Welcome! Here’s a guide to help you join and participate in the Release Parties scheduled for WordPress 6.8. If you are new to attending a release party, this will help you get started.
Schedule:
Set a reminder for the upcoming release party:
- For the full schedule, you can check out the: WordPress 6.8 Release Party Schedule
How to Join:
- Download Slack.
- Sign in to the WordPress Slack Workspace:
- Visit WordPress Slack to log in or create an account if you don’t already have one.
- Join the #core Channel.
- This is where the release party happens! Use this link to join: #core channel
- Arrive Early and Be Prepared:
- Join the channel about 10 minutes before the scheduled time and make sure your test environment is ready to go.
Skip above steps if you already have WordPress Slack account and joined #core already.
Setting Up Your Test Environment:
Make sure you have a local development environment or testing site ready to run the latest WordPress 6.8 version.
(Please don’t test/update on any client site or any Production/Live Site)
Here are two methods to update to an RC/Beta version:
- Using WP-CLI: Ensure WP-CLI is installed on your environment.
Run the following command to update:wp core update --version=6.8-beta1
- To verify the update with:
wp core version
- Using the WordPress Beta Tester Plugin:
- Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin:
- Go to Plugins > Add New, search for “WordPress Beta Tester,” install, and activate.
- Configure the settings:
- After activation, go to Tools > Beta Testing in your WordPress dashboard.
- You’ll see options to select the type of updates you want:
- Bleeding Edge – Updates to the latest development version.
- Beta/RC Only – Updates only to Beta and RC versions.
- For testing an upcoming release candidate, choose Beta/RC Only.
- Go to Dashboard > Updates and update to the RC version.
What to Test During a Release Party:
When testing a WordPress release candidate (RC), the goal is to catch any issues or inconsistencies that could impact the final release. Here’s a checklist of key areas to focus on during testing: General Testing Checklist
You can also test anything you would like to ensure and provide your feedback.
Where to Provide the Status of Your Testing:
Main Channel: Provide updates directly in the #core channel on the WordPress Slack.
Format for Updates: Use a brief format to keep your updates clear and easy to follow:
- What You Tested: Mention the specific feature you tested like creating a page with a core block.
- Results: Share whether the test passed or failed, along with any notable observations. Please look at the below scrshot for reference.
- If test Passed: add
- If any issues happen, add
- If test Passed: add
- Issue Details (if applicable): If you found a bug, provide a short description and any error messages, screenshots, or reproduction steps.
How to Update RC/Beta Via WP CLI – Demo Video
For a step-by-step video guide on updating the RC version through WP CLI, watch this demo:
How to Update RC/Beta Via Beta Tester Plugin – Demo Video
If you prefer using the Beta Tester plugin, here’s a video guide to walk you through the process:
Previous Release Parties
If you looking to see what happens in Release Party, please checkout recent RC-2 Release Party here
Props @krupajnanda and @5um17 for proofreading and peer review.