As it is now, if one has a dev version of a module or theme installed, they are offered both newer stable releases as an option to upgrade as well as dev builds.

If they happen to use only stable releases they are never offered dev versions as an upgrade. That is a core default thing, because devs are considered unstable and potentially unsafe/dangerous.

I happen to use dev releases to test new features. I realized that they also serve non-tech-savvy users, since a lot of times dev releases include patches that they would otherwise need to apply themselves (or wait till they get merged to a future stable release, but that takes a long time sometimes). With some dev releases they do this the lazy way, since most recent patches are included in them.

So, my request is to consider adding an optional feature for your module to override the default behavior of the core update module so it can include latest dev releases. I need to stress that this feature has to be optional (some check box in the module's settings), so it won't effect current behavior of your module.

Thank you in advance for considering this.

Comments

dww’s picture

Status: Active » Closed (won't fix)

I considered, and decided I don't want to add such a feature. ;) Sorry, but telling people to upgrade from stable to -dev, even if they opt in, is crazy, and I just don't want to do that. Plus, it's going to be hard to alter the logic of the core update module for this. And, I have absolutely no motivation to work on such a feature. If you wanted to hire me at my full consulting rate to code this, I'd reconsider, but I still think it shouldn't happen.

Cheers,
-Derek

klonos’s picture

I see...

Just so that this doesn't go like this without me standing behind my idea, I'd like to say that this would be a very helpful feature to people like myself that are excited about the whole Drupal project thing and are willing to help with development by being beta(dev)-testers. In other words, I meant this to be not a feature for regular, everyday play-on-the-safe-side users, but rather be a helper for more advanced users.

As for the logic behind it, that might be hard to alter, I recently had a look at the code of Upgrade Status and the way they detect dev versions and think I'll be able to hack something myself by studying their method. I thought perhaps someone with more experience on the code of this module + drupal internals + module development + some spare time in their life would step up and actually offer to implement this. I'll have to just try something myself then...

Thank you anyways.

dww’s picture

a helper for more advanced users.

Okay, fair point.

I thought perhaps someone with more experience on the code of this module + drupal internals + module development + some spare time in their life would step up and actually offer to implement this.

I've got plenty of the first 3, but none of the 4th... :/ Sorry, but "spare time" is an incredibly scarce resource in my life.

Cheers,
-Derek

klonos’s picture

I know... few have the all of the 3 first. No one seems to have any of the 4th ;) ...its the 21st century modern worlds plague :(

klonos’s picture

Version: 6.x-1.x-dev » 7.x-1.x-dev
Status: Closed (won't fix) » Active

...perhaps now that we have a few more "hands on deck" you'll reconsider this one (please)?

P.S.: btw I've filed this issue against core #750352: Provide an option to also offer dev builds as updates if they are newer - for advanced users & beta testers, but I don't see it happening any time soon (was initially filed against D6, got pushed to D8 but it'll be once again pushed to D9 :( ) ...despite the fact that there are even a few people requesting a d7-port of the feature. I think that's where contrib comes in.

izmeez’s picture

@dww "I considered, and decided I don't want to add such a feature. ;) Sorry, but telling people to upgrade from stable to -dev, even if they opt in, is crazy, and I just don't want to do that."

Having used Drupal for 5 years now I have encountered many times when releases of modules have lagged significantly behind patches that have been applied to the dev release. In a number of the cases the patches in the dev release were essential to the working of the module.

The fact that the available releases page in Drupal does not even show the existence and date of the dev releases is to my mind a disservice to the community. Keeping people in the dark is not a very good approach. If they at least see that the date of the version they are using is 6, 12, 18 months behind that of a dev release it may help them see the need to explore what changes have been identified and decide what to do.

Personally I think this should be in core but if not there it would be great to see it in a module like this.

Thanks.

dww’s picture

I won't veto someone trying to add this as an optional feature for this module. I agree that in spite of my best wishes to the contrary, large swaths of contrib (including some modules I maintain -- hypocrite that I am!) rely on -dev and don't make official releases often enough for their user-base. So yeah, having some better support for -dev in the update manager is probably a good thing given the existing reality, not my idealized version of what contrib should be.

I still have no time or interest in writing this myself. ;) So, if it's going to happen, others will have to step up and implement. But, I'll let a clean/working patch in for this. ;)

Cheers,
-Derek

klonos’s picture

Given Derek's reply above plus the fact that we now have a new co-maintainer, I'd say things start to look promising ;)

Leeteq’s picture

Priority: Normal » Major
Issue summary: View changes

IMO, this is only desireable for -dev-to-dev updates, where the current module version is already -dev (not stable/beta/etc), and there is a newer -dev version available.

In those cases, it is a real pain and inefficiency that we cannot have a simple setting that tells the update manager to suggest updating just those so we dont have to unnecessarilycarefully read through all the version number info just to catch these ones.

Would be great if we could get a custom setting to enable such a behaviour.