Release Notes: v12.0.0b2

This release introduces major enhancements to the Inventory Monitor plugin, including full compatibility with NetBox v4.4+, comprehensive multi-currency support, and significant improvements to data models, UI/UX, and performance.

🚀 Features & Enhancements

NetBox v4.0+ Compatibility

• Full Compatibility: The plugin is now fully compatible with NetBox v4.4.x and newer.
• ObjectType Migration: Internal APIs have been updated from ContentType to ObjectType to align with NetBox v4.0 standards. This change is seamless and backward-compatible.
• Expanded Asset Assignment: Assets can now be assigned to dcim.Module in addition to existing object types (Site, Location, Rack, Device).

Multi-Currency Support

• Global Currency Configuration: You can now define a list of available currencies and a default currency in the plugin settings.
• Financial Models Updated: Asset, Contract, Invoice, and AssetService models now include a currency field.
• Automatic Validation: The system enforces that a currency is set if a price is provided, ensuring data consistency.
• Dynamic UI: Prices are now displayed with the appropriate currency symbol throughout the UI, including tables and detail views.

Data Model & Readability Improvements

• Enhanced String Representations: All models now feature more descriptive and human-readable string representations, making it easier to identify and search for objects in dropdowns and lists.
• Descriptive Fields: New description fields have been added to most models, and their content is automatically displayed in UI choice fields for better context.
• Asset Model:
  • The serial field is now mandatory.
  • Added deletion protection: Assets linked to an order_contract or an ExternalInventory item cannot be deleted without removing the association first.
• RMA Workflow:
  • The rma_number is now optional, allowing for the creation of draft RMAs.
  • A detailed RMA workflow is documented in the new docs/rma-workflow.md.
• External Inventory:
  • Status display is now configurable with custom labels and colors.
  • Added deletion protection for items that have associated assets.
• Contract Model:
  • Subcontracts are now limited to one level of hierarchy.
  • A subcontract can now have a different contractor than its parent, allowing for more complex scenarios.

UI & UX Improvements

• Up-to-Date Documentation: The README.md file has been significantly updated with a new data model overview, an upgrade guide, and detailed configuration options.
• Customizable Field Choices: You can now customize or extend choice fields for statuses and types (e.g., Asset.assignment_status, Contract.type) using NetBox's FIELD_CHOICES configuration.
• Improved Forms and Filters:
  • Filter forms now include more options, such as filtering by price ranges and currency.
  • The asset assignment form for external inventory (AssetExternalInventoryAssignmentForm) has been improved to prevent unrelated validation errors.

Performance

• Optimized Queries: List views now use select_related and prefetch_related to significantly reduce the number of database queries and improve page load times.
• Efficient Probe Status: A new Asset.annotate_with_probe_data method efficiently computes probe status in the database, preventing N+1 query issues on the asset list view.

Breaking Changes

• There are no breaking changes in this release. All existing data and API endpoints are fully backward-compatible.

Internal Changes & Refactoring

• Squashed Migrations: Database migrations have been squashed and cleaned up for a more straightforward migration path.
• Refactored Helpers: Currency-related logic has been centralized in helpers.py, with CurrencyColumn and format_price_with_currency replacing older, less flexible components.
• GraphQL Updates: The GraphQL schema has been updated to include the new currency fields on relevant types.

This version marks a significant step forward in functionality and compatibility, making asset management more flexible and robust.

Full Changelog: v11.0.2...v12.0.0b2