The new version of WooCommerce 3.1 is available since April, and has had over 1600 commits from 84 contributors.
Read on to find out what’s new!
3.1 is a minor update. All changes should be backwards compatible with 3.0.x sites, but we do still recommend ensure extensions and themes are compatible before upgrading, and testing on a staging site or making backups for peace of mind.
CSV Import / Export
In the past, moving product data in and out of WooCommerce has required either premium importer plugins, or messing with WordPress XML files. We’ve tried to address this in 3.1 with our new CSV import/export solution which we hope will improve the experience for new users coming to our platform.
The exporter let’s you choose which pieces of information you’d like to export (also includes meta data), and limit the export to certain product types.
We have usage and developer documentation on our wiki.
Manage your WooCommerce.com extension licenses in WooCommerce core
In an effort to improve the user experience for updating extensions purchased from WooCommerce.com, the “helper” (the code responsible for validating licenses and checking for updates) has been merged into WooCommerce core.
Search helpers: WC_Order_Query classSearch helpers: WC_Order_Query class
For developers, we’ve added some new search helpers for orders to allow you to query orders by multiple props. More information here.
Everything else
- We’ve made the “terms and conditions” checkbox on the checkout slide out the terms page contents inline, rather than just linking to it.
- In 3.0.x, when going to pay for an order assigned to a customer you’re presented with a pretty unfriendly “invalid order” message. We’ve improved this in 3.1. Now, you’ll either see a useful message if the order is not yours, or you’ll see a login form if not yet logged in.
- oEmbeds (e.g. to show videos) were previously non-functional when used in the product short description. With 3.1 they are supported!
- You can now set stock statuses for variations in bulk from the edit product screen.
- A small improvement when updating users manually in admin; you can now use the “Copy from billing address” button to populate the shipping address from the billing address in one click.
Setup wizard improvements:
- A domestic shipping zone will be automatically created for your defined base country to make setting up shipping a little more streamlined.
- If you’re in the US you’ll get the option to install the WooCommerce Services extension which provides, amogst other things, USPS rates and shipping labels.
For more information about the new version here.