Description

Four51 Storefront provides customers with the ability to build B2B and B2C ordering sites. The original 1.0 technology is a Software as a Service based on Microsoft technologies. These pages can be accessed from the URL in the browser’s address bar with the .aspx extension. Features developed for 1.0 are indicated in the release notes as .aspx or admin.

In 2014, responding to the growth of mobile devices and the need for prolific site customization, Four51 developed Storefront 2.0, a hybrid Platform as a Service\Software as a Service that begins with a reference application called Four51 Storefront. Storefront is delivered as a single-page application that is constructed with Responsive Design and Javascript calling a REST API created from Four51’s proven application business logic and data model. This is a hybrid model because it uses the API to create custom buying experiences while maintaining a consistent admin experience for both new and legacy catalogs. Buying sites can be .aspx pages OR single-page applications, while the admin for these sites remains as .aspx pages. Features developed in 2.0 are typically listed in the release notes as Storefront, but might also refer to additional reference applications like Mobile Approvals.

In 2015, Four51 released a Custom Solutions Library on Github that allows subscribers to access code with step-by-step instructions for supplemental solutions and features that can be applied to any site. Features developed as Custom Solutions are listed in the release notes as Solutions Library.

When a Buyer is configured for a Four51 Storefront application, it can be set up in a few different ways that have different implications when Four51 performs an application release:

• Four51 Storefront: This uses the code files from Four51’s base reference application. When Four51 releases new features and bug fixes, sites configured this way automatically inherit the changes. If your site uses File Overrides, look for your file(s) in the release note, and if it is listed, reconcile the difference between the new Four51 Storefront file* and the one you have used as a File Override in Code Editor.
  
  
• OrderCloud Storefront version x.x: This uses the code from a specific previous release. Sites configured with a previous release version do NOT receive new changes.  It is best practice to create your application using OrderCloud Storefront so that fixes and new features are automatically deployed to your custom 2.0  application.  If the latest release causes problems with your site because of any File Overrides you have created with Code Editor, simply "rollback" to the previous OrderCloud Storefront version x.xx.  After you have rolled back, create a test URL and reconcile the difference between the new Four51 OrderCloud file(s)* and the one you have used as a File Override in Code Editor.  When you have your File Override working, deploy it to your production application and set the application folder back to OrderCloud Storefront.
  
  
• Custom Repository: A custom repository is YOUR OWN code folder. These folders are usually a derivation of Storefront to meet customization needs that the .aspx pages cannot accommodate.  Change management occurs using an open-source code manager named GitHub. Features and customizations can be created entirely for your specific repository, or they can be merged into your repository based on features added to Storefront*, or Four51’s Custom Solutions Library. Use these release notes to get the latest Four51 Storefront files and merge these with your repository.

* Prior to making Four51 Storefront an open-source project on GitHub, specific releases included a zip file containing the updated files in the release to help with the merging process.

When Four51 plans an application release, a communication is posted to status.four51.com and the admin interface indicating the features in the release and the release date.  Depending on the scope of the release and expected customer impact, a beta release to a non-production environment is made available to review and test the new features.  When the beta period is complete, the production release date is communicated through the same mechanisms.

Click here to see all release notes.