The release of WooCommerce 3.7 is just around the corner.
The version brings minor changes to WooCommerce features especially product blocks, PHP and WordPress version compatibility, package management system, template file changes, and general tweaks for performance improvement.
In this minor update, the emphasis is on improving the overall flow of the store, thereby ensuring a smooth buyer’s journey on the store. As a result, the stores will certainly see an increase in the overall conversion and other store performance indicators.
Here’s a brief timeline of the past versions:
- WooCommerce 3.3 was released on January 30, 2018
- WooCommerce 3.4 was released on May 23, 2018
- WooCommerce 3.5 was released on October 23, 2018
- WooCommerce 3.6 was released on April 17, 2019
- Finally, WooCommerce 3.7 is about to be released on August 12, 2019.
Let’s explore WooCommerce 3.7 in a bit more detail.
Product Blocks
WooCommerce product blocks were first released with WooCommerce 3.6. This time around, there is a new version, WooCommerce product blocks 2.3 that offers several new features.
Image Source: WooCommerce
Performance Improvements
With the latest WooCommerce 3.7, you will notice a marked improvement in speed and performance of the dashboard. The pages load will be faster and the navigation will become simpler.
New PHP and WordPress Minimum Version Requirements
The minimum PHP and WordPress version requirements have been updated in WooCommerce 3.7. The new requirements are WordPress 4.9 and PHP 5.6 respectively. So, if you want to test the new version, you must update the core system versions to the new current minimum requirements to ensure stable store performance with the new version.
Test WooCommerce 3.7 on Cloudways Platform
On Cloudways we have an updated version of PHP, & WordPress
The New Package Management System
From the official WooCommerce announcement:
“With the new PHP 5.6 minimum requirement in place, we are able to utilize PHP packages. End users are not affected by this change.
Since a large number of new WooCommerce features are being developed as feature plugins, separate from WooCommerce core, under the hood we have made some changes on how these features are included and loaded.
We have removed the Product Blocks as well as REST API functionality from WooCommerce core and these are all now developed and released independently yet included with each WooCommerce release via Composer.
This allows us to eliminate feature plugin conflicts easily, utilize namespaces and ensure more efficient loading of the code as it is needed within WooCommerce core.”
Additional Enhancements
The WooCommerce 3.7 comes with further enhancements.
- Users can now change the “Thanks” wording in emails from the email settings
- Tax classes from WordPress options have been moved to a new wc_tax_rate_classes table for storage
- New Coupon Code generator is now available for coupons page
Template file changes
The WooCommerce 3.7 comes up with some updates and changes for templates.
Image Source: WooCommerce
Deprecated functions and methods
In WooCommerce 3.7, some functions are deprecated. The list include:
- WC_Abstract_Order::get_used_coupons(): They have replaced this method with new method WC_Abstract_Order::get_coupon_codes()
- Woocommerce_before_cart_item_quantity_zero: They have removed this action from removed the woocommerce_before_cart_item_quantity_zero action from WC_Cart::restore_cart_item() in favor of the existing woocommerce_cart_item_removedaction
Note: “This action should already be in use if you are using woocommerce_before_cart_item_quantity_zero.”
Final Release WooCommerce 3.7
WooCommerce 3.7 beta, RC1, and RC2 have already been released. The RC2 was released with some fixes. Finally, the latest WooCommerce 3.7 will be released on August 12, 2019.
To test out WooCommerce 3.7 RC2, you can use WooCommerce Beta Tester plugin, or you can download the release candidate from WordPress.org.
You can sign up for Cloudways WooCommerce managed hosting for FREE and test the new version of WooCommerce!
Saud Razzak
Saud is the WordPress Community Manager at Cloudways - A Managed WooCommerce Hosting Platform. Saud is responsible for creating buzz, spread knowledge, and educate the people about WordPress in the Community around the globe. In his free time, he likes to play cricket and learn new things on the Internet. You can email him at [email protected]
