PersonalEffect and Free Flow Core compatibility with uStore

Version 16.1 released July 16, 2023

Added: Widgets (beta)
It is now possible to use widgets to enhance the functionality of the AquaBlue theme. You can either develop a widget or purchase from XMPie Professional Services the widget that matches your requirements. Read more
UPS is gradually phasing out of the use of the access keys in its integrations. Please use UPS Application as the authentication method. Read more

Version 16.0 released June 18, 2023

Added: New location in the Back Office for the management of uStore skins (download, upload, delete and replace skins). This can be done in Store Setup > Appearance tab.
Read more
Added: New Property options icon management area in Presets, where you can manage the icons used for the Gallery Grid/List controls and the Composite product’s overlay icons. You can upload, download and delete these icons.
During system upgrades, your custom icons – whether legacy or out-of-the-box NG icons – will no longer be overwritten by the default icons.
Read more
Added: uStore supports the new version of Xerox FreeFlow Core – version 7.0.1.
Changed: Legacy stores can no longer be duplicated. Use NG stores instead.

Support for Google Analytics 4 (May 14, 2023)

Google Analytics 4 tags are now supported. If you’re still using earlier versions, you must switch to version 4 before July 2023. Read the Google announcement.

Version 15.3 (10747) released April 30, 2023

Watch a short video overview

Added: uStore allows you to implement your business logic by assigning manufacturers to each order item in the shopping cart. This is done at checkout by calling an external service.
Read more in English Deutsch Français
Technical documentation: Manufacturer Webhook
Added: New mechanism for detecting whether Professional Services plugins are installed on your system before allowing upgrades. This prevents accidental version upgrades that might break plugins. In such a case, it is advised that Support perform the upgrade. Note that his feature will not detect uStore plugins developed by customers in house or by 3rd party developers.
Added: Support for Microsoft Office 365.
Added: uStore Back Office REST API, which exposes uStore Back Office functionality via REST API calls.
Available REST APIs:

- Login Controller
  - Login
  - Logout

- Store Controller
  - Create Store
  - Delete Store
  - List stores
  - Duplicate store
  - Place online store
  - Take offline store
- Product Controller:
  - Create static product
  - Update static product
  - Delete product
  - Get list of product units
  - Create product unit
  - Update pricing general settings
  - Create pricing step
  - Update pricing step
  - Delete pricing step
  - Create cost step
  - Delete cost step
  - Add or replace excel template
  - Delete excel template
  - Get product pricing properties
  - Update price(s)
  - Update cost(s)
  - Get product pricing and cost settings
- Deliveries:
  - Get Delivery Label
  - Get Delivery
  - Get Delivery ID

Version 15.2 (10511) released February 5, 2023

Added: New order approval method.
The new order approval method allows you to tailor the approval process to match your specific business needs.
Using this method you can integrate an external service via a webhook. The external service controls which user group should approve each order submitted to a store. The webhook gets the order data and returns the required approval group for the submitted order.
Read more in English Deutsch Français | Video training
Technical documentation: Order Approval Webhook
As part of our ongoing commitment to data protection and security best practices, in version 15.2 we updated additional libraries used in our front and back end technology.

Notice regarding Authorize.Net (December 14, 2022)

Authorize.Net have changed the way they validate fields in their APIs.
As a result of this unexpected change made by Authorize.Net, shoppers checking out using Authorize.Net may experience failures.

To avoid issues during checkout, stores that use Authorize.Net should apply a patch.
If you have uStore v15.0 or above, the patch is available in the “uStore Updates” page. For earlier versions, please contact Support.

