Product editor in Safari

Hi @sean-h,

Thank you for reaching out.

I understand that you’re experiencing some issues with the WooCommerce product editor on Safari after the latest macOS update.

It’s not uncommon for new software updates to have some initial compatibility issues with various applications.

To address your concerns, you can try using a different browser like Chrome or Firefox until the issue with Safari is fixed.

If ‘Finish Setup’ is still visible even after you’ve set up your site, it could be due to a minor glitch. You can try to ignore it if it’s not causing any functional issues.

As for who needs to fix the issue, it’s a shared responsibility, however as this seems only to be an issue with Safari, Apple needs to ensure their updates don’t break existing functionalities.

Let us know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Seeing as I’ve been invited to share any further concerns, here goes:

Sure, I actively maintain all my passwords and bookmarks across multiple browsers. So, I guess I’ll just use another browser, I may even rush out and buy a Windows machine, until Apple (or Woo?) feel like fixing it.

But here’s the thing, this issue is only happening with the Woo product editor. All the other websites I’ve visited so far as well as all the other aspects of WordPress admin are working perfectly fine in Safari, on a piece of hardware that cost over $1000.

But ok, what if I wanted to approach Apple about this, what exactly do I tell them? That some plugin I got for free isn’t working on their browser? A browser they have spent millions on developing over the years, way more years than the plugin has been around?

My thinking is more that plugin and app authors need to ensure their stuff can work on multiple browsers, especially browsers made by multi billion dollar corporations, used by millions of people. Maybe Safari now has a more efficient, superior way of handling CSS and it’s everyone else that needs to play catchup.

That’s the problem with free, open-source software. Who’s actually accountable?

So yea, I’ve already had to try ignore the new ‘Live’ button, and now this? (the finish setup) What other possible issues will we have to ‘just ignore’? I’d love my host to tell me to just try ignore it when next my sites go down.

With all this said, I’m seriously re-evaluating the ‘road’ I’m currently on, trying to make a living like this. I seem to spend way more time trouble shooting than creating content / selling stuff. When I was a commercial truck and bus driver, if I had to have spent this much time trouble shooting breakdowns….well I didn’t, because when things break this much, it’s a problem. Unless I’m really missing how easy it is to make a living online, with free software, and I’m making a mountain out of a mole hill.

I think I’m about to dust off my still valid CDL. None of us are getting any younger, and I kind of need to keep earning a living for as long as I’m able. Web work seems like a nice idea, working from a hammock swinging between palm trees on some exotic beach….

Start a website with free software and sell stuff they said, get rich quick they said, it’ll be fun they said.

Hi @sean-h,

We understand your concerns and appreciate your patience as we work through this issue.

It’s evident that you’re experiencing some difficulties with the WooCommerce product editor on Safari. We understand how important it is for our plugin to function seamlessly across all browsers and platforms. Our team always strives to ensure compatibility with all major browsers, including Safari.

However, there can be occasional glitches due to browser updates or other factors beyond our control. Did you already have a chance to try a different browser? You don’t need to get a Windows device, but instead can download a new browser like Google Chrome and have it installed to see if this behaves different.

As for what to tell Apple, you can simply explain that you’re experiencing issues with the WooCommerce plugin within their browser. They should be able to guide you through some troubleshooting steps which may resolve the issue. In some cases, most web browser extensions result to such issues. Are you able to deactivate any Safari browser extensions to see if this yields different results?

Regarding the ‘Live’ button and the ‘finish setup’ are you able to share any screenshots of the notifications? This way, we can be able to investigate this issue even further.

We understand that troubleshooting can be time-consuming and frustrating, especially when your goal is to focus on creating content and selling products. We’re here to support you and help minimize these roadblocks as much as possible.

While free, open-source software does come with its own set of challenges, it also offers great flexibility and customization potential. We’re committed to making WooCommerce as user-friendly and efficient as possible, and your feedback plays a crucial role in that process.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through these issues. We appreciate your feedback and are here to assist you in any way we can.

If you had read my previous posts I already stated it works on Chrome, and how else would I know that? I also know I don’t have to rush out and buy a Windows machine and that other browsers work on Mac. I wasn’t born yesterday. I have Safari, Chrome and FireFox for years already. But I use Chrome and FF for testing and frequently clear those caches and cookies which would make working with sites I need to be logged into a problem.

No, I’m not contacting Apple about this. Why would they help me, when everything else is otherwise working?

This Woo project is still brand new, and quite frankly, I don’t have time for this kind of trouble shooting. My 1998 Land Rover gives less issues, and yet I’m quite comfortable taking it into some of the most isolated places on this planet.

It is quite possible that Woo is not the right tool for this job anyway, so I am in fact looking elsewhere. In the meantime I do have a few other WordPress websites that are otherwise working fine, with next to no trouble shooting, not like this anyway.

We just bought a brand new Ford Puma, the first car with a touch screen that I’ve ever driven. Sure, there were some configurations when first using it, but now we are pretty much just driving the car around, and getting on with other things. If these kinds of cars had the constant glitches and required the constant trouble shooting that open source websites require, we’d have a serious problem on the roads.

So there is maybe the other issue with free open-source; way too many options and things that can go wrong, mostly because way too many people are involved, each with their own bright ideas of how things should be done. At least with closed paid for software, like what modern cars use, there is less that can go wrong, I’m guessing because you pay big money for these things with the companies that supply them being held accountable, because of the money, and the liability. No, crashed websites don’t normally kill people like cars do, but problematic websites can cost people their time, and livelihoods.

You say open source allows for great flexibility and customisation potential? Good. Then please hurry up and allow those who don’t want the ‘Live’ button to easily turn it off. But this contradicts what another representative of Woo said regarding that while referencing the WordPress Core Philosophy; users should not be overwhelmed with too many options and that software authors should make such decisions for the users. So which is it?

I otherwise wish anyone who has a successful online store continued success. Clearly things like this are not for everyone, as much as they make it look so easy, to set things up, which it is. But that’s where the fun seems to end.

Just found the Single Column layout. That might work, until something else breaks.

Marking this issue ‘resolved’, for now.

I found this temporary fix on the Apple Community forums:

add_action('admin_head', 'my_custom_css');

function my_custom_css() {
	echo '<style>
		#postbox-container-2 { clear: left; }
		.index-php #postbox-container-2 { clear: none; }
	</style>';
}

Hi @sinemac,

Thank you for sharing the temporary fix with the community, this will come in handy for users facing this issue.

@sean-h, you can try out the shared workaround in the meantime, to see if this helps.

Thanks Scott,

This is useful

@sinemac Thanks! Great – added this as a code snippet to run in backend only, fixed the issue immediately! Thanks!I spent a day trying to sort this out after an update to either WordPress or WooCommerce made the product-editor of every site I maintain break in Safari.

So this is an issue with how Safari handles the CSS “clear” property. You’d think there were hundreds of thousands of sites that were broken for Safari users, if its was truly a Safari issue. I guess WooCommerce aren’t too concerned about the user experience in the second most used browser on the planet ?? Back when I was a product owner, everything was tested with, and had to work on, default system browsers like Edge and Safari, and Chrome simply because of its dominance.

Once again, thanks, you saved me a headache.