PMPro v3.4 Release Candidate: Ready for Developer-Supported Production Sites

We are excited to announce that PMPro v3.4 has reached the Release Candidate (RC) phase. This means we are nearing the official release of v3.4, and we are inviting developers and technical users to test this version on their development sites.

This release introduces enhanced localization support, improved membership management, and new reporting features—alongside numerous bug fixes and performance improvements. As an open source, community-minded platform, we encourage developers to install and test this version to provide feedback before the final release.

Paid Memberships Pro v3.4 RC 1 is the latest version. We will update this post with any additional RC versions.

Running the Release Candidate on Our Main Site

To demonstrate our confidence in v3.4, we have already deployed this version on the website you’re reading now.

• If you manage a membership site with custom integrations or Add Ons, we invite you to run v3.4 in a live environment. Your feedback ensures a smooth transition to the final version.
• You can also test the RC on a staging, development, or local site before you deploy on your main website.

If you encounter any issues while testing v3.4 RC 1, you can safely revert back to PMPro v3.3.3 without any lasting effects. Here’s a link to download the latest public release of Paid Memberships Pro.

Release Candidate Timeline

The RC phase will last approximately one week before we officially release v3.4.

• Download: PMPro v3.4 RC is available as a direct download from this post.
• Eligibility: We recommend the RC for production sites where a developer is available to address any potential issues with customizations or integrations.
• Feedback: We rely on your reports to refine this release. Please share any issues, bugs, or feedback to help improve v3.4 via our Contact Us page.

Key Features and Enhancements in PMPro v3.4

Alongside important bug fixes and stability improvements, v3.4 introduces:

Improved Localization Support

Paid Memberships Pro and our Add Ons will now pull translations from translate.strangerstudios.com.

Leaving WordPress.org meant we had to find a replacement for the former .org-based approach to translations. We launched our own GlotPress server, allowing for easier updates and community contributions.

Over the next few weeks, we will begin an outreach campaign to our community members and email list subscribers to onboard translators. If you would like to contribute translations through this platform, please join the #translate channel in the PMPro Slack Community.

We have already incorporated AI-powered translation tools to automatically fill in untranslated strings across core PMPro and our Add Ons. While AI-generated translations may not always be perfect, they significantly improve accessibility for our global users by providing an initial translation. This also reduces the workload for our translation contributors, giving them a solid starting point to refine and improve accuracy.

Membership Account Enhancements

PMPro v3.4 introduces a new Membership Account Message setting, allowing site owners to display level-specific messages to members. This is a huge step forward in helping you share member benefits or link to content specific to each level.

The Membership Account page also supports additional custom content through a new filter: pmpro_membership_account_after_level_card_content.

We plan to use this hook to give specific Add Ons a way to plug additional content into each level card on the account page.

Report Improvements

The Sales and Revenue reports now support filtering by multiple membership levels and discount codes. We’ve also added support to set a custom date range selection to this report.

For both the Membership Stats and the Sales and Revenue reports, we are now showing the raw data tables under the chart view. While this data was always available to download as a CSV report, this table view makes the data easier to analyze directly in your membership site.

Subscription and Payment Gateway Improvements

We’ve made a small change that enables a big announcement coming in 2025. Let’s just say the character limit on our subscription table’s subscription_transaction_id column was not long enough to support a new gateway in the works. While this is kind of boring news right now, the update makes integrating with this new gateway option possible.

We’ve also reworked logic so that the profile_start_date can be set directly at checkout. In prior versions, the system did not calculate the subscription’s start date until it created the initial checkout order.

Sites using Add Ons that used the former method at the order stage will see a deprecation warning. We are actively updating our Add Ons to use the new v3.4+ compatible method, with a safe fallback for sites running a prior release.

Improvements to the Plugin’s Code and Code Structure

A major focus of the v3.4 release has been refactoring and improving the internal code structure of Paid Memberships Pro.

Refactoring is the process of restructuring existing code without changing its external behavior. This makes the plugin easier for us to maintain, for others to contribute to, and better prepared for future updates.

The work done in v3.4 paves the way for upcoming improvements planned for v3.5 and even v4.0. By modernizing core components now, we are setting the foundation for a more powerful and flexible PMPro in the future.