Version 15.1 (10280) released November 7, 2022

Watch a short video overview

Added: It is now possible to change the sequence of products by dragging and dropping. This process is much faster and more intuitive than before.
You can also select multiple products and drag them together at the same time.
Added: It is now possible to search for products within all product groups. A search can be done by product name, ID, catalog number or external ID.
Added: A new permission to access the Back Office REST API has been added to the User Group Setup page.
Added: You can now choose to install updates only for your current version, or, if a version upgrade is present, you can install all updates including the new version.
Added: uStore supports the new version of Xerox FreeFlow Core – version 6.2.5.
Please refer to the FreeFlow Core release notes.
Enhancement: Configuring triggers has been made easier. You now have more space when selecting stores, products or user groups, so that long names appear in full. You also have more reliable selection using checkboxes.
Enhancement: Improved SQL performance:
– Refactoring of SQL stored procedures
– Other performance improvements
Deprecated: uStore Coffee skin.

Version 15 (10123) released August 1, 2022

Watch a short video overview

Added: The Excel pricing file of a static product can now control the behavior of properties.
Using the Excel, you can control which options of a property are available to the shopper according to his/her selection. For example, when the shopper selects a silk page, which cannot be laminated, the glossy lamination option is removed.
Visibility of a property can also be controlled by the Excel.
The value selected by the shopper can be overridden by the Excel, allowing you to set a value for a property. Read more in English Deutsch Français | Video training
Added: An improved Excel pricing template is now available for all product types, excluding Upload products.
It is now easier to add properties to the Excel, by adding their names only.
The Excel, which can be defined with all properties in the store, has a mechanism that knows which property is defined for the ordered product, allowing it to calculate only the properties that are applicable for the ordered product. Read more in English Deutsch Français | Video training
Added: A new comment field has been added to the Checkout page, where the shopper can add comments to the order. The comments are then made available to the operator.
Added: uStore supports the new version of Xerox FreeFlow Core – version 6.2.3.
Please refer to the FreeFlow Core release notes.
Changed: When a version upgrade is available alongside patches for the current version, the patches are installed first and only then is the new version installed. Read more in English Deutsch Français
Important! Microsoft announced the retiring of Basic Authentication starting October 1, 2022.
Customers using Basic Authentication should enable SSL for their SMTP definitions by selecting the SMTP Enable SSL checkbox, and update the SMTP port to match this protocol. Read more

Support for new version of Xerox FreeFlow Core

Added: uStore supports the new version of Xerox FreeFlow Core – version 6.2.1, released on April 14, 2022.
Please refer to the FreeFlow Core release notes.

Version 14.1 patch released March 6, 2022

Enhancement: Security of stores has been hardened. The option to secure critical points only has been removed . Stores that were set up to secure critical points have been changed to secure all pages.

Important! The system no longer supports having both secured and non-secured stores on the same domain/sub-domain.
If you have both secured and non-secured stores on the same domain/sub-domain, please change the non-secured ones to be secured (or vice versa, although not recommended), or shoppers may have a problem accessing them.

Version 14.1 (9296) released January 18, 2022

Added: Circle analytics in XM products.
It is now possible to view Circle analytics reports for XM products in NG stores, instead of the old Marketing Console reports.
Legacy stores will continue showing Marketing Console reports only.
By default, NG stores will automatically switch to show the new Circle analytics reports. If you want to revert to the Marketing Console reports, you can do so in the Global Configurations table of the back office.
Note that Marketing Console was deprecated on January 1, 2022 and will be discontinued on January 1, 2023 (See Marketing Console Discontinuation FAQ). In order to have Circle analytics for XM products, you will have to upgrade to this version or higher.
Added: CAPTCHA
The account lockout option, which is used to lock out an account when someone tries to log on unsuccessfully several times in a row, has been enhanced to include CAPTCHA for better security.
CAPTCHA will appear only for the last sign-in attempt.
CAPTCHA has also been added to the password recovery page.
Added: Excel pricing now supports the XLookup and XMatch functions.
Updated: Changes in behavior of datetime picker input control.
The date format (e.g. DD/MM/YYYY) and time format (e.g. 12/24 hour) are no longer configured for the control but rather taken from the user’s browser settings.
When the datetime picker is configured with Convert to Server Timezone, the date and time are converted and displayed in the user’s timezone, both for the shopper in the storefront and the operator in the back office.
Fixed: A few low and medium risk security issues have been fixed.
It is advisable to upgrade to this version as soon as possible.
Limitation: It is not possible to use the Text cell format to return a price in Excel pricing. If used, the calculation will be incorrect. Use the Accounting, Number or General cell format instead.

