WooCommerce 8.6 has been delayed to release due to a bug. It brings new features such as a new product details block style, 6 new layouts for the product collection block and a sales column for marketing analytics. For developers, patch 8.6.1 includes improved record keeping, a warning about the removal of the Legacy REST API, simplified customer history calculation, and fixes four issues. From 73 contributors and 365 developers, this latest WooCommerce release offers some nifty new features and improvements for merchants and developers.
Reason for Delay:
The delay in WooCommerce 8.6 release is due to an issue discovered in an earlier release that affected stores with large order volumes. Specifically, when using Order Attribution Tracking, navigating to a specific customer's order with a large number of orders was causing site instability and a 500 error. This prevented the release from going live on the previously scheduled date, requiring more extensive testing and a more stable release.
WooCommerce 8.6.1 includes the following fixes for issues in 8.6.0:
Changed the entity cache for WC blocks to use the WC core version instead of the old WC Blocks version, which improves performance. No longer shows attribution metabox for unsupported order types. Checks the shipping status before creating a product, allowing products to be displayed more uniformly. Default values have been added to the admin address filters, so users can be more easily guided in setting their preferences.
WooCommerce 8.6 Main Features
New Block Style for Product Details Block
In WooCommerce 8.6, there are two options for the Product Details block: Classic and Minimal. In new installations, the Minimal style is selected by default. However, the Classic style is still available to be compatible with theme-based CSS customizations.
Product Collection Block Six Gets New Layout
Probably the most impressive feature for traders and marketers is the introduction of six new layouts for the Product Collection block. Now traders can choose from New Arrivals, Top Rated, Best Selling, Discounted, Featured and Product Catalog. These new layouts can be combined, mixed and matched on one page, so they can better respond to merchants' needs. For example, you can promote your new spring collection above your winter sale items, leading to your full product catalog.
Sales Column Added to Marketing Page
Probably the most exciting feature for marketers is the addition of six new layouts for the Product Collection block. Now merchants can choose from New Arrivals, Top Rated, Best Selling, Discounted, Featured and Product Catalog. These new layouts can be combined, mixed and matched on one page, better responding to merchants' needs. For example, you can promote your new spring collection above your winter sale items, leading to your full product catalog.
Changes to the Recordkeeping System
The internal record keeping system has been greatly improved in WooCommerce 8.6. Merchants and developers now have a better interface to check and review log entries. The new log file browser allows users to filter, sort and manage log files. It is also possible to view log files directly in the WordPress dashboard. The search function is now more user-friendly and there is an option to export logs. Users can download any log file or all of them together as a zip file.
Legacy REST API Removal Warning
As WooCommerce is preparing to remove the old REST API in version 9.0, merchants using the old API will see a warning about the upcoming change. Given the frequent release intervals, this means that this change will take place in about a couple of months.
Simplified Customer History Calculation
To solve the Order Attribution Tracking issue, which was the main reason for the delay in releasing version 8.6, the customer history calculation process has been simplified to reduce 500 errors (server errors) in larger stores.
Shortly before Ronny Shani's release, the team launched a completely new documentation website. Woo Developer Docs accepts documentation as code and hosts markdown files in the documentation folder in the project GitHub monorepo. This approach encourages community collaboration and allows users to contribute to the documentation. Also, the plugin's developers have the possibility to update the documentation whenever they change or update WooCommerce's codebase.
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