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Blesta 5.5 Beta Released

June 30, 2022 | Posted by Paul


We are pleased to announce that Blesta 5.5.0 BETA 1 has been released!

Can I participate in the beta?

If you have an owned or monthly license with us directly, you may download blesta-5.5.0-b1.zip in the client area now (Login Required). If you obtained your license from a reseller or distributor, you may be able to participate. Contact your reseller to find out. As with any beta, this release is for non-production use only and is unsupported. DO NOT UPGRADE YOUR PRODUCTION. During installation, choose to start a free trial, open a ticket to request a trial key, or use your dev license if you have one.

Once you are up and running, head to the forums to report any issues and let us know what you think! If you have a license and are verified or become verified on our Discord chat, you’ll have access to a license holder only beta forum.

Visit the Beta Forums! Visit Discord Chat!

Importing TLDs in bulk into the domain manager with pricing markup.

(Caption: Importing TLDs in bulk into the domain manager with pricing markup.)

So what is new in 5.5?

Blesta version 5.5 includes even more updates to the Domain Manager including a bulk TLD import feature with price sync, the ability to renew domains further in advance of services, and other improvements. We also added an abandoned order feature with automatic order cancellation, the ability to hide non-required client fields, and much more.

Updated Extensions

  • Domain Manager now supports bulk import of TLDs with pricing markup from supported registrars.
  • Domain Manager now supports the ability for domains to be renewed further in advance of services.
  • Domain Manager now supports the option to set a price override on domains so domains renew at the original price.
  • Domain Manager now includes filters for the TLD Pricing list to filter by TLD and Registrar.
  • Order plugin now includes an abandoned cart option to send email reminders to the client with automatic order cancellation.
  • Order plugin template preview screenshots have been updated.
  • Portal plugin now supports multi-language.
  • Namecheap now pulls in supported TLDs via their API rather than static config.
  • Namecheap now supports TLD import and price sync.
  • Enom now supports TLD import and price sync.
  • Namesilo now supports TLD import and price sync.
  • Logicboxes now supports TLD import and price sync.
  • Stripe Payments now sets transaction messages.
  • Stripe Payments now shows an ACH “Mandate”.
  • Internet.bs domain registrar module module has been added.

Changes to the Core

  • Added an option to hide client fields that are not required.
  • Added transaction messages in the transaction expand area for supported gateways.
  • Added the ability to set the Client ID Start Value, Client ID Format, and Client ID Increment Value in Client Settings.
  • Added a Package setting to set a price override on services when they are created.

Notes for Developers

  • Added a new event for Email Verification.
  • Added a Doc Comments file in ~/lib/doc_comments.php for IDE support.
  • Modules may now insert their own content in the client service management overview page.
  • Blesta ships with a Source Guardian hotfix for PHP 8 support. We recommend updating your extensions to work with PHP 8.

Client Template Changes

  • /app/views/client/bootstrap/client_contacts_contact_info.pdt updated
  • /app/views/client/bootstrap/client_services_manage.pdt updated
  • /app/views/client/bootstrap/client_transactions_applied.pdt updated
  • /app/views/client/bootstrap/partial_packageoptions_js.pdt updated

Staff Template Changes

  • /app/views/admin/default/admin_billing_transactionapplied.pdt updated
  • /app/views/admin/default/admin_clients_transactionapplied.pdt updated
  • /app/views/admin/default/admin_company_client_general_form.pdt updated
  • /app/views/admin/default/admin_company_require_fields_form.pdt updated
  • /app/views/admin/default/admin_packages_add.pdt updated
  • /app/views/admin/default/admin_packages_edit.pdt updated

See the release notes for more details on this release.

Note Regarding PHP 8

While we do not yet recommend PHP 8 for production use, Blesta ships with a hotfix-php8 directory for PHP 8.0/8.1 support. To use the hotfix, you must have the Source Guardian loaders in your PHP, and overwrite the base files with those contained in the hotfix. Please note that many 3rd party or custom extensions are likely to be incompatible with PHP 8. Report any PHP 8 related issues for Blesta or official extensions on our forums or Discord.

Is there something you want to see in Blesta? Create a new feature request or upvote an existing one!

When is the final release?

