If you are around here, you are surely one of the +10,000 users of Woo Shortcodes Kit and you are looking for an answer to the message that since December 5, 2022 appears in the plugin tab in the WordPress repository.
Do not worry, when you finish reading this publication your doubts will have disappeared.
As I suppose you already know, Woo Shortcodes Kit had been in the WordPress repository since 2016 with the same name from the beginning, made up of “Woo” from WooCommerce, “Shortcodes” since most of its functions provide shortcodes and “Kit” already that by gathering so many shortcodes it could be considered like this.
From its beginnings with only 1 function that provided 1 shortcode, it was already kept in mind that it was going to be a plugin with many functions and shortcodes… so much so that it currently has more than 60 functions and shortcodes, which you can find organized in 6 sections:
To all these, you can also add the functions and shortcodes offered by the addons WSHK PRO and EMAB.
It has been 6 very nice years building a project completely from scratch, seeing how little by little many WooCommerce stores were implementing it to improve their possibilities and learning to modify their stores, until reaching the point of having more than 140,000 downloads, 35 ratings with 5 stars in which the support that was offered has been emphasized on most occasions.
But apparently, for a week now, all this has been in the background and a bit smudged, due to the plugin being temporarily closed without notice.
What has been the reason?
As explained to me from the WordPress repository in an email I received after finding the closed plugin, the reason was because the Woo was used in the plugin title, as well as in the banner and logo.
Something that in its day when the plugin was uploaded for the first time to the repository was not a problem and after 6 years it has been.
The fact of having the Woo in the title has never been to try to take advantage of the “fame” of WooCommerce, it was only to refer to the fact that it is a plugin created to work with WooCommerce.
In fact there are many other plugins that also use it at the beginning and others that use it at the end…
What has happened since Woo Shortcodes Kit was closed in the WordPress repository?
When I heard the news and read the email they sent me, without thinking I started to modify the entire plugin, in addition to temporarily enabling the download from the official website.
The name, banner, logo, descriptions, code… that is, no trace of Woo Shortcodes Kit was left anywhere in the plugin and after that I sent the plugin for review.
In fact, in the plugin file in the repository, you can see how it appears updated from a few days ago with version 2.0.3
Hours later, I received the response from the repository denying the reopening of the plugin since after said changes they required another series of changes in the plugin.
Something that would take a long time to reopen the plugin and without any kind of guarantee, since they can always ask for something new again.
How has it been solved?
As I mentioned before, from the first moment the download of version 2.0.2 from the official website has been enabled, so that access to said version of the plugin is not lost and anyone who wants to can obtain it for free.
Meanwhile, I have been working and thinking a lot about which way to go.
What is the future of Woo Shortcodes Kit?
Finally, the decision has been made to offer the plugin exclusively from the official website and under the name of “WSHK for WooCommerce“, which is simply the abbreviation of the old name, in addition to respecting the brand rules.
It may seem that at first it is not the best decision, since it is a name change which has been used for more than 6 years and from a place to which everyone is accustomed, but the idea is to prevent something similar from happening again these kinds of situations.
In addition to trying to solve a worse problem that could be receiving an update from the WordPress repository of a completely changed plugin, which can cause quite serious errors for the operation of websites.
Will there be changes to WSHK?
After this new bet, there is a new way to follow and in which, as always, a lot of enthusiasm and work is being done to ensure that all those users who still want to enjoy “WSHK” can continue to do so.
So for this new route, there are some news, changes and details to take into account:
- WSHK will no longer be free and will have a symbolic price of $1 per month (billed annually) to help defray new costs caused by server upgrades among others.
- There will be a license to activate the plugin, valid for 1 year and can be used on up to 3 different websites.
- Updates will be attached to the license and will continue to be automatic as before, but now they will be delivered from the official website, so you can have the new version as soon as it is published and install it with one click.
- The support will also be linked to the license, so like the updates the license must be valid to continue receiving it.
All this, added to the changes that have already been implemented at the brand level on the website and in the plugins such as WSHK, WSHK PRO and EMAB.
Where to get the new version of WSHK and how to install it?
As I had already told you, WSHK will only be available on the official website, so you will only be able to get it here.
Once, you have got your license and the plugin (currently version 2.0.4) you have to take into account that when changing the server from which the updates are provided, the first time, you will have to download and install it manually on your website (this will only be necessary for the change from version 2.0.2 to version 2.0.4) After it, you will receive the next versions on your website automatically.
You can follow these steps to achieve it:
- Download WSHK from your user area on the official website
- Install WSHK on your website from the Plugins > Add New > Upload plugin section and select the file you have downloaded
- Replace the plugin you had with the new one you are uploading
- Add the WSHK license and activate it
With these simple steps, you will be able to enjoy WSHK again and receive automatic updates on your website.
In conclusion…
WSHK is not dying, quite the opposite, it is more alive than ever and willing to continue helping WooCommerce stores!
Once all the changes have been completed and the new versions of WSHK, WSHK PRO and EMAB have been released, a new stage of more frequent posts will begin on the blog of the official website.
In addition to trying to improve the documentation so that everything is more up-to-date and trying to make everything as clear as possible.
And last but not least… we are going to try to implement the affiliate system so that you can get benefits by recommending WSHK and its addons.
Here I say goodbye for now, but not before thanking you for being on the other side and supporting WSHK!
If you need to answer any questions, I’ll wait for you in the comments or in the contact form,
I’ll be happy to help you.
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