Every time there is an upgrade to WP I am left with the question of, as a user, are the plugins I use compatible with the new WP?
I'm not willing to simply upgrade WP and kill my site.
I don't have the time to check every single plugin every single time WP upgrades.
The result is I don't upgrade.
If there were a note next to each plugin on the admin plugin page as to its status of compatibility I would then upgrade, maybe abandon a plugin, etc.
If there were a note next to each plugin on the admin plugin page as to its status of compatibility I would then upgrade, maybe abandon a plugin, etc.
There IS. It's just that it's up to the plugin dev to remember to get up and update that ;)
I have a second (hidden) site with test data in it, which I use to test upgrades of both plugins and WordPress, to ensure I'm kosher for upgrades. If it's that important, YOU test. After all, even IF the plugin is 3.1 okay, that doesn't mean the plugins are all going to work well together after being upgraded.
I think you may have miss-understood what I was suggestion. In the Extend-Plugins on WordPress.org it has the info. For example GTranslate says:
Requires WordPress Version: 2.3 or higher
Compatible up to: 3.0.5
Last Updated: 2010-12-3
This information, perhaps in a more condensed form like:
WP 2.3-3.0.5 2010-12-3
could be on the Admin-Plugin screen next to the plugin so that a administrator of a WP install could quickly see the status of the plugins rather than having to hunt them all down. This is the sort of easy thing computers are good at doing. Looking up each plugin takes a lot of human time.
I get that, but my point is EVEN IF we did that, the data would be useless UNLESS it is both accurate and updated.
Not every plugin dev updates their read-me to say 'This works on 3.1!' Yes, they should, no, they don't, and MANY plugins are labeled '2.9' and work just fine on 3.1
So yes, we could do that, but the benefit's negligible, since you would still need to go to the .org site and read up to make SURE it worked. At which point, you're better served making a dev site :)
Yes, of course. I agree. But the data is in the WordPress.org plugin database as shown at the plugin pages. If that data isn't accurate and uptodate then what is the point of it? All I'm suggesting is that data also show up in a place where it is easy to find rather than a user having to search down that data for each and every plugin. Presentation.
If that data isn't accurate and uptodate then what is the point of it?
It's as accurate and up to date as the individual plugin developer makes it. Which is to say WordPress has no sway over it. Because it's known to be ... iffy (seriously, it's hit or miss), the call is to NOT put that in. It would give the impression that because a plugin hasn't been updated since 2.9 it's no longer useful, when that isn't always the case. The 'Works with' version is a chimera, and will always need you to go and hunt down the data, to make sure it's accurate.
It won't do you any good to have it in there and for most people, who are ignorant of the entire situation, it would make things worse, as they would see 'Works up to 3.1' as a 'And you're good to go!' Heck we can't even get people to read change logs :/
Because it's known to be ... iffy (seriously, it's hit or miss), the call is to NOT put that in.
There are also occasions when the plugin developer does update the readme with the appropriate compatibility data but that readme isn't parsed correct by the Plugin repo. Or the updated version is delayed by a week or more.
It would give the impression that because a plugin hasn't been updated since 2.9 it's no longer useful, when that isn't always the case.
Seconded. I've been using one plugin for years (literally). It's never been updated. Nor does it need to be. It's simple and has always done its job without a problem from 1.x through to 3.1
Finally, even if you manage to get all of the compatibility data in place, there's still no absolute guarantee that A.N. Plugin will work properly on your server with your theme, your plugin set and your version of WP. It's bad enough trying to get feedback & bug reports on core WP upgrade release candidates over a range of environments. It's ten times worse trying to get any feedback on a plugin beta release. So, at the end of the day, all that the compatibility data can tell you is that the developer has tested his/her plugin against WP x.x on their own development server and, in some really lucky cases, maybe another 1 or two different servers. But nothing that, ultimately, guarantees anything.
Got it. You don't like the idea.
No need to get upset.
It was just a suggestion in the suggestion box for a way to present the already presented information in a useful location.
But since you don't like the idea and I don't want to ruffle your feathers I won't mention it again.
Sorry for suggesting it and wasting your time.
I think it's a worthy idea if we could guarantee accurate compatibility data in the Plugin Repo. Without a high degree of accuracy, there's a risk that it will just cause confusion.
Neither of us are upset. We've just been down the rabbit hole. It's a fantastic idea, totally unmanageable, and hugely prone to as many issues as we have today :/
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