Art Routes Release

Overview

This skill guides the complete release process for Art Routes plugins: version increment, changelog update, compliance checks, build, and GitHub release creation. Supports both the free plugin and the pro add-on.

When to Use

• •User requests a new release
• •User wants to bump the version
• •User mentions "release", "version", "publish", or "deploy"

Step 0: Determine Which Plugin

Ask user which plugin to release (if not specified):

• •Art Routes (Free) - WordPress.org distribution
• •Art Routes Pro - Premium distribution

Quick Reference

Free Plugin

Pro Plugin

Release Process

digraph release_flow {
    "Which plugin?" [shape=diamond];
    "On main branch?" [shape=diamond];
    "Merge/switch to main" [shape=box];
    "Verify gh auth" [shape=box];
    "Run ./bin/plugin-check" [shape=box, style=bold, color=red];
    "0 errors?" [shape=diamond];
    "Fix errors" [shape=box];
    "Determine version bump" [shape=diamond];
    "Update version files" [shape=box];
    "Update CHANGELOG.md" [shape=box];
    "Run build script" [shape=box];
    "Commit changes" [shape=box];
    "Create git tag" [shape=box];
    "Create GitHub release" [shape=box];
    "Done" [shape=doublecircle];

    "Which plugin?" -> "On main branch?";
    "On main branch?" -> "Merge/switch to main" [label="no"];
    "On main branch?" -> "Verify gh auth" [label="yes"];
    "Merge/switch to main" -> "Verify gh auth";
    "Verify gh auth" -> "Run ./bin/plugin-check" [label="free only"];
    "Verify gh auth" -> "Determine version bump" [label="pro"];
    "Run ./bin/plugin-check" -> "0 errors?";
    "0 errors?" -> "Fix errors" [label="no"];
    "Fix errors" -> "Run ./bin/plugin-check";
    "0 errors?" -> "Determine version bump" [label="yes"];
    "Determine version bump" -> "Update version files";
    "Update version files" -> "Update CHANGELOG.md";
    "Update CHANGELOG.md" -> "Run build script";
    "Run build script" -> "Commit changes";
    "Commit changes" -> "Create git tag";
    "Create git tag" -> "Create GitHub release";
    "Create GitHub release" -> "Done";
}

0. Pre-Release Checks

Branch: Releases should be made from main branch. If on a feature branch:

1. •Ask user: "You're on branch X. Should I merge to main first, or release from this branch?"
2. •If merging: git checkout main && git merge <branch> && git push

GitHub Auth: Run gh auth status. If not authenticated, stop and ask user to run gh auth login.

0.5. Compliance Checks (Free Plugin Only - CRITICAL)

Run these checks BEFORE proceeding to avoid post-release hotfixes:

Quick Checks:

1. •

   CDN Check: No external CDN resources (except Google Fonts)

   bash

   grep -r "cdn\." --include="*.php" --include="*.js" plugins/wp-art-routes/ | grep -v node_modules | grep -v .git
   

2. •

   WordPress.org Requirements:

   • •Plugin name must be "Art Routes" (no "WP" - trademark restriction)
   • •readme.txt must have maximum 5 tags
   • •"Tested up to" should match current WordPress version
   • •Check: grep "Tags:" plugins/wp-art-routes/readme.txt (count comma-separated values)
3. •

   Output Escaping Spot Check:

   bash

   grep -r "_e(" --include="*.php" plugins/wp-art-routes/ | grep -v "esc_" | head -5
   

Full Plugin Check (REQUIRED before free plugin releases):

./bin/plugin-check

The script must pass with 0 errors before releasing.

