4.6.5: a “maintenance release” with UPS, Australia Post, Fedex and USPS updated and 58 other improvements
We have been packing our Classic platform with new features for more than 10 years, but the more complex the product becomes, the higher is the possibility of some issues. So based on the community feedback we took decision to issue a “maintenance release”: bring shipping carriers integrations up to date, thin out the bugtraker, implement a number of improvements and fixes. Today we’re introducing a new version of X-Cart Classic: X-Cart 4.6.5.
UPS, USPS, Australia Post and FedEx
In the UPS integration, the XML registration API was replaced with SOAP. Together with the registration API update, we implemented several UI improvements and added a new setting, allowing to ‘Split the shipment into multiple packages if its weight/dimensions exceed the limitations’.
The integration with Australia Post was updated too – in accordance with the Postage Assessment Calculation (PAC) API.
Another shipping integration embraced is USPS : We implemented the support for the updated USPS Web Tools APIs and added the ‘Priority Mail Express Padded Flat Rate Envelope, 12.5 x 9.5’ container which enables you to use methods like ‘USPS Priority Mail Express 1-DayTM Padded Flat Rate Envelope 10:30 AM Delivery’ or ‘USPS Priority Mail Express 1-DayTM Padded Flat Rate Envelope’. The support of cheaper “commercial plus” rates was implemented too.
FedEX has already been revised in a previous version, but it’s not without improvements too: instead of getting standard rates only, rate types “LIST” and “ACCOUNT” are supported now, which allows getting both standard and discounted rates.
Usability improvements
Product catalog cache is now cleared when a new product is created or when an existing one becomes available. For end users it means that the product will become visible in the frontend right away, not when the cache expires ( say, in 1 hour, depending on the TTL set).
The “From” email setting now supports not only the email address itself, but also your company name. In the other words, the more trusted name of your company will be shown in the “from” field in the incoming messages of your customers, not purely the email address, as it used to.
The change I can show on the screenshot, finally =). The “Payment methods” section on Checkout page will be hidden if the order total is zero. The order will be placed with the default offline payment method the admin selects on payment methods configuration page. Important is that this default payment method MUST be set (not empty).
I personally like the next usability improvement very much: it decreases the number of mouse clicks due to the autofocus on the first input box in such forms as login, register, search, edit address book, edit profile, contact us. We hope that your customers will find it convenient too.
Updated X-Payments Connector
The freshest version of X-Cart already includes the updated X-Payments Connector. It fully supports all the new features of PA DSS certified payment application X-Payments v2.x (PCI compliant saving credit cards, recurring orders, iFrame integration of X-Payments credit card form, integration with Kount for powerful on-line fraud screening, etc), also, due to the “smart import of payment methods”, the procedure of X-Payments connection has been improved and made a lot easier (see video tutorial below).
Performance enhancements
New Arrivals, Recently Viewed products, Bestsellers, search of category products will be faster as the function used in these scripts was optimized. There were several adjustments of Egoods and Banner System, which also contributes into overall speed of your store. X-Cart 4 Classic is considered to be one of the fastest eCommerce platforms ever, and in a tandem with a good hosting,( e.g. a fully managed VPS hosting with SSD disks), it can help you outrace the competitors – the speed of your website is one of key factors of pleasant shopping experience 😉
Upgrade Packs Already Available
The upgrade packs are already available. The important detail about them is that the upgrade script now checks, whether the security patches (or other patches by X-Cart team) were applied or not, if yes, removes them, and patches the files afterwards, adding the most recent version of the code without security vulnerabilities. This makes upgrade procedure easier in most cases, but in case the upgrade fails after this step, you need either to restore the site from backup or apply the aforementioned patches ( security- and bug-fixes) again. You’re welcome to download the upgrade packs and update your stores. Just remember Mike’s advice: “Never, I mean never, run an update on your live site without testing it on a dev copy of your store.”(c). Discuss the new version on the forum or contact us if you need any help.
Anastasia has over 8 years of experience in the eCommerce industry. Having been a Customer Care agent in the past, she knows exactly what eCommerce merchants' needs are, and uses her knowledge in Marketing to bring value to the community by sharing her thoughts on relevant topics.
