PrestaShop v1.4.9 is Now Available for Download: Upgrade Your Store Today

1.) Introducing PrestaShop v1.4.9

For the past several months, PrestaShop’s core developers have been working around the clock to deliver the fastest, most efficient, most reliable version of PrestaShop to date, v1.4.9.

Many of you have been waiting a long time to read these words… so here they are. PrestaShop v1.4.9 is now final and available for global use!

Those of you already using PrestaShop would be crazy not to take advantage of our new one-click upgrade method. This will allow you to effectively transfer all of your current PrestaShop files into the new v1.4.9 database.  This upgrade will maintain the integrity and layout of your current PrestaShop store while allowing you to take full advantage of the latest improvements now available in the newest version of PrestaShop.

Upgrading to v1.4.9 is not only easy, doing so will create an incredibly fast and efficient online shopping experience for you and your customers.

We all know speed is crucial in the world of e-commerce. Long load times can sink an online business while fast load times promote a more user-friendly — and efficient — online shopping experience.

All loyal PrestaShop users will be thrilled to discover v1.4.9 is — on average — 321% faster than its predecessor.  This increase in speed not only means higher conversion rates, it also means escalated profit margins for you and your online business.

(Load times are measured in seconds)

Not only is the new v1.4.9 fast, it’s also incredibly stable. Over the past few months, PrestaShop’s development team has made 624 improvements to the software.

The graph above displays a visual representation of the number of issues reported in v1.4.8 and v1.5 versus the number of fixes that have been made in v1.4.9 (available now) and to v1.5 RC2 (currently in release candidate testing). As you can see, 379 issues were reported, and our developers resolved 626 issues. So what does this mean for you, the merchant? Quite simply, it means the troublesome glitches that once existed in previous versions of PrestaShop no longer exist.

With the new v.1.4.9 installed, every e-commerce enthusiast, online business owner and PrestaShop developer can take advantage of our incredible e-commerce solution without having to stress about functionality.

Take a look at the chart below and you can easily see the number of PHP function calls has been significantly reduced in the new v1.4.9 — as compared to v1.4.8.3. This means v1.4.9 functions with much greater efficiency.

(PHP functions are measured per page)

PrestaShop developers have also increased the effectiveness of SQL queries in order to make your store faster. In addition to generating more speed, your store will now be able to handle 10x more traffic then it was previously capable of. For a detailed understanding of how SQL queries have been improved in the new v1.4.9, check out the graph below.

(SQL queries are measured per page)

2.) Special thanks to our Community

While we are eternally grateful to PrestaShop’s core developers for making v1.4.9 the best version of PrestaShop to date, we would like to extend a special thank you to our Community for their continued support and feedback. In particular, we would like to thank the following users who have been deemed PrestaShop’s Top 100 Contributors on the Forge.

We would also like to extend a special thank you to the following Forge contributors: phrasespot, conny2500, jacky75, Rocky, mel62 Melinda, miromax.ua, maofree, Zeneth One, adamus007p, and angora.

Their contributions helped power our developers through endless hours of coding in order to deliver this incredible new version of PrestaShop, v1.4.9.

Also, a huge thank you is owed to Oleacorner– a.k.a Olivier Bonningues — for all of his efforts in helping us optimize the cart page by making it faster for every PrestaShop user.

3.) Noticeable improvements

At this point in the article, many of you are probably wondering what else makes v1.4.9 so much better than previous versions. Well, the list of improvements is far too vast to mention in its entirety, but we will happily provide some of the highlights for you below.

For those interested, you are invited to view v1.4.9′s CHANGELOG so you can take an inside look at all the improvements that have been made in the new version.

a.) Some of the major improvements include:

• Increased performance rate by 321%
• Improved theme installer
• More accurate and detailed sales statistics
• Improved Front Office and Back Office Layout
• Enhanced CSV import tool (now displays a confirmation message)

In addition to the improvements listed above, PrestaShop v1.4.9 has been optimized in countless ways to ensure an exceptional e-commerce experience for everyone.

b.) Some of the optimization improvements include:

• Using DEFINE() functions instead of Configuration::get() for system variables
• Implementation of a powerful caching system on Cart functions such as getDiscounts()
• Existing global variables are now used whenever possible (ie. $cart)
• Compression of some JavaScript files
• Fewer disk I/O (removed useless calls to file_exists())
• Better memory management (using “false” w/ ExecuteS whenever possible)
• New SQL indexes
• Fewer function calls
• Improved .htaccess rules (Apache was crashing if mod_filters were not enabled and gzip compression was in “Tools > Generators”)

PrestaShop developers have also made sure to provide better web services to our users. And after careful development in response to Community feedback, merchants and their customers can now experience the following improved functions.

c.) Several improved functions include:

• Layered Navigation loads 35% faster thanks to a new SQL index added to the prices table
• Searches using Web-service will no longer be limited to 10 results
• The creation of categories using web-service will now display all category pictures properly (in all image formats)
• Web-service synopsis (for each entity) will now display faster than ever before
• You can now enable/disable a supplier using the Web-service
• The “Tax Rule Group” entity has been added to the Web-service

In addition to the optimizations listed above, PrestaShop v1.4.9 proudly offers a new column in the statistics dashboard. Merchants can now use Statsproducts to take into account specific prices and discounts. One can also filter each category individually, so finding the statistical information you needed will be fast and easy.