Key Code Improvements in PMPro v3.4

• More Structured Email Template System
  • The system now shows email template variables specific to the template being edited, reducing confusion and enhancing customization.
  • This update prepares the way for a more modular and developer-friendly email system in future releases.
• Better User Field Management
  • v3.4 improves how user field values appear in both the admin and frontend, making it easier to manage member data and consistently format it for display.
  • This is a step toward more robust custom fields and improvements come to our Member Directory and Profiles Add On soon.
• Refactored Code for Long-Term Stability
  • We have rewritten several internal functions to enhance performance, reliability, and maintainability.
  • These changes help reduce technical debt and make it easier for developers to extend PMPro.

These refactors aren’t just behind-the-scenes changes—they directly contribute to faster feature development, fewer bugs, and a more future-proof plugin.

As we move toward v3.5 and eventually v4.0, this work will allow us to introduce new features and improvements while keeping PMPro stable.

Deprecated Payment Gateways

We have deprecated PayFlow, PayPal Standard, and Braintree.

If you were already using one of these gateways, you may continue to do so. However, we are no longer maintaining the integration and expect things to break eventually. Refer to our documentation on deprecating payment gateways for more information about this decision.

Database Upgrade in PMPro v3.4

When you update to v3.4, a single database update will run. This does not modify any data in your membership site.

Rather, the database update will run the pmpro_db_delta() function to ensure the subscription_transaction_id column of the pmpro_subscriptions table supports up to 64 characters.

Providing Feedback on PMPro v3.4 RC 1

Your early feedback helps us identify issues and refine v3.4 before its public release. We accept feedback through the following channels:

• Join our Slack channel to discuss findings with our team and other developers.
• Email reports and suggestions via our Contact Us page.
• Developers can submit a pull request on our GitHub repository.

Working Changelog for v3.4 (Last Updated: 2025-01-31)

• FEATURE: Now pulling localization files from https://translate.strangerstudios.com.
• FEATURE: Added a new Membership Account Message level setting to show a level-specific message to members on the Membership Account page.
• ENHANCEMENT: Email template variables shown when editing an email template will now be specific to the email template being edited.
• ENHANCEMENT: Now allowing filtering the Sales and Revenue report by multiple levels and discount codes.
• ENHANCEMENT: Now allowing custom date ranges for the Sales and Revenue report.
• ENHANCEMENT: Now showing the raw Sales and Revenue report data in a table under the chart.
• ENHANCEMENT: Improved how user field values are displayed.
• ENHANCEMENT: Improved the accessibility of the Memberships > Add Ons page.
• ENHANCEMENT: Now localizing formatted dates in the PMPro_Subscription class.
• ENHANCEMENT: Now supporting setting a profile_start_date directly on a checkout level.
• ENHANCEMENT: Added a new function pmpro_get_membership_levels_for_user_in_group().
• ENHANCEMENT: Now supporting subscription transaction IDs up to 64 characters.
• ENHANCEMENT: Added a new filter pmpro_membership_account_after_level_card_content to allow additional content to be added to level cards on the Membership Account page.
• ENHANCEMENT: Added a table with the raw report data under the Membership Stats report.
• BUG FIX/ENHANCEMENT: Now pulling the discount code from the checkout level object at checkout instead of the globals which may not be set.
• BUG FIX: Fixed an issue where required user fields may not be highlighted when submitted with an empty value.
• BUG FIX: Fixed an issue where the “Signups vs. Cancellations” and “Signups vs. Expirations” reports would not display.
• BUG FIX: Fixed an issue where reset password errors would not be handled correctly.
• BUG FIX: Fixed an issue where the “Activate” button may not show immediately after installing an Add On on the Memberships > Add Ons page.
• BUG FIX: Fixed a PHP fatal error if pmpro_getAddons() fails to retrieve the list of Add Ons.
• BUG FIX: Fixed a PHP 5.6 fatal error in the admin activity email class.
• BUG FIX: Fixed a styling issue when there are multiple paragraphs in a contextual message.
• BUG FIX: Fixed a styling issue where there may be a gap when Turnstile is enabled but not visible.
• BUG FIX: Fixed a potential PHP warning when building plugin action links.
• BUG FIX: Corrected the refund policy on the license page to reflect recent changes.
• REFACTOR: Created an abstract PMPro_Email_Template class and child classes for each email template.
• REFACTOR: Cleaned up user fields code throughout the plugin.
• REFACTOR: Removed potentially problematic caching from the pmpro_getLevelAtCheckout() function and began passing the checkout level to all relevant hooks instead.
• DEPRECATED: Marking PayFlow, PayPal Standard, and Braintree as deprecated. Websites that are already using these gateways can continue using them, but they will not be shown as an option on new websites.
• DEPRECATED: Removed references to PayPal from the Membership Billing page which has not been supported for some time.