WordPress GitHub Updater

Update WordPress plugins or themes from GitHub

Plugins

• include the GitHub_Plugin_Updater Class file in your plugin
• Adapt the Namespace of the class
• Invoke the class in your main plugin file

Example:

/**
 * Require the GitHub_Plugin_Updater class.
 *
 * Each of your plugins will require GitHub_Plugin_Updater to be loaded under a different namespace.
 * Ideally use an autoloader, but for the sake of functionality we are using require_once here.
 */
require_once plugin_dir_path( __FILE__ ) . 'class-github-plugin-updater.php';
use MyPlugin\GitHub_Plugin_Updater;
( new GitHub_Plugin_Updater( plugin_basename( __FILE__ ), '1.0.0', 'https://api.github.com/repos/username|org/repo-name' ) )->init();

• Make sure to replace username|org with either the username or orgname depending on where your repo-name is located
• Make sure that on each update, you update the version (default to 1.0.0) in the class paramater when invoking it
• Make sure to namespace each instance (every plugin will have its own namespace)
• Make sure to use create a proper, installable zip file with the exact same name as your Plugin has when installed.
  • That ZIP must be uploaded to the GitHub Release in the Attach binaries by dropping them here or selecting them. section
  • The ZIP must hold all plugin files, just like the actual WP Plugin
  • You must use proper Tags (like 1.0.1 and then next 1.0.2) when creating releases
  • You must use releases to push updates

Themes

• include the GitHub_Theme_Updater Class file in the theme function.php
• Adapt the Namespace of the class
• Invoke the class in the theme function file

Example

/**
 * Require the GitHub_Theme_Updater class.
 *
 * Your theme will require GitHub_Theme_Updater to be loaded under a custom namespace.
 * Ideally use an autoloader, but for the sake of functionality we are using require_once here.
 */
require_once get_template_directory() . '/class-github-theme-updater.php';
use MyTheme\GitHub_Theme_Updater;
( new GitHub_Theme_Updater( 'custom-theme', '1.0.0', 'https://api.github.com/repos/username|org/repo-name' ) )->init();

• Make sure to replace username|org with either the username or orgname depending on where your repo-name is located
• Make sure that on each update, you update the version (default to 1.0.0) in the class paramater when invoking it
• Make sure to namespace each instance (every theme will have its own namespace)
• Make sure to use create a proper, installable zip file with the exact same name as your Theme has when installed.
  • That ZIP must be uploaded to the GitHub Release in the Attach binaries by dropping them here or selecting them. section
  • The ZIP must hold all theme files, just like the actual WP Plugin
  • You must use proper Tags (like 1.0.1 and then next 1.0.2) when creating releases
  • You must use releases to push updates
  • Of course you will NOT update child-themes (that would destroy the user's work)
  • Note that your "theme name" or "theme slug" in this context is always the thems' folder name, and that in general has to match the theme name set in stylesheet (Theme Name, theme-name)

Testing

You can test this setup without touching your "real" software by setting up a new, separate public GitHub Repository with the code of a theme or plugin (can be minimal) and including the updaters as outlined above. Then, create a GitHub Release and trigger the update check in your WP Admin (of course you will need the "test" plugin or theme installed and active).