---
title: "Legacy vs. Deprecated Features"
slug: "legacy-vs-deprecated-features"
description: "Which Slate features are legacy, which are deprecated, and which ones you should use instead."
updated: 2025-04-02T20:35:19Z
published: 2025-04-02T20:35:19Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://knowledge.technolutions.net/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Legacy vs. Deprecated Features

Slate features benefit from occasional comprehensive updates to enhance the user experience. All users should always take advantage of the latest offerings in Slate as they provide much more functionality and efficiency.

In the process, some features are flagged as **legacy**, others as **deprecated**.

Here are the distinctions between them:

| Legacy | Deprecated |
| --- | --- |
| Remain functional and supported | Remain functional - No longer supported |
| Discouraged in favor of using the latest features and functionality | Highly discouraged in favor of using the latest features and functionality |
| Will not be deprecated without prior announcement or complete feature parity | Will not be removed from the Slate Community without prior announcement |

## Legacy features

| Legacy Feature | New Feature |
| --- | --- |
| Branding Bookmarklet | [Branding Editor](/v1/docs/branding-editor) |
| Microsoft Outlook Add-in | [Email to Slate Gateway](/v1/docs/inbox-gateway) |
| Slate Template Library | Template Library |
| Reader Bins Reader Review Forms Reader Tab Groups Reader Tab Materials Workflows | [Workflow Editor](/v1/docs/workflows) |
| Release Decisions | [Release Decisions](/v1/docs/release-decisions) |
| Fields | [Fields](/v1/docs/field-editor) |

## Deprecated features

Historically, deprecated features have never been removed from the Slate interface.

For example, it was announced in 2013 that Custom SQL triggers would be "deprecated" in favor of the rules editor. The 'Triggers (deprecated)" tool remains available today in Database. Another example is "Essays (deprecated)." This feature was deprecated many years ago in favor of a process that can be managed using custom application-page scoped forms with material upload widgets.

| Deprecated Feature | New Feature | Details |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Essays | [Application Pages](/v1/docs/slate-hosted-application) | Slate application essays should now be managed using [Application Page](/v1/docs/slate-hosted-application) scoped forms with material upload widgets. |
| Teasers | [Custom Applicant Status Portals](/v1/docs/custom-applicant-status-portal) | New functionality is available when using the portal editor. You can utilize Content Blocks and Liquid Markup to conditionally show information within a Portal, such as a Custom Applicant Status Portal. |
| Retention Policies | [Retention Policies](/v1/docs/retention-policy-editor#executing-retention-policies-on-a-single-record-0-1) | The prior version utilizes Local and Slate Template Library query bases, while all [retention policies](/v1/docs/retention-policy-editor#executing-retention-policies-on-a-single-record) are built on the configurable join query bases in the new version. The new version also utilizes a group structure that enables you to organize policies to execute the deletion of like data. |
| Triggers | [Rules](/v1/docs/overview) | Triggers have been deprecated and should no longer be used. As communicated throughout 2013 and 2014, custom SQL triggers would be retired and were formally deprecated on September 1, 2014. [Rules](/v1/docs/overview)provide much more efficient, comprehensive functionality. Existing custom SQL triggers continue to function in a limited capacity as final migrations to rules are completed. |
| Event Landing Pages | [Portal Events Widget](/v1/docs/portal-events-widget) | Event Landing Pages should now be constructed by using a [Portal Events Widget](/v1/docs/portal-events-widget) within a portal view. |