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USPS January Refresh 2016

Overview

Each year around January USPS refreshes their APIs and a software update is required to use the new features. Please read this entire page carefully as there is a database update script that will need to be run.

Do you need it?

If you ship via USPS, then you need to install this update by January 17th 2016.  If you are installing ProductCart after this date or running a version greater than v5.1.01, then this update is already included.

Back Up!

This update does not effect commonly modified files, however it is always a best practice to backup your existing files and database prior to installing any patches.

Downloading the Updated Files

You can download updates by using the "Check for Updates" feature in your ProductCart Control Panel. Depending on the version of ProductCart that you are using (Standard vs. Configurator (formerly BTO) vs. Configurator Plus) and the add-on's installed on your store, the Update Management System will prompt you to download the correct file.

Unzipping the Downloaded Files

  • Unzip the files to a new directory on your desktop (e.g. "USPS Patch Files").
  • Do not copy the unzipped files onto an existing set of ProductCart files.
  • If you want to have a copy of the entire ProductCart folder on your desktop, including the latest files, download the store to your desktop after you have finished the update process.

Performing the update

Synchronize overwritten files

Patches will not likely contain files that are commonly modified. However, if your store is customized you need to follow the steps below for best results.

There may be other files that you customized and that are included in this update. 

Step 1 - Back up your store

If you haven't already done so, back-up your store.

Step 2 - FTP new files to your server

Upload the files to their respective folders, overwriting the existing files. For instance, you will update the contents of the "pc" subfolder on your Web server with the files contained in the "pc" subfolder in the zip file that you have downloaded from the ProductCart Update Management System.

Please note that the "pcadmin" folder has likely been renamed on your store. We recommend that you rename the same folder in the update files locally on your computer so that when you FTP the files there is no chance that a new "pcadmin" folder is created, which would mean that some of your store files are not being updated.

DO NOT delete any of the files that are currently on your Web server.

 

Confirm successful transfer

FTP transfers sometimes fail. Make sure that once the process has finished, your FTP client reported a success message. Most FTP programs have a way to show you whether some files were not uploaded successfully. If that happens, make sure to upload them again until all files have been uploaded successfully. For example, Filezilla separately reports "Failed Transfers" and "Successful Transfers". The "Failed Transfers" tab should be empty.

Step 3 - Update the Store Database

The database will not be updated automatically with this ProductCart update. When you log into the Control Panel after uploading the files to the Web server, you will need to replace "menu.asp" in the browser with "upddbUSPSv4.asp" and click [Enter] .

Step 4 - TO DO List

A message will confirm that the store has been updated. If there are any "To Do" items, they will be mentioned here.