Monokle Desktop v1.11 Release Notes

## Git-enabled K8s Configuration Tool & Version Control Editor

We are proud (and excited) to present Monokle v1.11 – a new approach to leveraging the power of Git to help you define, compare, and reach your desired state. We have worked hard during these last weeks to add support for Git and provide better value when you use Monokle to support your DevOps and GitOps workflows.

Whether your team employs a DevOps culture, has taken the leap into GitOps, or it is just using a straightforward K8s setup, Monokle will simplify the audit and history management of your configurations using Git to store the data.

If you’re new to Monokle, [download here](https://monokle.kubeshop.io/download). If you’re already familiar with Monokle, be sure to update your tool to the latest version today. And for everyone looking to help us on our journey as we build a tool that provides value to your pipeline, please take a moment to complete our feedback form.

## Git Integration for DevOps & GitOps

In this release, we’ve integrated Git into Monokle. This integration allows you to tackle GitOps seamlessly within the application. If you work within a DevOps culture our Git integration provides advantages for you and your team, too by keeping a history of changes made to your applications stored in Git to ensure access to a reliable audit trail of your changes.

### Branch Selector

In the header, next to the Project Selector, we’ve added a new dropdown menu that appears whenever Monokle detects a current project has a Git repository.

With the Branch Selector, you can search through all of your local and remote branches in more detail while having the option of creating new local branches.

### Git Panel

In the left menu of Monokle, we’ve added a dedicated Git panel.

This panel contains the *Changelist* which is grouped into two lists: *Staged* and *Unstaged* files. By clicking on each file, you will immediately see the differences between the old version and the newer, modified version providing you valuable insight as you work to achieve your desired state. 

Using the checkboxes, you can select multiple files to apply the same action at once. After staging some of the files, you can commit the changes directly via Monokle. Once staged changes have been committed, unpublished branches can be directly published to remote through Monokle or you can simply push your commits and move on.

## Getting started with a new project: Clone a Git repository

With Monokle v1.11, you can use a Git repository URL to start a new project. The repository will be cloned to the selected location and then opened into Monokle.

The advantage to this, is that it allows both you and your colleagues to debug, validate, and diff all of your configuration files taking full advantage of all of the features of Monokle to achieve your desired state while also maintaining clear control of your version changes.

### Updated Look & Feel of Form Editors

We know that editing YAML can be a tedious task. Monokle provides form editors as an alternative to directly editing YAML code, helping users to accomplish this task in a quicker and more efficient way. 

In this release, we’ve redesigned the look and feel of the Form Editors to make them easier to navigate. It also helps you discover what properties exist for each specific kind of resource   by nesting properties for better overall visualization of included resources.

## Modified values are now highlighted in code editor

After using our newly improved form editor, you might be concerned about not having clear knowledge of all of the changes made to your configuration. 

To put your mind at ease, we’ve implemented logic that highlights the exact properties edited with Monokle’s Form Editor when you make the transition from the Form Editor tab to the Source tab. This highlighting feature identifies all changes for you providing full visibility of edited resources and clear insight as you work toward attaining your desired state.

## Better Editor Experience: Editors Side-by-Side

We know that your job consists of a lot more than just editing YAML or completing a form to help you accomplish the necessary edits. For this reason, we’ve ensured that the configuration file you are editing can be visible even when you are using templates.

Now, you can open a side-by-side view showing the source code on the left and the form editor to the right helping you to do your real job: code editing. We aid you, saving time on YAML modifications and configuration tasks and providing you with instant visibility of the files you change while updating the state. 

## Configure CRDs for schema validation and form editors

Until this version, Monokle has been able to enrich your experience by scanning for CRDs in your local files or in your cluster and then applying schema validation and generating form editors for the Custom Resources that you’re creating.

In v1.11 we’ve created a dedicated panel where you can see all the CRDs that Monokle has automatically registered while making it possible for you to register additional CRDs by simply adding their URLs to Monokle. [Read more about this in our docs](https://kubeshop.github.io/monokle/resource-crds/).

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## We want YOU – and your feedback!

Would you like to help us build a better tool for you?

Be sure to complete our feedback form which will show up directly in Monokle or reach out to our Product Manager at [sergio@kubeshop.io](mailto:sergio@kubeshop.io).

We’re working non-stop listening to user feedback as we add new features and capabilities to Monokle. Our vision is to help DevOps and GitOps teams work faster and more efficiently as they work towards faster, higher quality deployments ultimately attaining their desired state more easily.

Not sure what we mean by GitOps? [If you know nothing about Git, at least know this](https://kubeshop.io/blog/monokle-basic-git) and once you’ve spent some time leveraging Monokle for K8s configuration analysis and version control, we invite you to stop by our [Discord Server](https://discord.gg/uNuhy6GDyn) to give us additional feedback.

Monokle is entirely free and open-source complete with an [MIT license](https://github.com/kubeshop/monokle/blob/4a6d9c65f98c767fe63daf556dd89e467cb9efda/LICENSE). 

*[Download](https://monokle.kubeshop.io/download) for macOS, Linux, and Windows and get started today!*

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