Version 14 (8963) released October 4, 2021

Added: Product property controls of static products have been redesigned with NG for a better user experience. These controls, which are based on ReactJS, are available in the new single–page mode in NG stores.
— File attachment: An area to which files can be dragged has been added, as well as a file upload button. Files in the repository can be easily searched for.
— Date time picker: Faster and more accurate selection of date and time is now possible, as well as manual insertion of date and time.
— Gallery grid and gallery list: A larger image area is now available. Out-of-the-box properties have new and modern-looking images.
— Radio button: Radio buttons have taken the form of buttons having text with no image.
— Additional controls: Text boxes, dropdown lists and checkboxes also have a new look and feel. HTML generic maintains backward compatibility to ensure operability of your HTML and JavaScript code.
Note: Products that contain properties written in ASPX only will be displayed in the multiple-page flow.
Added: The price of static products in NG stores is now immediately calculated, resulting in the removal of the Update Price link.
Using Excel pricing a product can be priced even if not all properties have selected values. The shopper can thus see the cheapest available price for the current selections.
To support automatic update, Excel must handle empty values. This is controlled by the “ExcelSupportsEmptyValues” key in the Global Configurations table.
If your Excel files do not support empty values, set the “ExcelSupportsEmptyValues” key to false, for backward compatibility. In this case, recalculation will take place only when all property controls have selected values, as in previous versions.
Deprecated: Legacy stores.
Starting from this version, you can no longer create new legacy stores. Existing legacy stores will keep on working and legacy will still be supported. If you switch a store from legacy to NG, you will no longer be able to revert to legacy.
Deprecated: Microsoft office engine for Excel pricing will be deprecated in version 15.
Updated: Starting from patch #1961 of v.13.4 including v.14 and higher, theme development environment requires NodeJS version 16.3.
Updated: The new NG gallery list and gallery grid icons have a new location that is shared across all themes.
When upgrading a custom theme, you will have to copy the property icons to the new location.

Version 13.4 (8028) released May 23, 2021

Added: The cookie behavior of online stores has been improved to better comply with GDPR.
Now, the Storefront uses strictly necessary cookies only.
The cookie ribbon has been changed accordingly to present a list of all cookies and an editable cookie policy.
Note: If you’re using a custom legacy skin or a custom NG theme, you will have to take some manual steps to make the cookies ribbon look and behave correctly. Click here for more information.
Discontinued: Internet Explorer is no longer supported.
Note: There is no version 13.3.

Version 13.2 patch released March 14, 2021

Added: New GDPR functionality:

- Uploaded files (of both Composite products and File Attachment property) are automatically deleted and replaced with dummy files as part of the automatic deletion mechanism. Read more
- You can also configure proof files to be automatically deleted as part of the automatic deletion mechanism. Read more

Version 13.2 patch released March 8, 2021

Added: A new “Override existing value” checkbox has been added to the “Take values from data source” input control option of dials and properties.
Selecting it instructs uStore to override the existing value of a control, set by the shopper in the storefront, to always reflect the latest database value. Also, when reordering, before the order is placed in the cart, uStore will retrieve the most up-to-date dial/property value from the database. Read more

