications.
• Zero Brand Template – Added a lightweight, brand-neutral template for quick setups.

Improvements & Styling

• Multiple Styling Enhancements – General UI polish across components.
• Navigation & Redirect Fixes – Improved routing and redirect handling.
• _typename in Query – Descriptive GraphQL queries.
• Enhanced Documentation – Revamped structure with video guides for faster onboarding.

Bug Fixes

• RD-203 – Fixed Content Fragment edit issue: description field color visibility and inline editing restored.
• RD-201 - Default Repository now points to wknd-dev instead of wknd.

How to upgrade to v2.6.1:

• Install the latest content package using AEM CRX Package Manager.
• Create a new repo or sync your existing repo from the main repo.
• To create new sites: Follow the instructions in this documentation.
• For existing sites:
  • WKND Universal Site shall work automatically. (Your changes to WKND site may get overwritten, take a backup if needed.)
  • Brand-specific sites: If connected to previous verison repo, the site shall continue to work as is.
  • Brand Specific Sites (but pointed to new code repo):
    • Re-author specific blocks to use new features (e.g., Content Fragment, Hero, etc.)
    • Drop a note to refdemo@adobe.com for quick assistance.

Version 2.6.0 - 26th August

• Support for Multi-lingual Sites
• Embedding and re-using template-based forms
• Provision for the author to have CTAs as links or buttons
• Template Support with Article Page
• Teaser Component – Enable/Disable swoosh effect
• Content Fragment Component – Variation options provided for image-left, right, top or bottom
• Hero Component – Toggle for Title Underline
• Mobile App – Easy customization of mobile app for a fully configurable Demo, (NOTE: This feature requires the latest release of the mobile app)

How to upgrade to v2.6.0:

• Install the latest content package using AEM CRX Package Manager.
• Create a new repo or sync your existing repo from the main repo.
• To create new sites: Follow the instructions in this documentation.
• For existing sites:
  • WKND Universal Site shall work automatically. (Your changes to WKND site may get overwritten, take a backup if needed.)
  • Brand-specific sites: If connected to previous verison repo, the site shall continue to work as is.
  • Brand Specific Sites (but pointed to new code repo):
    • Move “header” and “footer” pages under “English” page.
    • Re-author specific blocks to use new features (e.g., Content Fragment, Hero, etc.)
    • Drop a note to refdemo@adobe.com for quick assistance.

Version 2.5.7 (for specific use-cases until 2.6.0 is available)

• Available on request (as it requires special configurations): refdemo@adobe.com

Fixes & Updates:

• Support for language translation
• Embedding and re-using template-based forms
• Performance updates
• Other ad-hoc feature requests and bug fixes

Version 2.5.6

• Dynamic Media Templates in Mobile App
• Inline editing of Content Fragment elements
• Quick Site Template – generic release
• New imagery across site to avoid conflict with previous WKND brand
• UI updates in multiple components
• Responsive layout fixes
• Performance fixes for Lighthouse score
• Other minor bug fixes and enhancements