Plugin Developers!! Read this re: v0.6.0 Breaking changes

julian

Compliance with this new standard is optional. We couldn't possibly force everybody to use it.

If you don't, then older NodeBB versions will install the latest plugin version and possibly break the NodeBB, like it does currently.

Grand scheme of things, we'll also use the package manager to allow users to vouch that a plugin works with a specific version, and that'll tie in with the suggestion engine as well. But that's far off right now

a_5mith

So, to summarise, add nbbpm compatibility to current version that the plugin supports, publish that to npm.
Make changes for 0.6.0, update nbbpm compatibility to 0.6.0, but don't publish? Or do publish?

As the nbbpm hasn't been backported yet, has it?

Either way, things are certainly coming together in terms of plugin compatibility. So kudos.

julian

I do have a propensity for verbosity, don't I. @psychobunny and @baris keep saying that (maybe not in those words) XD

yessir

Edit: But yeah, don't publish the v0.6.0 ready version yet. Give me a couple hours.

a_5mith

@julian said:

I do have a propensity for verbosity, don't I.

propensity
prəˈpɛnsɪti/
noun

an inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way.

verbosity
vəˈbɒsɪti/
noun

the fact or quality of using more words than needed; wordiness.

Yes.

julian

Hey guys,

gh#2363 is pushed and backported to v0.5.x, you may begin making changes to your plugins

Schamper

Now I need to update all those plugins of mine $:\$

I'll be done somewhere around Christmas with my current free time

a_5mith

@Schamper When you've done yours, I'm accepting PRs for mine.

psychobunny

Wouldn't this topic be better off in a public category, not every plugin developer might be subscribed to the dev group

a_5mith

@psychobunny I thought this category was only available to people in the dev group. Probably not very useful for people like shard, that are developing plugins, but can't see this topic for example.

julian

Probably XD. Let me move it there now.

psychobunny

@julian said:

I do have a propensity for verbosity

you just summed it all up yourself

Ted

I understand the new concept but why unpublish first?

julian

Upon reflection, the unpublishing step is unnecessary

Ted

I wonder, is it necessary to make a new branch too?
npm wouldn't just store the commit on master branch?

Ted

My bad, I didn't see it was for already 0.6.0 published plugins.

julian

I correctly assumed (and this has been validated through actual plugin upgrades) that the latest hash in npm points to the most recently published version, and not the highest version.

That is, given your plugin nodebb-plugin-example

If v1.0.0 is compatible with v0.5.4
If v1.1.0 is compatible only with v0.6.0
The latter is published first
A user typing npm install nodebb-plugin-example will receive v1.0.0 of the plugin, irrespective of what NodeBB version he/she is running, even though v1.1.0 is technically newer

Now, special note: The NodeBB Package Manager doesn't do this. When the ACP calls nbbpm to request a suggested package, we query npm for the plugin data, and sort the versions before checking compatibility, so this issue is moot.