StoreFront 5.7 Release Notes
Version 5.7 of Apogee StoreFront and Asanti StoreFront will be released on 29 November 2020. It includes an updated Online Editor and new multistep approval function.
The main new features of version 5.7 of Apogee StoreFront and Asanti StoreFront are:
- New Online Editor – The new editor always works HTML5-based and supports nine new bar code types.
- Multistep approval – Up to three people or teams can be required to approve all incoming orders.
More information about StoreFront is available in the Online Help and the Online Help Addendum. Existing users should check the post-update guidelines.
New Online Editor
StoreFront 5.7 includes a new version of the Online Editor with two major changes:
- Only the HTML5-version of the Online Editor can still be used to create or edit customizable and VDP documents. The Flash-based version is no longer available since Adobe will end support of the Flash Player on December 31, 2020. Most browsers have already disabled the Flash Player by default, and they will subsequently stop supporting it altogether.
During the upgrade to StoreFront v5.7, all existing Flash-based customizable and VDP products will be converted to use the HTML5-based Online Editor. The Products tab’s bottom toolbar no longer has options to select the Flash-based Online Editor or convert documents.
Documents that were converted for editing with the HTML5-based Online Editor may show slight page layout changes. Images or text may move slightly on the page or change appearance. Appearance changes include minor color shifts, changes in text spacing, or accents moving a bit. Online Editor actions may also not work like before.- It is recommended to thoroughly check new orders of documents that were initially created using the Flash-based Online Editor for any such changes. Inspecting the first few reorders of existing documents is also highly recommended.
- You can use the Customer Approval function introduced in Storefront v5.6 to make sure that shoppers check a softproof of their designs before submitting orders. This forces shoppers to check their creations more thoroughly and accept their liability if they overlooked mistakes.
- The new Online Editor supports additional bar code types. In this overview of supported bar codes, the new ones are marked in italics: Code 128 A, Code 128 B, Code 128 C, Code 25, Code 25 Interleaved, Code 39, Code 39 Extended, DataMatrix, EAN 8, EAN 13, GS1 – Datamatrix, GS1-128, ISBN, ITF-14, PDF417, Pharmacode 1-bar, QR Code, UPC-A, UPC-E.
Multistep approval
Currently, you can set up an approval cycle for orders within StoreCenter. All orders then need to be approved by an approver or admin before they are forwarded to production.
With multistep approval, more than one approver can approve each order. This can be handy in shops set up for personalizing medical documents, in which both legal and marketing people must approve the text and layout. In the event industry, documents may require approval by both the exhibitors and the event organizers.
Setting up a multistep approval flow is done in the Stores > General tab where you can select the number of steps and assign approvers to each step. Printer administrators can always approve orders on behalf of any of these approvers.
Multistep approval is a sequential process: as soon as approver one approves the order, approver two is notified that he or she needs to review the same order. You can have up to three approval steps. Within the Orders > Approval window, two new columns indicate to printer administrators how many approvals are required and in which approval step the order currently is.
When an order item is rejected, the approver needs to give a reason for this. This information is shared with the buyer.
When the content of an uploadable or customizable product is rejected, the buyer can resubmit a new file or updated design, without the need to place a new order. The updated order item will then once again have to go through all the approval steps.
This new function is available for users with a MallPack Gold license. Contact Laurens Leurs to activate this option within your Gold license if you need it.
Other changes
A few minor issues with the order commenting function were fixed. Order comments are now also included in the JDF order data and packing instructions. The Norwegian translation was updated. The PayPal and Stripe payment gateways received some small updates.
Some of the changes and new features in this release require action by a printer administrator:
If you did not migrate all customizable products from the Flash-based Online Editor to the HTML5-based Online Editor ahead of the v5.7 release, you need to thoroughly check the initial orders for customizable products, as described in the above ‘New Online Editor’ section.