On December 17, 2010 the US Postal Service let customers know that a change was coming to the domestic shipping services.  These changes went into effect yesterday and caused the USPS shipping calculator in Magento to stop working.

The root cause is that the shipping method name now has a “®” symbol at the end of it.

Following is a fix for the issue that involves a change to core code to get you back up and running. The fix removes the ® symbol in the method name.

This fix was first reported in the Magento Forum here, but I’ve reduced it down to two steps for those that don’t want to read through six pages of forum posts.

In file:  /app/code/core/Mage/Usa/Model/Shipping/Carrier/Usps.php

Step 1: Find the following line of code:

foreach ($xml->Package->Postage as $postage) {

And add the following line immediately after it.

$postage->MailService = str_replace("<sup>®</sup>","",(string)$postage->MailService);

Step 2: In the same file, find the following line of code:

foreach ($xml->Package->Service as $service) { 

And add the following line immediately after it.

$service->SvcDescription = str_replace("<sup>®</sup>","",(string)$service->SvcDescription);

Be sure to clear cache and re-compile if necessary.

Update – First Class Mail

In addition to the changes above, the First Class mail method names need to be updated so they will work.

In  file: /app/code/core/Mage/Usa/etc/config.xml

Find the <usps> area and change the following tags for <allowed_methods> and <methods>.

From:

• First-Class Mail International Large Envelope
• First-Class Mail International Letters
• First-Class Mail International Package
• First-ClassFirst-Class Mail
• First-Class Mail Flat
• First-Class Mail International
• First-Class Mail Letter
• First-Class Mail Parcel

To:

• First-Class Mail International Large Envelope**
• First-Class Mail International Letters**
• First-Class Mail International Package**
• First-Class Mail Package
• First-Class Mail Large Envelope

Some of the old methods don’t seem to be available anymore.   The new names will now display in the admin area control panel  (System > Configuration > Sales > Shipping Methods > USPS )  so your store administrator can activate them.  Unfortunately the asterisks are currently required on the International option.

If you need assistance updating your site, please let us know and we can provide a quote.

This project was a collaboration with Wicked Cool Studios.

What we did:

• Magento  template design integration
• Custom Magento module coding
• xHTML/CSS Coding
• WordPress template coding
• Site Installation
• CMS setup
• Newsletter integration

Visit Praise Tea

Whole Truth Solutions provides an array of Holistic Health Services and all natural wellness products.

This project was a collaboration with August Afternoon Design.

What we did:

• Cart Keeper template design integration
• xHTML/CSS Coding
• WordPress template coding
• Site Installation
• Cufon text replacement
• CMS setup
• Newsletter integration

Visit Whole Truth Solutions

We recently launched a new boutique site:  Poppy’s Closet.  Below is an interview with the wonderful Sarah Peter, owner and design mastermind.

How did Poppy’s Closet start?
After my daughter Poppy was born. She is my inspiration.

What will people find in your shop?
Fashionable clothes for youngens ages baby-6 yrs, A lovely assortment of styles including chic, silly, bohemian, organic, preppy, rockstar & party.

What do you look for when choosing products to offer?
I’m looking to fill the perfect closet, one that offers everything that little ones need to be fashionable and hip.

What is unique about Poppy’s Closet?
Several different styles in one boutique.  Poppy likes to mix and match, preppy shorts with a rockstar tee.

If you could only buy one product in your store, which one would it be?
I would say the Gift Card because I wouldn’t be limited to just one product. Everything is so great! I’ll go with the Cream Senorita Dress, goes great alone or with jeans and looks beautiful on Poppy.

What we did

• Magento template design integration
• xHTML/CSS Coding
• Site installation
• Custom category navigation
• Cufon font replacement
• CMS setup
• Customized Wholesale Account administration

Visit Poppy’s Closet

Magento 1.4 Stable Community Edition was released last Friday February 12th.  This major version release brings with it several new features that will improve site performance and make administration easier.

Widgets!

Widgets were introduced in the alpha versions of 1.4 in October ’09 and now have their debut in this stable release.  Widgets greatly expand the CMS (Content Management System) capabilities of the software.  The main way that the new widget functionality differs from static blocks is that non-technical administrators of the site can now control not just the content of blocks, but also their placement.

The default install now comes packaged with 7 types of widgets.  Magento extension authors can create widgets to be packaged with their extensions.

WYSIWYG Editor

When I install a Magneto site the first thing after I have completed the base software installation is to install the Fontis WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get) extension.  With version 1.4 there is now a native WYSIWYG editor (TinyMCE) that can be used to edit Category and Product descriptions.

Unlike the Fontis extension this WYSIWYG editor does not have the ability to be inline – the user is forced to press the “WYSIWYG Editor” button which opens a modal dialog box.  This may have an productivity impact when doing multiple category/product edits.

Custom Variables

With the Transactional Email control panel in Magento store administrators have the ability to customize system generated emails for several events (e.g. New Order, Order Shipment).  Store administrators now have the ability to define custom variables to be used within those transactional emails.  Data elements that are included on each email can now have a single point of edit instead of having to open each email template and update the value.

A new “Insert Variable…” button on the Transactional Emails screen provides a dialog box with a list of system variables and custom variables.  The administrator selects the desired variable in the dialog box to insert the appropriate macro code into their Template Content.

Performance Updates

This release also includes features and updates targeted toward performance. The Compilation Module is now status:stable and greatly improves site performance by “compiling all files of a Magento installation into a single include path”.  That means faster page loads when this module is enabled.

Page transfer size has also been in addressed by including all CSS files into a single transfer similar to how Javascript has been handled to date.

Overview

The new features included in Magento 1.4 add to an already extensive feature list that make this e-commerce platform stand head and shoulders above the rest.