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GiveWP Release Process

This document outlines the complete process for releasing new versions of GiveWP.

Table of Contents

Pre-Release Preparation

1. Release Planning

  • Determine release type (major, minor, patch)
  • Review all merged PRs since last release
  • Ensure all intended features/fixes are merged
  • Verify no critical issues are pending
  • Coordinate with team on release timing

2. Code Freeze

  • Announce code freeze to development team
  • Create release branch if needed (release/x.x.x)
  • Ensure all CI/CD checks are passing

3. Documentation Review

  • Review and update user-facing documentation
  • Verify developer documentation is current
  • Check that all new features have proper documentation

Version Update Checklist

1. Update Version Numbers

  • Update * Version: in the plugin header (give.php)
  • Update main plugin constant version (GIVE_VERSION in give.php)
  • Update Stable tag: in readme.txt

2. Update Dependencies (if applicable)

  • Update minimum GiveWP version for add-ons (GIVE_RECURRING_MIN_GIVE_VERSION, etc.)
  • Update Requires Give: in readme.txt for add-ons

3. Update Plugin Requirements (optional)

Main plugin file (give.php):

  • Requires at least: (WordPress version)
  • Requires PHP: (PHP version)

Readme file (readme.txt):

  • Requires at least: (WordPress version)
  • Tested up to: (WordPress version)
  • Requires PHP: (PHP version)
  • = Minimum Requirements = section

4. Code Documentation Updates

  • Find and replace all @unreleased tags with @since {version} 
    # Example command to find @unreleased tags
grep -r "@unreleased" src/ includes/ --include="*.php"

# Replace with appropriate @since version
find . -name "*.php" -exec sed -i 's/@unreleased/@since 4.3.2/g' {} \;

5. Changelog Updates

  • Add new version entry to readme.txt changelog
  • Update CHANGELOG.md if maintained separately
  • Follow consistent changelog format:
= 4.3.2: June 3rd, 2025 =
* New: Added new functionality that does...
* Enhancement: Updated existing feature for...
* Change: Existing functionality is now...
* Security: Added additional security measures for...
* Fix: Resolved an issue where...

Testing & Quality Assurance

1. Automated Testing

  • Run full PHPUnit test suite: composer test
  • Run PHPStan static analysis: composer phpstan
  • Verify all GitHub Actions/CI checks pass
  • Run WordPress coding standards: composer phpcs

2. Manual Testing

  • Test core donation functionality
  • Verify payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, etc.)
  • Test form builder functionality
  • Verify admin dashboard features
  • Test donor dashboard functionality
  • Check email notifications
  • Verify reporting features
  • Test with different WordPress versions
  • Test with different PHP versions (if applicable)

3. Compatibility Testing

  • Test with popular themes
  • Test with common plugins
  • Verify multisite compatibility
  • Test database migrations (if any)

4. Performance Testing

  • Check for memory leaks
  • Verify query performance
  • Test with large datasets
  • Check frontend load times

Release Execution

1. Final Pre-Release Checks

  • Verify all version numbers are correct
  • Validate readme.txt using WordPress Validator
  • Preview readme.txt using WPReadme.com
  • Ensure changelog is complete and accurate
  • Verify no debug code or console.log statements remain

2. Build Process

  • Run production build: npm run build
  • Verify built assets are included
  • Check that .distignore excludes development files
  • Create release package/zip if needed

3. Version Control

  • Commit all version updates
  • Create and push version tag: git tag v4.3.2 && git push origin v4.3.2
  • Merge release branch to main (if using release branches)

4. WordPress.org Release

  • Draft new release using [version] as tag & title, making sure target branch is set to Master. Double check everything, then generate release notes & publish release.

Post-Release Verification

1. Immediate Verification (within 1 hour)

  • Verify plugin is available on WordPress.org
  • Test installation from WordPress.org
  • Check automatic updates work correctly
  • Monitor for immediate bug reports

2. Short-term Monitoring (24-48 hours)

  • Monitor support forums for issues
  • Check error tracking services for new errors
  • Review download statistics
  • Monitor social media/community feedback
  • Watch for compatibility reports

Release Types

Major Release (x.0.0)

  • Breaking changes or significant new features
  • Requires extensive testing and documentation updates
  • May require user migration guides
  • Consider beta/RC releases

Minor Release (x.y.0)

  • New features and enhancements
  • Backward compatible
  • Standard testing procedures
  • Update feature documentation

Patch Release (x.y.z)

  • Bug fixes and security updates
  • No new features
  • Expedited testing for critical fixes
  • Focus on regression testing

Automation Tools

Available Scripts

# Run all tests
composer test

# Check coding standards
composer phpcs

# Fix coding standards
composer phpcbf

# Run static analysis
composer phpstan

# Build assets
npm run build

# Development build with watch
npm run dev

GitHub Actions

  • Automated testing on PR and push
  • Code quality checks
  • WordPress compatibility matrix testing
  • Security scanning

Team Responsibilities

Release Manager

  • Coordinates release timeline
  • Performs version updates
  • Manages release communication
  • Oversees testing process

Development Team

  • Code review and approval
  • Feature completion verification
  • Documentation updates
  • Technical testing

QA Team

  • Manual testing execution
  • Compatibility verification
  • User acceptance testing
  • Bug reproduction and verification

Support Team

  • Release communication preparation
  • Support documentation updates
  • Community notification
  • Post-release monitoring

Quick Checklist Summary

For a quick release checklist, follow these essential steps:

  1. Update versions in give.php and readme.txt
  2. Replace @unreleased tags with @since {version}
  3. Add changelog entry to readme.txt
  4. Run tests and ensure they pass
  5. Validate readme.txt using WordPress validator
  6. Create git tag and push to repository
  7. Release to WordPress.org
  8. Monitor for issues post-release

Last updated: June 10, 2025 For questions about the release process, contact the development team.