Noticed that the full product download has been updated to 3.4.7. I will update our store and then report back with any changes I notice.
 
I wish Viart would post infos about new releases pro-actively here with a changelog.
 
Also, the latest version in my User Home area still says 3.4.2.
 
Oh well, nobody is perfect
 
Cheers!

I do wonder, DickS, whether Viart should set up a user group. I bet there are a number of willing users who would participate and probably for no reward (well perhaps free premium service?).
This could provide a valuable conduit to getting the whole set up in the way that users find most useful:
Language - it needs to be more consistent through the manual and withing admin
Understanding - I go to admin pages and don't understand what many of the fileds are there for or how to make the most of them
Announcements - as you mention above
The manual - how people use it and what improvement would facilitate better use
... and so on?

Yes, I can't agree more on the user group suggestion. Maybe when someone from Viart reads this it sparks some action.

I was in the middle of customizing 3.4.5 to move to production, and saw this. THANK YOU for this posting. I'd rather have 3.4.7 with all the fixes than 3.4.5 and have to add patches.
I did note that 3.4.7 now has the Coupon Block available on all the pages I requested it to be on in the customization I paid for.

You mean coupon block is on checkout as well as basket page (it was only on basket page before)?
 
If so that is very cool news and I truly thank you for your investment in this feature as we also need it.
 
Will test right away :)

So, presumably this means just a few files need uploading?
Does anyone know what these are and the _easiest_ way to upgrade from 3.4.5?

I would like to know the files that were changed and any feature modifications if anyone knows...

Me too Dan. I had no idea there was a 3.4.7, I can find no info on it anywhere. I have been ironing out a couple of glitches in 3.4.5 and attempting to configure it without a manual. It is frustrating that many of us gain all this insight, probably repeating the work that other users have done.
 
A public Wiki similar to the one at Oscdox where users can add missing parts of the manual as they solve config challenges would be helpful and save us from duplicating work.

Well, we just upload all files in key folders (see my how to upgrade post). Not that complex actually.
 
There used to be a changes file for 3.4.2 (http://www.viart.com/downloads/3.4.2_changes.zip) but there is none anymore for 3.4.7.
 
Again, the upgrade from full package is no problem if you follow my instructions. However, we also have made some customisations in php files and of course need to copy those over every time. That is a pain, but it's not a Viart specific issue and actually not their problem when we make changes in their code .
 
I fully agree that the documentation is totally crap. I am referring to changelogs, versioning, etc. Viart must improve this.
 
Cheers!
 
DickS

Hello to everybody,
 
Please, see below the list of additional functionalities and bug fixes we have included in the release 3.4.7:
 
- Possibility to apply columns settings for the PDF invoice;
- Fix the bug on the PDF invoice when prices include taxes;
- Possibility to attach PDF invoices in the final checkout settings;
- The coupon block on home page, products listing page, details page;
- When deleting categories delete products that are not assigned to any category;
- The error with using correct date format when exporting viart data into CSV file has been fixed;
- Affiliate commissions, reward points and reward credits for subscription added;
- Default options for a product type improved;
- Possibility to add images below the main product image.
 
Feel free to contact our support team should you encounter any problems with the new release.
 
With kind regards,
Viart Support Team

The question still remains, though:
 
Can anyone please list the files that need to be uploaded going from 3.4.5?
 
Chris

Sidenote: There was a silent update made to 3.4.7. Anyone who downloaded before April 3 should re-download.
 
This is bad news as it means build management is broken.
 
DickS

Dear Dick,
 
As long as we haven't added any new functionalities in the new version 3.4.7 (just fixes for the current version) we decided not to change the release number. When we add new functionalities to the current version and issue a new build or a release we change the release number and list the changes that were made in the new version.
 
with kind regards,
ViArt Support Team
 

Hi Anjula
 
Thank you for issuing a statement to this thread, I appreciate the openess. However, for us Viart fans, it would be a lot better to issue new build number when releasing something new.
 
This way we can then evaluate if the fixes make sense.
 
Just a thought .
 
DickS

" The question still remains, though:
Can anyone please list the files that need to be uploaded going from 3.4.5? I don't know "
 
Please, Guys, someone could give me a list??
 
Chris

I have always been frustrated with how hard it is to maintain my customizations between upgrades. I am sitting here with a 2-year old version of Viart just because I don't want to endure the weeks of getting my logo, templates and such back and running. In a serious production environment, where hundreds of people buy every day, it's nearly impossible to upgrade the cart and have the look, feel, and customizations in place within the same day.
 
How does everyone else do this? I've never been able to get a 'change list' so I can just upload the files needed, it always has to be a 'wipe the drive and reload' maintaining only the database, and I think that's what will eventually keep me from sticking with what I think is a great shopping cart otherwise.
 
Ed

Hello Ed,
 
Thanks for your comments.
 
We would like to let you know that we are in progress of adding two improvements to our upgrade procedure, namely:
 
1) At present, we are creating a changes log which will automatically added to the new versions and will display the list of files which were modified from version to version.
2) We will add a special diff module to the Admin panel which will compare your version with the new one and display the list of new and updated files. In addition, you will be able to click on the file and see what modifications were made.
 
As soon as we are able to complete the aforementioned improvements, we will add them to the latest version and will make an announcement on our site.
 
In case you have any other ideas, please send them via our support center and we will review them.
 
Thanks for opening such questions. They help us to identify the weak points in our system and add necessary modifications.
 
With kind regards,
ViArt Support Team
 
 

Thanks for the update Anjula and for taking the initiative of implementing a new upgrade process.

 
That sounds extremely pleasing!!! I'm excited

I'm impressed how quickly Viart has taken user feedback and put processes in place to address the issues.
 
Well done!

I am still in version 3.3.5 but eager to upgrade to 3.4.7. It sounds like it is pretty stable at this point? Dick or anyone else, what would be your best suggestion at this point on what steps to take? Will I be changing a bunch of files or just a few?
 
Would you recommend waiting for the changes log and admin diff file Anjula mentions above, or will the upgrade be pretty straitforward at this point?
 
Thanks! Greg

Greg, the main change for us where the templates. We had to compare and check every template file. The reason is that Viart changed and improved the template system in 3.4.7.
 
Unless you have made customisations elsewhere in php scripts you should be fine. As always, do a test run in a copied environment .

If you want to upgrade, its better to use a Diff utility such as Beyond Compare, its cheap but its very resourseful.
 
The problem i was faced is that when i tried to compare, it showed all the files as being different because they had updated the update date and time in each file so each file showed up as changed. So it was not possible to go through each and everyfile to see the changes.

I understand that there will be a stable 3.5 soon so I have decided to wait for that.

Thanks for the suggestions! I've changed very few template files, and assume they will be apparent from the saved date. I am thinking:
 
1. Copy my site as-is to a test location.
2. Modify any 3.4.7 files to include my 3.3.5 changes, before I upload.
3. Upload entire version 3.4.7; All my articles and graphics should stay intact.
4. I assume there are no changes to the database tables?
5. If everything works, repeat step 3 for my website.
 
Am I missing anything obvious? Do I still need to update bug-fix files by Eugene and others? Is there a list of them somewhere?
 
thanks!

Does anyone have any idea of the changes/additions in 3.5 ?