1. Determine Version Bump

Ask user for bump type if not specified:

• •Major (X.0.0): Breaking changes, major rewrites
• •Minor (X.Y.0): New features, enhancements
• •Patch (X.Y.Z): Bug fixes, small improvements

2. Update Version

Free Plugin

Update BOTH locations in plugins/wp-art-routes/wp-art-routes.php:

// Header comment (line ~7)
* Version: X.Y.Z

// Constant definition (line ~26)
define('WP_ART_ROUTES_VERSION', 'X.Y.Z');

Pro Plugin

Update BOTH locations in plugins/art-routes-pro/art-routes-pro.php:

// Header comment (line ~7)
* Version: X.Y.Z

// Constant definition (line ~20)
define( 'ART_ROUTES_PRO_VERSION', 'X.Y.Z' );

3. Update CHANGELOG.md (Free Plugin)

Add new entry in plugins/wp-art-routes/CHANGELOG.md after the versioning note paragraph:

## [X.Y.Z] - YYYY-MM-DD

### Added
- Feature description

### Changed
- Change description

### Fixed
- Fix description

Date: Use today's date in YYYY-MM-DD format.

Content sources (in priority order):

1. •User-provided release message/description
2. •Git commits since last release: git log --oneline $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0 2>/dev/null || echo HEAD~10)..HEAD
3. •Ask user if unclear

4. Update readme.txt (Free Plugin)

Update plugins/wp-art-routes/readme.txt:

1. •Stable tag: Update to new version number
2. •Changelog section: Add condensed changelog entry at top
3. •Upgrade Notice: Add entry if significant changes

5. Update README.md (if needed)

If user-facing features changed, update plugins/wp-art-routes/README.md:

• •Update version number in header
• •Update Features list

6. Build Release Package

# Free plugin
./bin/build-free
# Creates: build/wp-art-routes-X.Y.Z.zip

# Pro plugin
./bin/build-pro
# Creates: build/art-routes-pro-X.Y.Z.zip

7. Commit and Tag

Free Plugin

git add plugins/wp-art-routes/wp-art-routes.php plugins/wp-art-routes/CHANGELOG.md plugins/wp-art-routes/readme.txt plugins/wp-art-routes/README.md
git commit -m "Release X.Y.Z"
git tag vX.Y.Z
git push origin HEAD --tags

Pro Plugin

git add plugins/art-routes-pro/art-routes-pro.php
git commit -m "Release Art Routes Pro X.Y.Z"
git tag pro-vX.Y.Z
git push origin HEAD --tags

8. Create GitHub Release

Free Plugin

gh release create vX.Y.Z \
  --title "Art Routes X.Y.Z" \
  --notes-file - \
  build/wp-art-routes-X.Y.Z.zip <<'EOF'
## Changes

[Paste relevant CHANGELOG section here]

## Installation

Download the zip file and install via WordPress Admin > Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
EOF

Pro Plugin

gh release create pro-vX.Y.Z \
  --title "Art Routes Pro X.Y.Z" \
  --notes-file - \
  build/art-routes-pro-X.Y.Z.zip <<'EOF'
## Changes

[Describe changes]

## Installation

Download the zip file and install via WordPress Admin > Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
Requires the free Art Routes plugin to be installed and activated.
EOF

Common Mistakes

Verification Checklist

Free Plugin

• • On main branch (or user confirmed feature branch release)
• • gh auth status shows logged in
• • Compliance: No CDN resources (grep check passed)
• • Compliance: Plugin name is "Art Routes" (no "WP")
• • Compliance: readme.txt has ≤5 tags
• • Plugin Check passed (./bin/plugin-check)
• • Version updated in plugins/wp-art-routes/wp-art-routes.php header
• • Version updated in WP_ART_ROUTES_VERSION constant
• • plugins/wp-art-routes/CHANGELOG.md has entry with correct version and date
• • plugins/wp-art-routes/readme.txt Stable tag updated
• • plugins/wp-art-routes/readme.txt changelog section has new entry
• • plugins/wp-art-routes/README.md version updated (if applicable)
• • ./bin/build-free ran successfully
• • Zip file exists in build/ directory

Pro Plugin

• • On main branch
• • gh auth status shows logged in
• • Version updated in plugins/art-routes-pro/art-routes-pro.php header
• • Version updated in ART_ROUTES_PRO_VERSION constant
• • ./bin/build-pro ran successfully
• • Zip file exists in build/ directory