Great news for the PrestaShop community – version 8.2 has just been released! As a developer who's been deeply involved with PrestaShop for years, I'm excited to dive into the details and share my thoughts on what this new minor release brings to the table. While PrestaShop 8.2 is relatively small compared to previous minor updates, it includes a series of important improvements and bug fixes that many of us will appreciate.
Key Improvements in PrestaShop 8.2
Better Handling of Overrides During Module Installation
One of the most important changes in this release is the improved mechanism for checking overrides when installing a module. Previously, if a conflicting override was detected, PrestaShop would throw a warning but still install the module, which could lead to issues. Now, the installation process will properly block if it finds a conflict, ensuring no "half-installed" modules remain in your database and preventing potential side effects.
New Hook: actionFrontControllerSetVariablesBefore
PrestaShop 8.2 introduces a new hook, actionFrontControllerSetVariablesBefore. This hook allows developers to assign variables before they are handled by the core, giving us more flexibility when managing custom logic on the front end. It's a small but powerful addition that could open up a range of use cases, especially for developers looking to improve performance or customize certain behaviors at an earlier stage.
Performance Boost with CartLazyArray
Cart performance has always been a topic of interest for anyone developing or managing a PrestaShop store. With the introduction of CartLazyArray, PrestaShop is taking its first steps toward a more efficient cart object. This new class only loads cart data when needed, reducing the load on the server and improving overall performance. While this change introduces minor backward compatibility breaks, it's a step forward that will help larger stores run more smoothly.
Improved Email Handling in the Mail Class
If you've ever had emails marked as spam because of PrestaShop’s email configuration, you'll appreciate this improvement. The reply-to parameter is no longer allowed to be the same as the to parameter in the Mail class, helping prevent emails from getting flagged as suspicious. It’s a small fix, but one that will improve deliverability and avoid those frustrating spam folder issues.
Bug Fixes in PrestaShop 8.2
Over 10 bugs were fixed in this version, and the full list can be found on GitHub, but I want to highlight a few that I found particularly noteworthy.
Fix for Installation on Specific Environment Configurations
Some environments with certain configurations were causing the PrestaShop installation process to fail, particularly during the database creation step. This has now been resolved, making installation smoother and more reliable across a wider range of setups.
Compatibility Fix for PHP 8.1
PHP 8.1 brought about some changes in how PDO returned integer values, which caused compatibility issues in PrestaShop, particularly with some fields that were expected to be strings. This problem has been addressed in version 8.2, ensuring better compatibility with modern PHP environments.
Duplicate Customer Creation Issue
There was a bug that allowed duplicate customer accounts to be created in certain scenarios, especially when using the same email address. This has been fixed, preventing confusion and errors in customer management. You can read more about this fix in the related pull request.
Customized Products Fixes
Thanks to contributions from @Codencode, issues with ordering customized products have been resolved. These fixes include correcting the "Total products" column in the order confirmation and addressing problems with deleting images for customized products. If you're selling custom products, these changes will make the whole process smoother.
Moving Forward: What’s Next for PrestaShop?
While 8.2 is now available, many of us are eagerly awaiting PrestaShop 9.0. The team is hard at work preparing the first beta, and more details will be shared soon. The shift in versioning—releasing an additional minor version before 9.0—signals PrestaShop’s commitment to maintaining flexibility while adhering to semantic versioning principles.
If you're interested in the detailed technical changes or want to dig into the specific bug fixes, check out the GitHub pull requests for this release here.
That’s it for this update on PrestaShop 8.2! If you’ve already upgraded or plan to, feel free to drop your thoughts or any issues you’ve encountered in the comments. Let’s discuss what this version brings to the table and how it impacts your store.
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