About this release

Version 6.0.0 of Bitcoin and Altcoin Wallets is a complete rewrite of the plugin and its extensions from scratch. It comes after version 5.0.18, which was the last stable version pushed on the wordpress.org repository.

The main reason why the plugin had to be rewritten, is that data is no longer stored in custom MySQL tables. It is now stored as post types (CPTs). This has numerous advantages, but requires the user data to be migrated.

Data migration (ACTION REQUIRED!)

When updating from 5.0.18 or earlier, you will need to migrate your database. You will be prompted to do so when you install the plugin.

• Please follow the installation instructions. You can also check the relevant documentation.
• While migration is running, the frontend UIs are unavailable. Users will not be able to perform transactions during this time.
• For best results, first create your currencies, then attempt the data migration.
• You are recommended to migrate only the balances. Migrating old transactions takes longer and is more error prone, especially if you haven’t created all the currencies manually. If there are errors, the site’s admins will be emailed.
• For migration to run fast, the cron jobs must be running. Take the time to setup an external trigger. This is done as follows: first, set define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true); in your wp-config.php, then arrange a cronjob to hit /wp-cron.php once every minute, using curl or wget. If you don’t do this, the migration will be slow, and will only progress when your site receives traffic.
• The frontend (shortcodes) will not require any modifications, but check your UIs in any case. Static templates have been removed. Please check the documentation.
• When migration finishes, the site’s admins will be emailed. You will be able to check that the sums of user balances are same as before. You will have the option to revert the migration and re-run it.
• If something goes horribly wrong, you can always revert to version 5.0.18. The plugin will continue to work with the custom MySQL tables. These tables will not be deleted automatically.
• When you are certain that migration is successful, you can delete the old MySQL tables manually. If the site’s DB prefix is wp_, then the tables are wp_wallets_adds and wp_wallets_txs. Do this to save DB space, once you are certain that migration is successful.

What’s new?

An overview of what’s new and a changelog for 6.0.0 is given in the RC1 notes. Check it out to see what’s new.

Extensions

Delays

Thank you all for waiting for version 6.0.0 of Bitcoin and Altcoin Wallets.

I know it has been a long wait since this major version was announced in January of 2021, and since Release Candidate 1 was uploaded on August of 2022.

The wait was necessary because I had to make sure that the software is stable before pushing to wordpress.org.

Roadmap

1. Migration: Over the next few days or weeks, I will focus on assisting any users who face problems with migration.
2. Defects: I will also be addressing any remaining defects that were not discovered in Release Candidates 1 through 9.
3. Videos: Once version 6.0.0 is settled and everyone’s happy, I will start uploading a tutorial video series that I have prepared about the plugin. The series will be uploaded to YouTube and possibly other video platforms.
4. Lightning: Finally, I will focus on a Bitcoin Lightning wallet adapter, as promised earlier. This will likely work with lnd and a lightweight neutrino client. I have already started analysis on this.

Feedback

Your feedback is valuable to me. If you spot any problems, please report them. I reply to all forum posts and emails, once per day, Monday to Friday.

Thank you!