Error "$ is not a function" in TIBCO Spotfire version 11.5.0

Product: TIBCO Spotfire Analyst

Versions: 11.5.0

Summary:

After upgrading to TIBCO Spotfire version 11.5.0, opening previously working analyses may now result in the error "$ is not a function". This happens if using JavaScripts that rely on the jQuery library previously distributed with Spotfire - in version 11.5.0, this has been removed.

Details:

In TIBCO Spotfire version 11.5.0, scripts that have been relying on the jQuery library previously distributed with Spotfire will now fail, as attempting to use the $ selector/jQuery alias will result in errors like the following:

Execution of Javascript failed:
Type: TypeError
Message: $ is not a function
Stacktrace: TypeError: $ is not a function

The reason for this is that from version 11.5.0, the jQuery 1.12.4 and jQuery UI 1.9.2 JavaScript libraries are no longer distributed with TIBCO Spotfire. As stated in the release notes, "your use of these third party libraries, whether in this release, past releases, or future releases of TIBCO Spotfire, is at your own discretion, and is not supported or warranted by TIBCO. Please see Best Practices for Writing Custom JavaScript Code in Text Areas for additional information on using JavaScript code with Spotfire® product."

Information related to this has also been communicated previously in version 11.4.0, when the libraries were deprecated, and in version 10.0.0, when the Best Practices for Writing Custom JavaScript Code in Text Areas were communicated.

Resolution:

To solve this issue, follow the instructions in the Best Practices for Writing Custom JavaScript Code in Text Areas to include your own library.

Update: The ability to use jQuery specifically (but not jQueryUI) without including your own library was temporarily re-introduced for TIBCO Spotfire 11.5.0 in hotfix HF-001 (https://community.tibco.com/wiki/list-hotfixes-tibco-spotfire-clients-analyst-web-player-consumerbusiness-author-and-automation#1150) and also from TIBCO Spotfire 11.6.0, to allow for a smoother transition for users currently affected by the issue.