Version 13.2 (7885) released January 24, 2021

Added: Multiple static products can now be placed in the shopping cart directly from the category, search or home page, without having to leave the current page. This makes placing a bulk order a matter of seconds.
This option is available for static products with quantity selection only (no property or shipping selections). Read more
Added: It is now possible to easily upload a design of a product for production.
In this workflow, a shopper uploads a design which is based on a downloaded dieline (with a fixed size and number of pages). A preflight check assists the shopper in submitting a correct design. Once submitted, the uploaded design is made available to the operator and prepress workflow.
This is available for static products using the file attachment control, which is set with “Use as Production Output” option.
Read more in English Deutsch Français
Added: Store administrators can now download a pricing Excel template and upload a pricing Excel file directly from the back office. It is also possible to turn on Excel pricing debugging from the store setup, and download the latest debug file of each product.
Read more in English Deutsch Français | Video training
Added: A pricing Excel can now be maintained on the store level, setting prices for all products in the store in a single Excel. You can still override the store-level pricing with individual product pricing.
Read more in English Deutsch Français
Added: The search page has been redesigned with NG technology, allowing to control it with the theme editor and theme development in React.js
Added: Administrators can drag and drop a product group to easily change its location in the product group tree.
Read more in English Deutsch Français
Added: In a configuration where uStore is installed on a server which is behind a proxy server, a secure friendly URL can be configured for accessing the back office.
Read more in English Deutsch Français
Added: The uStore installer now supports TLS 1.2, while all SSL versions and older versions of TLS are disabled.
Added: uStore supports the new version of Xerox FreeFlow Core – version 6.0.3. Please refer to the FreeFlow Core release notes.
Fixed: When browsing a B2C store as an anonymous user, the session no longer expires, redirecting to the login page.
Fixed: When uploading a PDF which contains an annotation in a Composite product, the annotation will be displayed in the proof and will be available in the PDF sent to production.

Version 13.1 (7659) released October 12, 2020

Added: uStore Connect NG. uStore Connect is a technology which allows integrating the VDP workflow of uStore into 3rd party systems, such as e-commerce. uStore Connect is now available in the NG technology, including the NG look and feel, theme editing, theme development, kitting and 3D products.
Added: It is now possible to access a store by omitting the www prefix. For example: StoreDomain.com
This requires that the store-friendly URL option is enabled for the store, and that www.StoreDomain.com is defined as the store domain.
After an upgrade this will automatically be applied to all existing stores.
Updated: It is now possible to define whether custom NG pages in B2C stores require user login. Read more

Version 13 (7488) released August 16, 2020

Added: The static product is redesigned for a better, faster and visually appealing user experience in NG stores.
You can select the product ordering flow: the new single-page flow, or the backward compatible multiple-page legacy flow.
For an existing store to which Javascript, CSS or complex HTML has been applied, you may want to select the multiple-page option to maintain backward compatibility, so that the HTML and UI prior to version 13 will be shown.
When upgrading, existing stores will automatically have the multiple-page mode set up.
Added: uStore supports Authorize.Net’s latest API.
Authorize.Net AIM API is now obsolete and in the process of being phased out. If you are an existing customer, you may continue using AIM, however it is recommended to switch to the new Rest API.
Added: It is now possible to download the component of a kit from the store’s Order Details page, provided the component was configured as a downloadable product (the “Allow Download after Purchase” option was enabled for the product).
Added: Values for the Date Time picker input control can now be taken from a data source.
This option allows you to set values with data derived from a database rather than defining it manually.
Note that the value of a Date Time Picker is represented in XML.
Added: Store supports the new version of Xerox FreeFlow Core – version 5.4.4. Please refer to the FreeFlow Core release notes.
Enhancement: Performance time of store duplication has been significantly improved.
Updated: uStore UI components provided by Telerik have been updated to have all the latest security updates. An upgrade is advisable.

Version 12.3 (7229) released May 17, 2020

Added: Option to upload a favicon in the “Header & Footer” section of the Theme Editor.
Added: Support for displaying HTML in the product name and category name in NG stores.
Added: New infrastructure for integration with an external tax calculation system.
Added: Proof file URL for static products in uStore REST API.

Version 12.2 (7042) released April 7, 2020

Added: The preflight results of an Upload product, as seen by the shopper in the Storefront, are now also accessible to the administrator. This can help identify potential production issues in advance.
Added: The administrator can now download the Upload file of a Composite product in its original file format.
Added: The administrator can now replace an Upload file of a Composite product, after it has been ordered.
This option enables to quickly replacement of the file, without having the customer go again through the entire process of submitting the order.
Added: In the Back Office, the administrator can modify the shipping price that was defined in the Storefront with the actual price.
This can be done by enabling the “AllowOverridingManualShippingPrice” key in the Global Configurations table.
Added: A new CSS variable has been added to the theme to display a favicon for the store: –favicon-url. To learn more, refer to uStore NG wiki.
Added: Ability to register and verify your store with Google Search Console, to be able to submit your store for Google indexing and connect to Google Analytics.
Added: The File attachment control has an improved user experience, and it now matches the look and feel of the Aqua Blue theme.
Changed: When an XM product has an approval process, and the approver amends the order, the web touchpoint retains its URL and no longer gets a “_1” extension.

