Request Tracker (RT) 6.0.0 was released just a few weeks ago, and we know users are starting to plan upgrades. We also know RT systems depend on the rich ecosystem of free RT extensions (plugins). One blocker to upgrades can be the availability of new versions of RT extensions that are compatible with RT 6.
We have great news: we have been hard at work, and over the past few weeks, numerous popular extensions have been updated with RT 6 compatibility. We run many of these extensions ourselves, so we have been testing them over the past couple of months. We hope these new releases will help clear the remaining roadblocks delaying your upgrades.
Recently Released
Below is a list of extensions recently updated to run with RT 6. All link to their documentation page, so you can take a look if you aren’t familiar with some of them.
- RT-Extension-MandatoryOnTransition-1.00
- RT-Extension-FormTools-2.00
- RT-Extension-ExtractCustomFieldValues-3.17
- RT-Extension-RepeatTicket-3.00
- RT-Extension-AutomaticAssignment-2.00
- RT-Extension-MergeUsers-1.11
- RT-Extension-CommandByMail-3.02
- RT-Extension-JSGantt-1.09
- RT-Extension-NonWatcherRecipients-1.04
- RT-Extension-ExcelFeed-1.00
- RTx-Calendar-2.00
- RTx-RemoteLinks-1.02
- RTx-TicketlistTransactions-1.02
If the new version of an extension works only with RT 6, we have incremented the major version number, so 1.xx to 2.00, for example. Older versions will remain available on CPAN for RT 5, but we are unlikely to make new updates to older extensions.
We are continuing to work on other extensions, and more will be updated in the coming weeks. If you want to follow the releases, you can watch metacpan.org, watch our github pages, or follow us on LinkedIn or Bluesky where we post new releases.
More Than Just Compatibility
In some cases, we have done more than just make an extension compatible with RT 6. While working, we took the opportunity to make some improvements as well.
RT::Extension::MandatoryOnTransition
The very popular MandatoryOnTransition extension is used to require certain values on a ticket to be filled out before the status can be changed. This is very often used to remind users to fill out important fields before a ticket can be resolved. But the flexible rules allow you to add restrictions for any status transition.
Previously all configuration was done in the RT_SiteConfig.pm file, so even SuperUsers could not make changes in the web UI. With RT 6 and the updated version of the extension, you can not only modify the configuration in the UI, we have added an entirely new web UI to make configuration easier.
RT::Extension::RepeatTicket
The RepeatTicket extension allows you to schedule automatic creation of tickets. You define the schedule in a custom component added to the ticket display page. With the new page layouts feature in RT 6, you now have the flexibility to put this component wherever you want on the page. Or you can remove it from some page layouts completely if you don’t need to use it on some queues. We think this will be a common pattern for other extensions that add components to ticket and asset pages.
Planning Your Upgrade
If your upgrade plans have been on hold waiting for extension compatibility, now is a great time to review your list of extensions. You can also review some earlier posts showing some of the updates and new features in RT 6. We recommend checking each extension you depend on to confirm the latest release and compatibility notes, and testing in a staging environment before upgrading your production system.
If you need help with your upgrade plans or have questions about a specific extensions, let us know at contact@bestpractical.com or create a new topic for discussion on the Request Tracker forum.
Leave a Comment