Right then, time for a little company update.
The kind where we put the kettle on, take a breather, and let you in on what’s been happening behind the scenes here at We are AG.
Let’s start with the personal bit (because behind every plugin is a slightly knackered developer trying to remember where he left his to-do list).
Earlier this year, I (Aaron – owner, lead dev, and professional button clicker) moved house.
Not a quick trip with a couple of boxes either. I’m talking full-on “where’s the router?”, “why do I own six HDMI cables?”, and “has the dog packed himself yet?” kind of chaos.
Just me and the dog.
Now, this part’s not easy to write.
Forever part of the AG pack 🐾
We lost Jax, my best mate and four-legged shadow. Only five years old. It was sudden, heartbreaking, and I’m not ashamed to say it knocked me sideways. I took a proper break, my first real one in over 7 years. I went quiet, disappeared off-grid, and remembered what it feels like to breathe.
Then, when the time felt right… Rì arrived. Little ball of chaos. Big ears. Even bigger attitude. She’s full of beans, and now officially Head of Distraction here at AG HQ.
Rì – Chief Morale Officer reporting for duty
Now, on to the good stuff.
Opayo Plugin: Levelling Up
Once I was back at the desk (read: clearing dog toys off the chair), we jumped head-first into updates for our Opayo plugin.
We’ve rolled out support for WooCommerce’s new payment settings page, that big tidy-up Woo’s been working on behind the scenes. We’ve also added more refined options for MOTO payments, giving merchants a better, smoother experience for over-the-phone orders and those “just pop it through for me” moments.
But the bit we’re most excited about? We’re currently cooking up support for Opayo Pi, their latest and greatest way of handling payments. It’s still bubbling in the dev pot, but early results are promising.
Stay tuned! We’re quietly chuffed with how it’s shaping up.
Bye Codeception, Hello Playwright
One thing that’s been quietly driving me round the bend this year has been our automated testing system. Codeception, bless it, had become the digital equivalent of a moody printer – sometimes it worked, sometimes it just gave up and blamed the weather.
Too many false positives. Too many mysteries. So, I did what any dev with a grudge and a free evening would do. I ripped it out and replaced it with Playwright.
Let me tell you, what a breath of fresh air. Easier to write tests, more detailed reporting, and it doesn’t make you cry into your tea. We’re now switching all our plugins over to Playwright, and early results are looking rock solid. Bonus points: WooCommerce also announced they’re moving to Playwright this week. So we must be doing something right.
Team AG on Tour
First WordCamp as a team. Proud doesn’t even cover it.
While I was stuck playing real-life Tetris with moving boxes, the team headed off to their very first WordCamp. First solo outing! No training wheels! And from all reports, they absolutely smashed it – talks, chats, connections, the lot. All the planning (and spreadsheets) paid off.
Looking Ahead
We’ve got exciting things lined up! New plugin features, smarter automation, and continued improvements to how we support you. And of course, a lot of puppy mischief in between.
It’s easy to forget how far we’ve come until we stop and take stock. So, to everyone who’s come along for the ride, thank you. Whether you’re a longtime customer or just stumbled across us on Twitter / X, it really does mean a lot.
Right then. Back to the code cave for me.
Aaron