New version details extracted from git master vs last release

[herrvigg]

When a new version is available, git-updater seems to extract the version details from the latest commit of master. In the changelog tab it shows "Requires WordPress Version" and "Requires PHP Version".

However these data may have changed in master though git-updater is supposed to extract the last Release, not the last commit in master. So the information that is shown is incorrect, it doesn't correspond to the version deployed by git-updater which is confusing for system admins who deal with the requirements.

Also, in the Knowledge Base I can't find how the data are extracted. Is if from README or the plugin PHP file?

[afragen]

Git Updater gets all its information via API calls from the designated branch. If you are tagging releases then the download package comes from the latest release. Data is cached for 12 hours. If you are developing on your primary branch it's possible that some stale data is present.

Perhaps I'm not understanding?

[herrvigg]

Here is an example: https://github.com/qTranslate/qtranslate-xt.
The last release is 3.14.0 with PHP requirement 5.5 (unspecified in the readme/qtranslate.php) and WP4.8.
In master I'm currently preparing 3.15.0 with PHP7.1 and WP5.0.

On some of my prod site I was lagging behind, it proposed to install 3.14.0. In the details it shown the requirements as PHP7.1 and WP5.0 which is inconsistent with that release. It should have taken the info from 3.14.0, not the last one from master. Or there's something else I'm missing.

[afragen]

The WordPress and PHP requirements are taken from the main plugin file and are consistent with what you have presented.

[herrvigg]

Consistent with what? If it's taken from master it's not consistent with the last release. The info that is shown is not what is going to be installed.

[herrvigg]

Last release is not the same as last commit.

[herrvigg]

If I understand how it works, git-updater installs the releases from a git tag. So it should also be able to retrieve that information from the plugin file given by the same commit with that tag. But where is the tag extracted from?

[afragen]

There is no data extracted from a tagged release. The only data re: tag is the download package of the latest tag. All other data obtained from the primary branch.

The WP/PHP requirements are taken from the main plugin file.

https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/plugin-basics/header-requirements/#header-fields

[afragen]

Since you have already committed the WP/PHP requirements to the primary branch, Git Updater has found them and uses them.

[herrvigg]

But git-updater installs the tagged version, not the last commit, doesn't it?
Is the git tag deduced from the Version field from the plugin header?

[afragen]

The tag is returned from an API call.

[afragen]

https://docs.github.com/en/rest/releases/releases?apiVersion=2022-11-28#get-the-latest-release

[afragen]

https://git-updater.com/knowledge-base/versions-branches/

[herrvigg]

Thanks for this information. I'll dig a bit into it and see if there's something possible (it would be an improvement in that case).

[herrvigg]

My logic would be:
1- find the git tag corresponding to the last release (git API)
2- retrieve the corresponding git SHA if needed
3- extract the plugin information from the header given by that git commit (or tag directly)

That would make the following installation consistent with the information retrieved in (3).

[afragen]

The problem is you are actively working in your release branch. If you want to do that I would recommend you not update the version until you are ready to tag a release.

Otherwise I would suggest a git flow style of development.