Improved statistics means better marketing strategies, and better marketing strategies means increased profit margins for you and your online store. With the new v1.4.9, managing your store’s statistics has never been easier.

Given the improvements that have been made since the release of v1.4.8, the world’s best e-commerce solution just became even more user-friendly and easier to customize with the new v1.4.9.

Several new partner modules have been added as native features inside v1.4.9′s source code. Each of the following modules provides incredible features, which allows you to take advantage of the latest e-commerce technologies.

d.) New partner modules include:

• Jirafe
• Allied Wallet
• Kiala
• Wexpay
• PrestaShop Assurance
• Merchant Warehouse

We’ve also taken extensive time to improve numerous existing partner modules so you can maximize your stores functionality and profitability.

e.) Major module improvements include:

• Cloudcache (Added SSL support. Cloudcache is now compatible with old templates using Smarty)
• Avalara (Major improvements were made)
• Twenga (No major fixes here, but the module definitely functions more efficiently)
• Hipay (Major improvements)
• TNT (Major improvements)
• SoColissimo (Major improvements and bug fixes)
• Shopping Flux (The module was entirely rewritten, and now v2 is available)
• PayPal (Major improvements and bug fixes were made to improve functionality)
• Paysafecard (Minor bug fixes)
• Trusted Shops (Minor bug fixes)
• Mondial Relay (Major improvements and bug fixes)

PrestaShop’s partner modules function better in v1.4.9 then they have in previous versions of our software. Utilizing these modules allows you to completely customize the look, feel and functionality of your online business.

4.) Upgrade to PrestaShop v1.4.9

By now, many of you are probably wondering how to execute this upgrade so you can take advantage of all the latest improvements. Well, all you need to do is follow the detailed guide below  and your online store will be running PrestaShop v1.4.9 in minutes.

(Please note that while we fully support the efficiency of the one-click module, please back up your database and files before starting the upgrade process. If you are not sure how to back up your store, please refer to your hosting provider)

• Login to your PrestaShop Back Office.
• Visit the add-ons store and search for “1-Click Upgrade”

• Download the 1-click Upgrade module
• Navigate to the Modules tab and then click “Add a module from my computer”

• Click “Browse” under “Module file” and select the 1-click Upgrade module you just downloaded

• If the module was installed successfully, you will see a green box appear at the top of your Back Office

• You will now need to deactivate your store by visiting the Preferences tab and selecting “No” for Enable Shop

• Navigate to the modules tab and search “1-click Upgrade”

• After locating the module, you will need to install it.

• Now you’ll want to make sure the module is configured properly. You can do this by clicking “Configure” after installation

• Scroll through the options toward the bottom of the page to make sure your store is ready for the upgrade. You will need to meet all of the required checks listed below. When you are finished customizing your options and all the checks have been met, make sure to click SAVE before starting the upgrade. This is crucial.
  

• After saving your options, click  “Upgrade PrestaShop now.” Doing so will automatically download the latest version of PrestaShop (v1.4.9) and start the upgrade process.

• The upgrade may take some time, so be patient. All details about the upgrade will be listed in the activity log see below.

• Once the process is complete, your store will be running PrestaShop v1.4.9!

5.) Conclusion

The entire PrestaShop team would like to assure our Community that upgrading your store to v1.4.9 will unquestionably maintain the integrity of your files, modules and layout.

Once you’ve completed the upgrade, be sure enable your store under the Preferences tab. Failing to do so will keep your website offline (and this kind of defeats the purpose of operating an online store)

Once your store is enabled, you’ll be ready to start experiencing PrestaShop v1.4.9.

Immediately after installation, you will feel the performance difference. And in a few months, you will begin notice improved functionality through happier customers and increased profit margins.

With the new PrestaShop v1.4.9 powering your online store, the dream of owning and operating a successful online business has never been more attainable.

And if you’ve made it this far into the article, we have but one question… Why are you still reading?

Start taking advantage of all the latest PrestaShop improvements now by downloading and installing v1.4.9 today!