Version 5.5 will be officially released after the beta phase has completed, which we expect to happen soon. Once we deem 5.5 stable for production, a final release will be issued. You can help speed things along by participating in the beta!

Blesta 5.4.1 Patch Released

May 25, 2022 | Posted by Paul


We are pleased to announce the released of Blesta 5.4.1, which addresses bugs discovered in the 5.4 branch. A big thanks to everyone who participated in helping to make Blesta better by reporting and confirming bugs on our forums and discord chat, we appreciate your help!

The release notes are available at https://docs.blesta.com/display/support/5.4.1.

Always run /admin/upgrade in your browser or via CLI after updating the files for your installation. Patch releases may only be applied to the minor release to which it belongs. Only apply this patch if you are running 5.4.0. If you are running an earlier version, you must download the full release.

Download 5.4.1 Patch Download 5.4.1 Full

SHA256 Sum

% blesta-5.4.1.zip
b733f1aeb804c14f81385c00548dee5f6c05f3ef414c9d96a28a50a0b4a97fbd

% blesta-5.4.0-5.4.1.zip
3f9972e77edd55c07749578e1160f191dd3ce43ac2f1df75dc8f363aaf01cc22

To patch your installation, please follow the instructions for Patching an Existing Install from our user manual.

Blesta 5.4 Released

May 4, 2022 | Posted by Paul


Blesta 5.4 is now available! This release has additional improvements to the domain manager, custom ticket fields for support departments, data feeds with embed codes for your website including a TLD pricing grid, the ability to manually scale the size of your logo for the client area, config option overrides to allow module rows and groups to be chosen by the client (great for allowing the client to choose the location for their hosting after selecting their plan), and much more!

Download 5.4

SHA256 Sum

f2fc78ac4547e8c754005a2c435fd877dc31ac25e6dc32e579d865986e9c2ad5

If upgrading from a release prior to 5.0, please review the version 5.0 announcement prior to upgrading. 5.0 was a major release and increased system requirements. ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR FILES + DATABASE PRIOR TO UPGRADING.

See the documentation for details on how to install or upgrade.

What’s new in 5.4?

  • Added a bulk option for staff for renewing domains and updating name servers.
  • Added custom ticket fields for support departments within the support manager.
  • Added a new data feeds feature. Use an embed code on your website for client counts, package and TLD pricing and information.
  • Added an option to set the size of the client area logo by drag and drop.
  • Added an option for configurable options to override module row or module group. Great for allowing the client to select server location.
  • Added preliminary support for PHP 8. Non-production use only for now!
  • Updated the Import Manager to improve importing from WHMCS.
  • Updated the Extension Generator to add support for generating registrar modules.
  • Updated Stripe Payments, adding ACH verification improvements and transaction status improvements.

See our beta announcement for more and the release notes for everything.

Developers

Reminder: If you are a developer, you should review the version 5 Migration Guide and update your extensions if you haven’t already done so.

  • Updated the Extension Generator to support the creation of registrar modules.
  • Improved custom templates acting as child themes. Partial views are now loaded correctly from the default templates.
  • We recommend updating your extensions to support PHP 8 if they don’t already.

A big shout out to the following companies for sponsoring development for one or more items in this release.

Sponsored development is a good way to support Blesta and get a shout out for your company! Interested? Reach out and say hello.

Stay Connected!

Like our Facebook page, join our Facebook group and Subreddit, follow us on Twitter, and join us in Discord.

Tags:

Blesta 5.4 Beta Released

April 14, 2022 | Posted by Paul


We are pleased to announce that Blesta 5.4.0 BETA 1 has been released!

Can I participate in the beta?

If you have an owned or monthly license with us directly, you may download blesta-5.4.0-b1.zip in the client area now (Login Required). If you obtained your license from a reseller or distributor, you may be able to participate. Contact your reseller to find out. As with any beta, this release is for non-production use only and is unsupported. DO NOT UPGRADE YOUR PRODUCTION. During installation, choose to start a free trial, open a ticket to request a trial key, or use your dev license if you have one.

Once you are up and running, head to the forums to report any issues and let us know what you think! If you have a license and are verified or become verified on our Discord chat, you’ll have access to a license holder only beta forum.

Visit the Beta Forums! Visit Discord Chat!

