Allow specifying `Tested up to` without changing the plugin

[dd32]

Many plugins get stuck in an endless loop of making a new release every WordPress release to mark their plugins as Compatible with WordPress x.y, this is also required to avoid the This plugin hasn't been updated in more than 3 releases banner.

I'd like to propose that we allow plugin authors to set the Tested Up To value without making a new plugin release. This would be done through a plugin banner "Have you tested your plugin with WordPress x.y? Mark it as Tested" when the value is outdated. It could also offer something like "No? You can close your plugin if it's no longer supported." if it's more than 3 releases out of date perhaps.

This would allow:

• More plugin authors to mark their plugin as compatible, even if it didn't require any code changes
• Less plugin releases which are simply due to requiring changing 1-3 characters in their readme
• A higher likelihood that a plugin author will close their plugin, if it's no longer compatible, and they have no intention to update it ever.

WordPress Core doesn't currently do anything 'special' with the value within readme.txt or the plugin header, although 3rd party tools may. The only time the field is used is during plugin updates.

I would still expect a plugin author to bump the version in their plugin if they make a release.

[dd32]

Optionally, if necessary, I guess such a tool could also just update the plugin/readme headers for the author by making the needed SVN commit.. It'd require the user to provide their password to proceed.

Noting, that this ticket is 2nd-opinion seeking plugin author & developer thoughts.

[tobifjellner]

Are there any tools that analyze the readme declarations locally in a WordPress instance?
If there's no new version, then this change won't get replicated to installed copies of the plugin.

Perhaps we'd need to include some "stale flag" in update API responses? (and obviously have WordPress core show it...)

[dd32]

Are there any tools that analyze the readme declarations locally in a WordPress instance?

There might be, but I don't think that's something we need worry about, we can't support every 3rd-party tooling.

Any plugin that did something like "Hey, this plugin installed on your site (and probably working) isn't marked as compatible with your version of WordPress" seems like an extreme edge-case of usefulness? Given that the field isn't a "requirement" but rather a "suggestion" of what it's been tested with.

If there's no new version, then this change won't get replicated to installed copies of the plugin.

FWIW This already happens. plugins often update the Tested Up to header without releasing a new version, so there's multiple variants of the same version of the plugin. Release confirmation prevents that though.