Creating a Plugin Rollback and Restore System
Posted on 20th June 2023
As a WordPress plugin developer, you may find yourself in a position where you need to provide a rollback or restore system for your plugin. This can be a daunting task, but it is possible to create a system that is both effective and easy to use.
Why You Might Need a Rollback or Restore System
There are a few situations where you might need to provide a rollback or restore system for your plugin. The most common scenario is when you release an update to your plugin that breaks compatibility with some of your users’ sites. If you don’t have a rollback or restore system in place, those users will have to deactivate your plugin and then find an older version to install.
Another reason you might need a rollback or restore system is if you make a change to your plugin that is not compatible with all of your users’ sites. For example, you might add a new feature that only works with a certain theme or plugin. If you don’t have a rollback or restore system, those users will have to deactivate your plugin and then find an older version that does not have the new feature.
Finally, you might need a rollback or restore system if you make a change to your plugin that introduces a security vulnerability. If you don’t have a system in place, your users’ sites could be at risk.
How to Create a Rollback or Restore System
There are a few different ways to create a rollback or restore system for your plugin. The most common way is to use a version control system like Git. With Git, you can create a branch for each new version of your plugin. When you release a new version, you can merge the branch into the master branch. If you need to roll back to a previous version, you can simply checkout the branch for that version.
Another way to create a rollback or restore system is to use a plugin like WP Rollback. WP Rollback lets you automatically create a branch for each new version of your plugin. When you need to roll back to a previous version, you can simply activate the branch. WP Rollback also lets you automatically restore your plugin to the latest version when you fix the compatibility issue.
Which Method is Right for You?
The method you use to create a rollback or restore system for your plugin will depend on your needs. If you only need to support a few users, then you can probably get away with using a version control system like Git. If you need to support a large number of users, then you might want to consider using a plugin like WP Rollback.
Conclusion
Creating a rollback or restore system for your plugin can be a daunting task, but it is possible to create a system that is both effective and easy to use. If you need to support a large number of users, then you might want to consider using a plugin like WP Rollback. Please ensure the text is proof read for spelling, grammar and punctuation as this will be published directly on the website.
To complete the rollback/restore system for your plugin, you will need to add two more actions to your plugin: one for each type of change. These actions are registered in your plugin’s main file, using the add_action() function.
First, you need to add an action for when your plugin is first installed. This will be a “plugin-install” type action and will need to be registered with a priority of 10. This action will take two arguments: the path to your plugin’s main file, and the current WordPress version.
add_action( ‘plugin-install’, ‘myplugin_install’, 10, 2 );
function myplugin_install( $plugin_file, $wp_version ) {
// Do something when your plugin is installed
}
Next, you need to add an action for when your plugin is upgraded. This will be a “plugin-upgrade” type action and will need to be registered with a priority of 10. This action will take two arguments: the path to your plugin’s main file, and the new WordPress version.
add_action( ‘plugin-upgrade’, ‘myplugin_upgrade’, 10, 2 );
function myplugin_upgrade( $plugin_file, $new_wp_version ) {
// Do something when your plugin is upgraded
}
Finally, you need to add an action for when your plugin is uninstalled. This will be a “plugin-uninstall” type action and will need to be registered with a priority of 10. This action will take one argument: the path to your plugin’s main file.
add_action( ‘plugin-uninstall’, ‘myplugin_uninstall’, 10, 1 );
function myplugin_uninstall( $plugin_file ) {
// Do something when your plugin is uninstalled
}
With these three actions in place, your plugin will be able to handle being installed, upgraded, and uninstalled without any problems.
There are a couple of things you should do to make sure your rollback and restore system is as effective as possible. First, make sure you have a recent backup of your WordPress site. This will ensure that you have a copy of your site that you can restore if something goes wrong.
Next, create a plugin rollback directory on your server. This is where you will store the plugin files that you want to roll back to. Make sure this directory is not accessible to the public.
Finally, create a PHP script that will handle the rollback and restore process. This script should be placed in your plugin rollback directory. The script should first check to see if a plugin is installed and activated. If it is, the script should deactivate the plugin. Next, the script should check to see if the plugin is in the WordPress plugin directory. If it is, the script should delete the plugin from the directory. Finally, the script should copy the plugin files from the plugin rollback directory to the WordPress plugin directory.
Now, when you need to rollback a plugin, simply run the PHP script. This will deactivate the plugin, delete the plugin from the WordPress plugin directory, and copy the plugin files from the plugin rollback directory to the WordPress plugin directory. Once the script has finished, you can activate the plugin again.
If you need to restore a plugin, simply delete the plugin from the WordPress plugin directory and copy the plugin files from the plugin rollback directory to the WordPress plugin directory. Once the script has finished, you can activate the plugin again.
