We are excited to introduce the latest release of AbanteCart v1.4.4!
It improves checkout reliability, updates PayPal Commerce and Stripe, replaces the legacy USPS extension with a new USPS API v3/OAuth extension, adds Google Places address autocomplete, new discount type, introduces persistent shopping data, hardens data-at-rest encryption flows for stores using the Encryption Data Manager extension, and includes many admin, storefront, database, and extension fixes.
🌟 Highlights
- Google Places address autocomplete.** Optional address suggestions can be enabled in admin with a Google Maps and Places API key. The integration is included in storefront address forms for the default theme and Novator, and falls back to regular address input if the Google script or API key fails.
- PayPal Commerce update.** PayPal Commerce now uses the updated `paypal/paypal-server-sdk`. The extension allows Pay Later messaging/configuration, product and cart checkout buttons, configurable funding sources, 3D Secure policy support for card payments, safer debug logging, and many checkout fixes.
- Stripe SDK update.** Stripe is updated from `stripe/stripe-php` v16.4.0 to v19.4.0. Payment Intent creation now uses deterministic idempotency keys, stores order/cart/product metadata, can reuse a matching in-flight intent, and includes Stripe Connect setup/disconnect UI. Thanks to [@handoyo](https://github.com/handoyo) for raising the Stripe concerns in [#1758](https://github.com/abantecart/abantecart-src/issues/1758) that informed several of these changes.
- New USPS extension.** The old `default_usps` extension is removed and replaced by a new `usps` extension using USPS API v3/OAuth for live domestic/international rates and label generation.
- Persistent shopping data.** A new `AShoppingData` class and `ac_shopping_sessions` table store shopping/session data used by checkout and customer flows.
- Fixed-amount-off promotions.** Product discounts and product specials now support a fixed amount off price prefix (`Δ`) in addition to percent-off and fixed-price behavior.
- Data encryption hardening.** Stores using the Encryption Data Manager extension get a more correct insert/update flow for `customers`, `addresses`, and `orders`, an encryption-aware admin customer search, hidden plaintext search on the order grid when encryption is active, a back-fill of decrypted values into the customer init array, plus internal fixes in `ADataEncryption` (lazy key loading, `isEncryptedField` index guard, new `getKeys()`).
- Developer extension points.** 1.4.4 adds Mail API support, more hooks, new helper functions, extension model loading improvements, and storefront/admin template hook variables.
More details:
https://github.com/abantecart/abantecart-src/releases/tag/1.4.4