Review nightly builds usage and workflow

[LeoColomb]

As described in the WordPress Handbook, three different nightly builds are available:

• Point release nightlies. The current release is 6.2.2. Selecting this will put you on the track for 6.2.x development.
  (e.g., https://wordpress.org/nightly-builds/wordpress-6.2-latest.zip, API call)
• Bleeding edge nightlies. Selecting this will put you on the track for 6.3 development.
  (e.g., https://wordpress.org/nightly-builds/wordpress-latest.zip, API call)
• Beta/RC. Selecting this will update to the next released beta or RC on whichever branch you are currently running.
  (e.g., https://downloads.wordpress.org/release/wordpress-6.3-rc2.zip)

Currently, the following has been implemented and is available across Roots' packages:

• Beta/RC. 👌 Well tagged and correctly published. Nothing to do.
  • With the known limitation for the no-content edition as per Provide betas, RCs, and nightlies in no-content versions wordpress-no-content#4
• Bleeding edge nightlies. 🙂 Published on main branches.
  • Their constraints (like PHP version) might be suitable to automation, but all good so far.
• Point release nightlies. ☹️ Not handled yet.
  • Could be done via 6.2-dev-ish tags (not allowed) 6.2.x-ish branches but requires automation.

[LeoColomb]

@swalkinshaw (& @retlehs) I'd like to gather your opinion in order to complete the last bullet point.

Shall roots/wordpress-* packages provide point release nightlies? I discovered their existence a month ago, was willing to add them on here for the sake of completeness, but I don't know, worth it?

If provided, the only option is to use branches to "tag" them as -dev version (e.g., 6.3.x branch to tag 6.3.x-dev version, required as 6.3@dev).

• One branch for every X.Y version.
• Eventually one commit for every nightly build, to make sure composer fetches the new build on upgrades. (this part might be a bit tricky, though)

[swalkinshaw]

I'm 50/50 on it. Obviously they'd provide some value but I'm guessing not much. So if you want to work on it, and the implementation ends up being reliable, then go for it 👍

[ju1ius]

Hi,

Disregarding nightlies, being able to install betas and RCs would be uncontroversially and immediately useful.
It seems that roots/wordpress-packager is already able to package those versions via the --unstable flag, but unless I'm missing something they're not published on packagist ATM.

Is there anything preventing tagging and publishing beta and RC versions?

[LeoColomb]

@ju1ius They are already, as much as possible.
Please see roots/wordpress#46

[ju1ius]

@LeoColomb I see, thanks for your answer.

Since most users probably depend on roots/wordpress, maybe you should consider pinning roots/wordpress#46 and roots/wordpress-no-content#4 to make the issue and its workaround more discoverable?