Releases and Updates

This page combines the current release guidance for both the theme and the plugin.

Stable release ZIPs remain publicly downloadable from this docs site. Beta builds do not: they stay available only through the private update channel.

Theme Release Flow

The theme and plugin use a private update service through the bundled Plugin Update Checker library.

The update service decides which package URL to return:

stable releases can point to the public ZIP hosted on this docs site
beta releases should point to a private URL controlled by your backend

Before Releasing The Theme

Finish the code changes.
Update the Version: header in polimi-cds-theme/style.css.
Commit everything.
Make sure dependencies are installed so the release script is available.

Release Command

From the repo root:

npm run release

The theme release script:

reads the version from style.css
creates an annotated v... tag
pushes HEAD and the tag
relies on GitHub Actions to build the release ZIP
republishes the stable ZIP on this docs site, while beta artifacts stay private

Stable vs Prerelease Theme Versions

Examples:

stable: 1.7.0
prerelease: 1.7.0-beta.1

If beta updates are disabled on a site, prerelease theme versions are hidden.

Theme administrators can enable prerelease updates from:

Settings -> Polimi Theme Settings

Note:

the setting controlling prerelease behavior is polimi_cds_enable_beta_updates

Plugin Release Flow

The plugin also uses the same private update service.

Before Releasing The Plugin

Update the version in both places:

polimi-plugin/index.php
polimi-plugin/package.json

Then build assets:

npm run build

Typical Release Steps

git add -A
git commit -m "Release vX.Y.Z"
git push origin main
npm run release -- --tag vX.Y.Z

If no tag is passed, the script reads the version from index.php.

Stable vs Prerelease Plugin Versions

Examples:

stable: 1.2.47
prerelease: 1.2.48-beta.1

Plugin administrators can allow prerelease updates from:

Settings -> Polimi Plugin

Operational Notes

Theme and Plugin Compatibility

Because the theme expects the plugin and the plugin reuses the theme-bundled update-checker library, it is safest to:

test both together before release
avoid shipping plugin changes that assume theme-side code not yet deployed
verify block rendering on a real WordPress instance after publishing
verify registration and update metadata responses on a real WordPress instance after publishing

Rewrite Rules

The theme flushes rewrite rules:

when the theme is activated
when the theme version changes
when the Testimonials visibility setting changes

This helps keep CPT URLs working after updates.

Admin Verification After Release

After publishing:

force a WordPress update check
confirm the expected version appears
confirm prerelease visibility matches site settings
spot-check the homepage, one normal page, one archive, and one block-heavy page

Access Restricted