To release the Free plugin version 4.1.1, ensure you complete all the tasks below.
Pre-release Checklist
[ ] Create the release branch as `release-4.1.1` from the development branch.
[ ] Review and merge all relevant Pull Requests into the release branch.
[ ] Update the version number to a beta version in the main plugin file as per tech documentation, and commit to the release branch.
[ ] Start a dev-workspace session.
[ ] Run `composer update` (updating root and lib vendors).
[ ] Review updated packages and mention any production library updates in the changelog.
[ ] Inspect GitHub’s Dependabot warnings or Pull Requests. Resolve any false positives, then fix and commit the remaining issues.
[ ] If needed, build JS files for production using `composer build:js` and commit changes.
[ ] Run a code quality check with `composer check` and fix the highlighted issues.
[ ] Update the language files with `composer gen:lang` and note this in the changelog.
[ ] For minor and patch releases, maintain backward compatibility (e.g., renamed or moved classes, namespaces, functions). Include deprecation comments and note this in the changelog. Major releases may remove deprecated code; always note this in the changelog.
[ ] Update the changelog in `/CHANGELOG.md` with a user-friendly description and correct release date.
[ ] Update the changelog in `readme.txt`, maintaining records of the last 4-5 releases only.
[ ] Confirm there are no uncommitted changes.
[ ] Build the zip package with `composer build`, creating a new beta package in the `./dist` directory.
[ ] Distribute the new package to the team for testing.
Deployment Checklist
[ ] Update the version number to a stable version in the main plugin file and `readme.txt` as per tech documentation, and commit to the release branch.
[ ] If anything changed in the code after test package distribution, redo the pre-release checklist.
[ ] Build the final zip package with `composer build`, creating a new package in the `./dist` directory.
[ ] Create and merge a Pull Request for the release branch into the `main` branch. Delete the release branch.
[ ] Establish the GitHub release on the `main` branch with the correct tag.
[ ] Merge the `main` branch into the `develop` branch.
[ ] Follow up with the deployment process on the GitHub Actions page.
[ ] Await WordPress's version number update and perform a final test by updating the plugin on a staging site.
To release the Free plugin version 4.1.1, ensure you complete all the tasks below.
Pre-release Checklist
Deployment Checklist
Notes