Version 12.1 (6932) released January 26, 2020

Patch 1254 released December 9, 2019

Updated behavior: An uploaded PDF file, which has password protection on print/edit, will not be uploaded in a Composite product.

Version 12.0 (6681) released November 25, 2019

Added: uStore brings the ability to visualize dynamic products in 3D.
A stand up pouch, a label on a bottle, a carton box and a business card with gold foiling, to name a few, can now be better perceived in 3D.
The new uC3D technology supports personalized designs, dynamically added flexible-packaging finishing, such as zipper and valve, dynamic embellishments like embossing, cutting and hole punching, selective lamination, hot foiling, holographic effects, and more.
Added: uStore allows a shopper to download a dieline, design within it using Illustrator or other tools, and then upload it as a PDF.
The PDF can run through a preflight process to prevent production errors. If an error is found, a report is issued, highlighting the errors on top of the PDF.
This workflow is provided in the Customization step and in the Finalize step, by the File Attachment control.
The preflight profile can be generated using Adobe Acrobat DC or Callas pdfToolbox, and configured via FreeFlow Core.
Added: A new trigger event is now available: Order is Ready for Fulfillment.
This event is fired once the order gets to the Pending queue, before it splits into order items. There are no out-of-the box actions available for this event, but it allows integrating new actions for handling a complete order, such as sending a notification to an ERP system once per order.
Added: Store supports the new version of Xerox FreeFlow Core – version 5.4. Please refer to the FreeFlow Core release notes.

Version 11.1 (6428) released September 2, 2019

This is a maintenance release that resolved kitting issues.
uStore supports the new version of Xerox FreeFlow Core – version 5.3.0. Please refer to the FreeFlow Core release notes.
Discontinued feature: The Wave skin for Legacy stores is no longer developed nor supported by XMPie.

Version 11.0 (6191) released July 31, 2019

Added: uStore introduces a new product type: Kit product. A Kit product is a collection of various products which are grouped together to be sold as one single offering.
A kit enables the shopper to order multiple products in one order. Using the kit, the shopper experiences a quick and efficient workflow: with a single click, the shopper can place multiple products in the shopping cart, instead of having to browse the store in search of these items. In addition, if the kit contains multiple dynamic products, customization is done once for the entire kit, and there is no need to customize each product individually.
Kits are prepared by the administrator, and the user does not need to figure out or remember which products need to be ordered. Also, the kit product is optimized for repeated orders and racks inventory levels of the included products.
Important: If you are using a customized NG theme that was created with an earlier version, you will need to update the theme in order to use the kitting feature with your customized theme. Read more
Limitation: The receipt has been enhanced to display the kit and its components in a hierarchical structure.
After upgrading to uStore 11, when adding a kit product to an existing store, the product structure of the receipt does not display the hierarchy of the kit and its components. To display the kit in a hierarchical structure, click Restore Default Receipt in the Receipt Setup window. The same issue applies to customized triggered email templates.

Version 10.1 (5838) released June 30, 2019

Added: Shoppers can now edit submitted orders for which fulfillment hasn’t yet begun. Editing an order cancels the original order, lets the customer make any necessary changes, and then resubmit the order. Operators can also edit an order on behalf of the shopper.
Added: You can now select which items to check out in the shopping cart. The unchecked items remain in the cart.
Added: While fulfilling an order, it is now possible to add ad-hoc production information for the ordered item, on top of the information provided by the customer via product properties. This can be done by adding global properties to an order item and assigning values to them.
Added: When creating a static product with a PDF document, thumbnails are now automatically generated from the PDF. The first two PDF pages (or any number you’ll set) will be automatically converted to JPG thumbnails.
Added: When creating a static product with a PDF document, preflight data (such as page size and color space) is now recorded for the document, similarly to an uploaded PDF via a composite product. This allows generation of reports with this data.
Note that this feature does not support PDF documents with over 200 pages.
Added: The Excel pricing of an uploaded file in a composite product now contains the properties, fulfillment and product ID of the composite product. This enables to calculate the price for the upload products based on the properties of the composite.