The logo shown on the client area can now be sized by dragging it to scale.

(Caption: Upload your logo, then drag to scale it to the desired size for the client area.)

So what is new in 5.4?

Blesta version 5.4 includes more updates to the Domain Manager including new bulk domain actions, the ticket system now supports custom ticket fields, we added a new feature called “data feeds” that makes it easy to embed TLD pricing, package information and pricing, and more on your website.

Updated Extensions

  • Domain Manager now supports bulk actions for changing name servers, and renewal.
  • Import Manager has been updated to improve WHMCS imports.
  • Support Manager now supports custom fields for tickets, which can be set on each department.
  • Stripe Payments has been updated with several improvements.
  • Extension Generator was updated to support generation of registrar modules.

Changes to the Core

  • Data feeds have been added, allowing TLD pricing, package name/description/pricing, and client counts to be displayed on your website with a simple embed code.
  • Client area logo can now be scaled by dragging to the desired size.
  • Configurable Options can now be created to override both module rows and groups. Perfect for allowing a client to select their desired location during checkout and deploying to the right server or group.
  • Improved custom templates acting as child themes so that partial views are loaded correctly from the default templates.
  • Updated the installer to prepare for future PHP 8 support.

Notes for Developers

  • As noted above, the Extension Generator can now be used to generate domain registrar modules.
  • Data Feeds may be useful for theme developers for the display of TLD pricing and client counts within their themes.
  • We recommend updating your extensions in preparation for PHP 8.

Client Template Changes

  • /app/views/client/bootstrap/client_accounts.pdt updated
  • /app/views/client/bootstrap/client_accounts_ach_info.pdt updated
  • /app/views/client/bootstrap/client_accounts_verifyach.pdt new
  • /app/views/client/bootstrap/structure.pdt updated

Staff Template Changes

  • /app/views/admin/default/admin_clients_account_achinfo.pdt updated
  • /app/views/admin/default/admin_clients_account_list.pdt updated
  • /app/views/admin/default/admin_clients_verifyachaccount.pdt new
  • /app/views/admin/default/admin_company_feeds.pdt new
  • /app/views/admin/default/admin_company_feeds_settings.pdt new
  • /app/views/admin/default/admin_company_lookandfeel_customize.pdt updated
  • /app/views/admin/default/admin_package_options.pdt updated
  • /app/views/admin/default/admin_csettings_company.pdt updated

Note Regarding Hotfixes

Blesta no longer supports versions older than PHP 7.2 as of Blesta 5.0, so there is no longer a need to ship hotfixes for these versions.

See the release notes for more details on this release.

Is there something you want to see in Blesta? Create a new feature request or upvote an existing one!

Note Regarding PHP 8

As many of you know, Ioncube has yet to release support for PHP 8. We have been evaluating SourceGuardian as a potential interim solution. If you would like to obtain a hotfix to test Blesta under PHP 8.0, there is a link pinned in the beta channel on our Discord server for download. Please note that this is for non-production use only. Report any PHP 8 related issues on our forums or Discord.

When is the final release?

Version 5.4 will be officially released after the beta phase has completed, which we expect to happen soon. Once we deem 5.4 stable for production, a final release will be issued. You can help speed things along by participating in the beta!

Featured Extension - WordPress Manager

April 1, 2022 | Posted by Paul


Our friends over at Softaculous have released a new plugin for Blesta called WordPress Manager by Softaculous.

What does the WordPress Manager plugin do?

The plugin allows clients to manage their WordPress installations directly from within Blesta, under the “Manage” link for their hosting service. The cPanel module is currently supported, and other shared hosting modules will likely be supported in the future.

Screenshot below. For more screenshots, see the marketplace listing.

WordPress Manager by Softaculous

Blesta being the preferred billing panel of a large portion of our clients, ever since we launched the WordPress Manager in Softaculous several clients have inquired about being able to access it from the Blesta client panel as it would be convenient for their users that they will not have to login to their panel of WordPress admin to manage their WordPress sites. Now that we have launched the integration we hope it will make WordPress management easy for the users. — Softaculous

How can I get it?

A license for WordPress Manager can be purchased from Softaculous for a low yearly rate and works with unlimited servers.

What third party extensions should we highlight next? Let us know in the comments below.