WordPress Release Automation

A comprehensive CLI tool for automating WordPress plugin and theme release processes with version management, ZIP creation, and Git integration.

Features

• 🔄 Version Management: Automated version bumping across multiple files
• 📦 ZIP Creation: WordPress-ready distribution packages
• 🏷️ Git Integration: Automatic commits, tagging, and pushing
• ⚙️ Configurable: Flexible configuration for different project needs
• 🚀 Complete Workflow: From version bump to GitHub release
• 📝 WordPress Standards: Follows WordPress plugin/theme conventions

Installation

Global Installation (Recommended)

npm install -g wp-release-automation

Local Installation

npm install --save-dev wp-release-automation

Quick Start

1. Initialize your project:

   cd your-wordpress-plugin
   wp-release init

2. Bump version and release:

   npm run version:patch
   npm run wp-publish

3. Your WordPress-ready ZIP file is created and pushed to GitHub!

CLI Commands

Initialize Project

wp-release init

Sets up configuration and package.json scripts for your WordPress project.

Version Management

wp-release version --type patch|minor|major

Build Process

wp-release build

Updates version numbers across all configured files and creates build directory.

Create Distribution ZIP

wp-release zip

Creates a WordPress-ready ZIP file for distribution.

Complete Release

wp-release release --type patch|minor|major [--dry-run]

Full release process: version bump → build → ZIP → Git tag.

Publish to GitHub

wp-release publish --type patch|minor|major [--dry-run]

Complete release with push to GitHub.

NPM Scripts

After initialization, these scripts are available in your project:

# Version management
npm run version:patch   # 1.0.0 → 1.0.1
npm run version:minor   # 1.0.0 → 1.1.0
npm run version:major   # 1.0.0 → 2.0.0

# Build and package
npm run build          # Update versions and create build directory
npm run zip            # Create distribution ZIP

# Complete workflows
npm run release        # Build → ZIP → Tag
npm run wp-publish     # Release → Push to GitHub

Configuration

The wp-release init command creates a wp-release.config.js file:

module.exports = {
  "pluginName": "my-plugin",
  "mainFile": "my-plugin.php",
  "buildDir": "build",
  "zipName": "{{name}}-{{version}}.zip",
  "excludePatterns": [
    "node_modules/",
    ".git/",
    "src/",
    "*.log",
    ".env*",
    "tests/",
    "*.md"
  ],
  "config": {
    "includeGitOps": true,
    "tagPrefix": "v",
    "branch": "main"
  }
};

Workflow Examples

Simple Release

# Bump patch version and release
npm run version:patch
npm run wp-publish

Step by Step

# 1. Bump version
npm run version:minor

# 2. Update files and create ZIP
npm run build
npm run zip

# 3. Git operations
npm run git:tag
npm run git:push

Using CLI Directly

# One command release
wp-release publish --type patch

# Dry run to see what would happen
wp-release release --type minor --dry-run

File Structure

After initialization, your project will have:

your-plugin/
├── package.json           # NPM scripts added
├── wp-release.config.js   # Configuration
├── your-plugin.php        # Version updated automatically
├── README.md             # Version updated automatically
└── your-plugin-1.0.0.zip # Distribution ZIP created

Version Updates

The tool automatically updates version numbers in:

• WordPress Plugin Headers: * Version: 1.0.6
• Plugin Constants: define('PLUGIN_VERSION', '1.0.0')
• README.md: Version headers and stable tags
• package.json: NPM version

Git Integration

When Git operations are enabled:

• Automatic commits with descriptive messages
• Git tags with release notes
• Push to GitHub with tags
• Release-ready for GitHub Releases

Advanced Usage

Custom Scripts

Add to your package.json:

{
  "scripts": {
    "pre-release": "npm run test && npm run lint",
    "release:beta": "npm run version:patch && npm run build && npm run zip",
    "deploy": "npm run wp-publish && echo 'Released!'"
  }
}

Hooks

Configure hooks in wp-release.config.js:

module.exports = {
  // ...other config
  "hooks": {
    "preRelease": ["npm run test"],
    "postRelease": ["echo 'Release complete!'"],
    "preBuild": ["npm run compile"],
    "postBuild": ["npm run optimize"]
  }
};

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Documentation: GitHub Wiki

Made for WordPress developers who want professional release automation 🚀