Version 10.0.1 (5644) released May 19, 2019

Added: The Product List page shows all products with an infinite scroll.
Added: Shipping tax takes into account the different tax rates of products within a shipment. This results in a lower tax in case the shipment includes tax-exempt products. See “TaxForShippingMethod” key in the Global Configurations Table.

Version 10.0 (5424) released March 17, 2019

Added: A new store type – uStore NG – with a new frontend technology, including:
– A new theme, AquaBlue, with a new homepage, header and footer and category page.
– CSS variables support for themes which affect both the new and legacy pages in a uStore NG store.
– A theme coding framework in React.js which allows development of new themes. Read more.
– Ability to assign an image to a product group.
Added: A WYSIWYG theme editor for uStore NG stores with a draft mode.
Added: uStore supports the new version of Xerox FreeFlow Core – version 5.1.0.9. Please refer to the FreeFlow Core release notes.
Changed: The skin folders of Legacy stores moved to a new location: \\uStoreShared\Skins. This allows easier sharing of skin files between uStore servers within a cluster.
Backward compatibility: When upgrading to uStore 10.0, all existing stores will be assigned a Legacy store type. This will ensure your stores will not undergo any changes and will maintain operability, including skins, plugins and javascripts.
Limitations:
– Currently, uStore NG mode is available for B2B stores only. B2C and uStore Connect stores receive the Legacy mode.
– NG stores do not support Internet Explorer.
– Currently, uStore NG stores use the new React.js technology in the homepage, header and footer and category page only. In all other pages the new technology is used in the header and footer, and the content of the page resides in an iFrame and uses the Legacy technology (ASP.NET).

Version 9.4 (4910) released July 3, 2018

Added: A coupon can now be set to discount specific products in a store or an entire product group.
Added: uStore 9.4 now supports Microsoft SQL Server 2017.
Changed: A promotion code no longer behaves like a gift card, where the provided sum is reduced upon each purchase.
Limitation: uEdit does not support TrueType Collection font files.

Version 9.3 (4818) released May 27, 2018

Added: Additional GDPR functionality has been added: the ability to download all data about a shopper, upon request, and the ability to delete all stored data related to a shopper (except for submitted orders).
Added: uEdit 9.3 has a larger document display area which facilitates the user experience.
Added: uStore supports the new version of Xerox FreeFlow Core – version 5.1.0.3. Please refer to the FreeFlow Core release notes.
Changed: The Coffee Skin was updated to support uStore 9.3. Download installation package.
Know issue: A file uploaded with a file attachment product property is not deleted in a GDPR supported store. In case these files contain PII, delete them from \\ustoreShared\FileattAchments\ no later than 30 days after they were created (136594).
Caution! When deleting a user, ensure there are no orders for this user which haven’t yet been fulfilled. Deleting the user beforehand may cause errors in fulfillment and production.
Important! From version 9.3 onward, upgrades to uStore will be provided as system updates via the Presets > XMPie Services > Check for new updates section. Updates will be available for customers who have an active Maintenance and Support plan.

Version 9.2 (4651) released March 6, 2018

Added: GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) compliance.
Added: When previewing an email of an XM Campaign product in the Storefront, the shopper can now send a proof of the email to an email address, in addition to viewing it in the browser.
Added: Support for Xerox FreeFlow Core 5.1.0.2. Please refer to FreeFlow Core release notes.
Changed: uStore does not support Office 365.
Known issue: When a store is set to be GDPR compliant, once a USAData recipient list is deleted, reordering a product in the Storefront is no longer possible and results in an error. (136292)