[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #54021: Auto-update (plugin/theme) needs option to restrict to point or patch release

[WordPress Trac]

#54021: Auto-update (plugin/theme) needs option to restrict to point or patch
release
-------------------------+-------------------------------------------------
 Reporter:  jqz          |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  enhancement  |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal       |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:               |     Version:  5.8
  Upgrade/Install        |
 Severity:  normal       |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  close        |     Focuses:  docs, administration, coding-
                         |  standards
-------------------------+-------------------------------------------------
Changes (by jqz):

 * focuses:   => docs, administration, coding-standards


Comment:

 Replying to [comment:1 desrosj]:
 > This seems like a duplicate of #40663.

 No it is not.  #40663 relates to version suffixes like `-beta`, `-RC1`,
 etc.  I would not expect such releases to be available via automatic
 update, only final releases with a standard-looking version number,
 whether `X.Y`, `X.Y.Z` or `X.Y.Z.N`.

 > Unfortunately this would be nearly impossible to implement.

 I strongly disagree.  It would be quite simple.  It just requires a
 slightly more flexible range of settings for automatic updates on a per-
 theme/plugin basis beyond the current binary allow-all/disallow-all.

 Perhaps I did not make my suggestion clear.  Let me explain.

 There are currently two options for automatic updates on a per-
 theme/plugin basis:
 - Allow: any update will be automatically installed;
 - Disallow: no update will be automatically installed, they must be
 installed manually (by clicking on 'Update') as has historically been the
 case.

 I suggest the range of options be extended, on a per-theme/plugin basis as
 follows:
 - Allow all: any update will be automatically installed;
 - Allow only point upgrades (**this should be the default 'allow'
 setting**): updates will be automatically installed provided the first
 digit in the version number does not change (i.e. 1.2 -> 1.3 is fine but
 not 1.2 -> 2.0);
 - Possibly another option between the above and below which caters for
 4-digit version numbers;
 - Allow only patch upgrades: updates will be automatically installed
 provided only the final and at-least-thirdmost digit of the version number
 changes (i.e. 1.2 -> 1.2.1 is fine but not 1.2 -> 1.3);
 - Disallow: updates must be installed manually (by clicking on 'Update')
 as has historically been the case.

 > The plugins and themes in the directories are not required to follow any
 specific versioning practices, so version numbers vary wildly.

 This does not matter, because, with my suggestion, the update policy can
 be set per theme/plugin by the website administrator based on their
 knowledge of how that particular theme/plugin uses versioning.

 > I'm going to suggest that this is closed.

 Please re-open this.  It would be a shame for the work on automatic
 plugin/theme updates to have mostly gone to waste and/or otherwise cause
 website failures due to breaking changes being automatically installed.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/54021#comment:2>
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