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Packaging

ModulesPress provides robust tools and workflows for packaging your WordPress plugins. The framework includes built-in support for versioning, asset compilation via its vite plugin, and production-ready distribution through its CLI tools.

Overview​

When preparing your ModulesPress plugin for distribution, the framework handles:

  • Production package creation
  • Dependency optimization
  • Version management
  • Plugin packaging
  • Release management

Pre-packaging Steps​

Before creating a production package, ensure you:

  1. Disable Development Mode

    // plugin.php
    protected bool $isDevelopment = false;
    protected bool $isDebug = false;

  2. Build Frontend Assets

    # Build Vite assets
    npm run build

ModulesPress CLI​

The ModulesPress CLI provides the pack command for creating production-ready plugin packages:

# Create a production package
modulespress pack
Production Optimization

The pack command:

  • Removes development files
  • Install only production dependencies
  • Optimizes Composer autoloader
  • Creates a versioned ZIP package
  • Maintains only production files

Production Package Structure​

The final production package contains only necessary files:

your-plugin/
├── src/               # PHP source code
├── vendor/            # Production dependencies
├── views/             # Blade templates
├── build/             # Compiled vite assets
└── plugin.php         # Main plugin file

Version Management​

ModulesPress uses the version from your plugin header:

/**
 * Plugin Name: Books Generator
 * Description: Generate books for your WordPress site.
 * Version: 1.0.0
 * Author: Your Name
 * License: GPL2
 * Text Domain: books-generator
 */

The version is used for package naming.

Artifact Generation​

When running modulespress pack:

  1. Version And Name Extraction

    • Reads version from plugin header
    • Reads plugin name from plugin header
    • Creates versioned artifact name

  2. Package Creation

    artifacts/
    └── books-generator-v1.0.0.zip

  3. File Selection

    • Includes only production files
    • Removes development artifacts
    • Maintains proper structure

Excluded Files​

The following are automatically excluded from production packages:

Development Files:
✗ .cache/
✗ composer.*
✗ package.*
✗ vite.config.*
✗ tsconfig.*
✗ node_modules/
✗ resources/
✗ static/
✗ tests/
✗ .git/
✗ .github/
✗ README.md

Production Optimization​

The packaging process optimizes your plugin through:

  1. Composer Optimization

    composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader

  2. File Structure

    • Maintains clean directory structure
    • Removes unnecessary files
    • Preserves build assets

Distribution Best Practices​

  1. Pre-packaging Checklist

    • Disable development mode
    • Disable debug mode
    • Build frontend assets
    • Test production build

  2. Version Control

    // Always update version in plugin header
    /**
     * Version: 1.0.0
     */

  3. Asset Verification

    • Check build directory
    • Verify asset loading
    • Test all features

  4. Documentation

    • Update changelog
    • Document changes
    • Follow semantic versioning

Continuous Integration​

Example GitHub Actions workflow:

name: Package Plugin
on:
  release:
    types: [created]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Install Dependencies
        run: |
          composer install
          npm install
      - name: Build Assets
        run: npm run build
      - name: Package Plugin
        run: modulespress pack

Distribution Channels​

After packaging, distribute through:

  1. WordPress.org

    • Official plugin repository
    • Automatic updates
    • Version tracking

  2. Custom Distribution

    • Self-hosted updates
    • License management
    • Client deployment

  3. Manual Installation

    • Direct ZIP installation
    • Custom deployments
    • Development sites

Conclusion​

ModulesPress's packaging system provides a streamlined way to package WordPress plugins for production. By following the proper build steps and utilizing the CLI tools, you can create optimized, production-ready plugin packages.

Important

Always remember to:

  1. Disable development mode
  2. Build frontend assets
  3. Test the production build
  4. Create the package using modulespress pack