README

Simple WordPress Class for self host plugin updating server

from How to Configure Self-Hosted Updates for Your Private Plugins

Requirements

• PHP >=7.2
• Composer
• WordPress >=5.4

Installation

Install with composer

Run the following in your terminal to install with Composer.

$ composer require oberonlai/wp-updater

WP Metabox PSR-4 autoloading and can be used with the Composer's autoloader. Below is a basic example of getting started, though your setup may be different depending on how you are using Composer.

require __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';

use ODS\Updater;

$options = array( ... );

$books = new Updater( $options );

See Composer's basic usage guide for details on working with Composer and autoloading.

Basic Usage

Below is a basic example of setting up a plugin updater.

// Require the Composer autoloader.
require __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';

// Import PostTypes.
use ODS\Updater;

Usage

To create a updater, first instantiate an instance of Updater. The class takes one argument, which is an associative array.

$updater = new Updater( array(
	'plugin_slug' => 'my-plugin',
	'version'     => '1.0.0',
	'json_url'    => 'https://mydomain.com/my-plugin.json',
));

License Manger

You can add the license argument when creating the Updater instance. The license key is used to verify the authenticity of the plugin. The license key is stored in the database and is used to verify the authenticity of the plugin.

$updater = new Updater( array(
    'plugin_slug' => 'my-plugin',
    'version'     => '1.0.0',
    'json_url'    => 'https://mydomain.com/my-plugin-validate.php',
    'license'     => get_option( 'my-plugin_license_key' ),
));

In the my-plugin-validate.php file, you can add the following code to verify the license key.

<?php
$array = array(
    "name" => "My Plugin",
    "slug" => "my-plugin",
    "author" => "<a href='https://mydomain.com/my-plugin/'>Author</a>",
    "author_profile" => "https://mydomain.com",
    "version" => "1.0.1",
    "requires" => "5.6",
    "tested" => "6.2.2",
    "requires_php" => "7.4",
    "added" => "2021-04-05 00:00:00",
    "last_updated" => "2023-06-29 00:00:00",
    "homepage" => "https://mydoamin.com",
    "sections" => array(
        "description" => "My plugin description",
        "installation" => "My plugin installation",
        "changelog" => "<p>v1.0.1</p><p>Change log</p>"
    ),
    "banners" => array(
        "low" => "https://mydomain.com/my-plugin-banner-low.jpg",
        "high" => "https://mydomain.com/my-plugin-banner-high.jpg"
    )
);
	
// no update is available by default
$update[ 'download_url' ] = '';

if( ! empty( $_GET['license_key' ] ) && license_check_logic( $_GET[ 'license_key' ] ) {
	$update[ 'download_url' ] = 'pass the URL to plugin ZIP archive here';
}

...

header( 'Content-Type: application/json' );
echo json_encode( $update );

license_check_logic is a function that checks the license key. If the license key is valid, the function add the download URL to the update array.

You also can get the plugin slug and site url from client's site with $_GET['slug'] and $_GET['site_url'].

Preparations

You will need a hosting space to store the information file of the plugin and the zip file of the new version of the plugin. You can use space such as Dropbox or Google Drive, or you can place it on your own server. My top recommendation is to host it on GitHub, as it allows integration with version control processes.

my-plugin.json

This is an example of a JSON-formatted file for the plugin information. It includes the following fields:

{
  "name": "My Plugin",
  "slug": "my-plugin",
  "author": "<a href='https://mydomain.com/my-plugin/'>Author</a>",
  "author_profile": "https://mydomain.com",
  "version": "1.0.1",
  "download_url": "https://mydomain.com/my-plugin.zip",
  "requires": "5.6",
  "tested": "6.2.2",
  "requires_php": "7.4",
  "added": "2021-04-05 00:00:00",
  "last_updated": "2023-06-29 00:00:00",
  "homepage": "https://mydoamin.com",
  "sections": {
    "description": "My plugin description",
    "installation": "My plugin installation",
    "changelog": "<p>v1.0.1</p><p>Change log</p>"
  },
  "banners": {
    "low": "https://mydomain.com/my-plugin-banner-low.jpg",
    "high": "https://mydomain.com/my-plugin-banner-high.jpg"
  }
}

If you want to push a notification for a new update, simply increment the version number in the plugin. The download_url indicates the location to download the new version of the plugin.

Hooks - ods_updater_after_purge

Allow plugin developers to perform additional tasks after the plugin update is completed, such as updating database tables, displaying notification alerts, and other behaviors. These tasks can be handled through this hook point.

add_action('ods_updater_after_purge', function( $upgrader, $options ){
	// do stuff when plugin updated.
});