Question: Are blocks now standard for WooCommerce?

  • Resolved Emer

    (@emcgal)


    11 months, 3 weeks ago

    I would love some official clarification on this.

    I have the standard checkout block used on a client website and my client wants to start using Revolut for payments. This is the response I got from the Revolut tech team. The ‘blocks plugin’ referred to is the Woocommerce blocks which I used prior to it part of woocommerce because I look ahead, not stay stuck behind until there is no choice. It is now disabled and the block was readded in case there was any conflict but still isn’t working.

    ‘Our plugin is compatible with the latest Woocommerce version, the checkout page is made with a blocks plugin, that is the one that is not compatible with our plugin, if you use the standard checkout with the latest version of Woocommerce and WordPress the widget will work as intended.’

    I think she wants me to revert back to the shortcode [woocommerce_cart] however for me, this means the Revolut plugin is not compatible with the latest version of Woocommerce which for me, includes blocks.

    Could someone from Woocommerce please clarify this because this should have been done weeks ago at this point and I would like to know how their plugin is considered tested with the latest version if is doesn’t work with the standard woocommerce blocks.

    Referring to this plugin:
    https://wordpress.org/plugins/revolut-gateway-for-woocommerce/

    Thanks in advance.

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • Dave Loodts

    (@davelo)

    11 months, 3 weeks ago

    In particluar the Checkout block is indeed an issue for many plugins that connect with the checkout. The Checkout block plugin and the classic WooCommerce shortcode works totally different. The classic version has code hooks, usefull for pluginbuilder to hook their solution onto.
    For Blocks, that is a different method and more complex cause it’s mostly written in javascript. Maybe in the upcoming future, plugins will adapt.

    I’m not working for WooCommerce, but i know WooCommerce assures that both methods will be continue to work in the future. You can safely go back to the shortcode method, like [woocommerce_cart] and [woocommerce_checkout]

    Thread Starter Emer

    (@emcgal)

    11 months, 3 weeks ago

    Thanks @davelo I appreciate your input and agree with you. I guess what I’m questioning how Revolut can say their plugin supports the latest version of Woocommerce when it doesn’t support blocks. Also it’s Revolut not some small developer supporting a plugin.

    Also will there then be issues using the block basket? I’ve been using blocks and Stripe since they came out. As far as I’m concerned, blocks are now the standard or should be. It’s great that Woocommerce will still support the shortcodes but it does feel like taking a step backwards when the blocks have been on this website since Easter 2021 I think. I know we went live on good Friday and laughed sneaking a celebratory virtual drink afterwards.

    Dave Loodts

    (@davelo)

    11 months, 3 weeks ago

    It’s not only Revolut that’s gonna reply like this. Big or small companies, the majority of it aren’t yet supporting the new cart or checkout block editor. We run +40 shops, none of them use the cart or checkout block. From my current experience as semi-developer; the classic cart and checkout is way more flexible to build out. More documentation and tutorials. Even if a build a new shop now, i’ll still advice the classic way in terms of cart and checkout. For me it’s certainly not a step back, it’s a step for more flexibility right now.

    For a typical php developer in WordPress-land, it’s not easy to switch over to javascript. I see a lot of shortcomings in that part at plugin builders. But it’s not easy to follow up: the speed of development, full site editing testing and the HPOS-integration, that all takes a lot of energy and time for plugin builders. There is a lot of pressure and also legacy code to support.

    On WooCommerce blocks that is involved with lot’s of other functionality like the checkout or cart, it is certainly not that easy. In fact: that part is thé most important feature of a shop. Other “basic” WooCommerce blocks are okay to use. So, you have to make that difference in blocks. As you said it’s the standard of using blocks, but it depends on the amount of external (plugin) functionality that is added. It will go in that direction for sure, but it will take more time for the majority of plugin builders. We have to be patience and be happy with the ‘classic’ part that is still working great and stable.

    Thread Starter Emer

    (@emcgal)

    11 months, 3 weeks ago

    I agree with all you said however from my perspective, once blocks became part of the core Woocommerce, anything not using blocks should not be deemed tested and working with the latest version.

    There’s a huge lack of standards in WordPress that I have struggled with after corporate where standards are standards.

    Rolling over and constantly giving workarounds is not going to move things forward. People are notoriously lazy and leave things until they have no choice but to do them. However that’s not my style and Woocommerce blocks have been in place for nearly a year now so I really don’t accept the excuse from any plugin developer that they have no roadmap to upgrade to comply with blocks. Just my point of view of course.

    I really appreciate your input on this and helping me start the conversation.

    Thanks 🙏🏻

    Plugin Support Shameem (woo-hc)

    (@shameemreza)

    11 months, 2 weeks ago

    Hi @emcgal

    Could someone from Woocommerce please clarify this because this should have been done weeks ago at this point and I would like to know how their plugin is considered tested with the latest version if is doesn’t work with the standard woocommerce blocks.

    The WooCommerce Blocks plugin is a separate extension that brings additional block types to your WooCommerce store. While it is developed by Automattic, it’s not included in the core WooCommerce plugin. Therefore, when Revolut mentions compatibility with the latest version of WooCommerce, they are referring to the core WooCommerce plugin and not the additional WooCommerce Blocks plugin.

    As per the response you received from Revolut, their plugin is compatible with the latest version of WooCommerce when used with the standard checkout. This suggests that their plugin has not yet been adapted to work with WooCommerce Blocks.

    In the meantime, you can safely revert back to the shortcode method, like [woocommerce_cart] and [woocommerce_checkout], as suggested by @davelo . This is not necessarily a step backwards, but rather a temporary solution to ensure compatibility and functionality with the Revolut plugin.

    Rolling over and constantly giving workarounds is not going to move things forward. People are notoriously lazy and leave things until they have no choice but to do them. However that’s not my style and Woocommerce blocks have been in place for nearly a year now so I really don’t accept the excuse from any plugin developer that they have no roadmap to upgrade to comply with blocks. Just my point of view of course.

    The issue you’re experiencing is indeed a common challenge. WooCommerce Blocks and the classic WooCommerce shortcode function differently. The classic version utilizes code hooks which provide a convenient point for plugin developers to connect their solutions. On the other hand, WooCommerce Blocks is primarily Javascript-based, which can be more complex for some developers to work with.

    While we understand your preference for blocks, as they are indeed a part of the latest version of WooCommerce, it is important to note that not all plugins may support this feature yet. This can be due to various reasons, including the complexity of the new technology and the time required for developers to adapt their plugins.

    We appreciate your feedback and understand your eagerness to fully utilize WooCommerce Blocks. Please rest assured that we are working towards this goal. We also encourage plugin developers to do the same, and we expect more plugins to support blocks in the future.

    Thank you again for your patience and understanding.

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
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