WordPress Plugin Updater Package

A comprehensive WordPress plugin updater library that enables automatic updates, license verification, and remote plugin management for custom WordPress plugins.

Features

• Automatic Plugin Updates: Seamlessly check for and install plugin updates from your remote server
• License Management: Built-in license key verification and validation system
• Admin Interface: Clean WordPress admin interface for license management
• Plugin Tracking: Track plugin activation, deactivation, and usage statistics
• WordPress Integration: Hooks into WordPress core update system
• Flexible Configuration: Customizable API endpoints, menu placement, and licensing options

Requirements

• WordPress 5.0 or higher
• PHP 7.4 or higher
• Valid API server endpoint for plugin updates and license verification

Installation

composer require shazzad/plugin-updater

Quick Start

<?php
// Initialize the updater (autoloaded via Composer)
new \Shazzad\PluginUpdater\Integration(
    'https://your-api-server.com/api',  // API URL
    plugin_basename( __FILE__ ),        // Plugin file path
    'your-product-id',                  // Product ID
    true,                              // Enable licensing
    true,                              // Display admin menu
    'My Plugin License',               // Menu label
    'plugins.php',                     // Parent menu
    10                                 // Menu priority
);

File Structure

/updater/
├── Integration.php    # Core functionality and API handling
├── Updater.php       # Update checks and WordPress integration
├── Admin.php         # WordPress admin interface
└── Tracker.php       # Plugin tracking and license sync

Configuration Options

Constructor Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
$api_url	string	-	Required. Your API server URL
$product_file	string	-	Required. Plugin file path (e.g., "my-plugin/my-plugin.php")
$product_id	string	-	Required. Unique product identifier
$license_enabled	bool	false	Enable license verification features
$display_menu	bool	true	Show license settings in WordPress admin
$menu_label	string	''	Custom label for admin menu item
$menu_parent	string	''	Parent menu slug (defaults to 'plugins.php')
$menu_priority	int	9999	Menu display priority

Example Configurations

Basic Update Checking (No Licensing)

new \Shazzad\PluginUpdater\Integration(
    'https://api.example.com',
    plugin_basename( __FILE__ ),
    'my-plugin-id'
);

Full Featured with Licensing

new \Shazzad\PluginUpdater\Integration(
    'https://api.example.com',
    plugin_basename( __FILE__ ),
    'my-plugin-id',
    true,                           // Enable licensing
    true,                           // Show admin menu
    'My Plugin Updates',            // Menu label
    'tools.php',                    // Under Tools menu
    20                             // Menu priority
);

API Server Requirements

Your API server should provide the following endpoints:

Update Check Endpoint

GET /products/{product_id}/updates

Response:

{
  "updates": {
    "new_version": "2.1.0",
    "package": "https://download-url.com/plugin.zip",
    "url": "https://plugin-info-url.com",
    "tested": "6.4",
    "requires": "5.0",
    "changelog": "Bug fixes and improvements"
  }
}

Plugin Details Endpoint

GET /products/{product_id}/details

Response:

{
  "details": {
    "name": "My Plugin",
    "version": "2.1.0",
    "author": "Developer Name",
    "homepage": "https://plugin-website.com",
    "sections": {
      "description": "Plugin description",
      "changelog": "Version history",
      "installation": "Installation instructions"
    },
    "download_link": "https://download-url.com/plugin.zip"
  }
}

License Verification Endpoint

GET /products/{product_id}/check_license?license=LICENSE_KEY

Response:

{
  "license": {
    "status": "active",
    "expires": "2024-12-31",
    "customer_name": "John Doe",
    "customer_email": "john@example.com"
  }
}

Ping Endpoint

GET /products/{product_id}/ping

Used for tracking plugin installations and status.

Request Parameters

All API requests include these parameters:

• product_version: Current plugin version
• product_status: Plugin status (active/inactive)
• wp_url: WordPress site URL
• wp_locale: WordPress locale
• wp_version: WordPress version
• license: License key (if licensing enabled)

WordPress Integration

Hooks and Filters

The updater integrates with WordPress using these hooks:

• pre_set_site_transient_update_plugins: Inject update information
• plugins_api: Provide plugin details for update screen
• upgrader_package_options: Configure upgrade process
• upgrader_process_complete: Handle post-update cleanup
• Plugin activation/deactivation hooks for tracking

Scheduled Tasks

• License Sync: Hourly cron job to verify license status
• Update Checks: Integrated with WordPress core update system

Admin Interface

When licensing is enabled, the updater adds an admin page with:

• License key input field
• License status display
• Update availability notifications
• Direct upgrade buttons
• Changelog and upgrade notices

Menu Placement

By default, the license page appears under Plugins menu. You can customize this:

// Under Tools menu
'menu_parent' => 'tools.php'

// Under Settings menu
'menu_parent' => 'options-general.php'

// Top-level menu
'menu_parent' => null

Security Features

• Input Sanitization: All user inputs are properly sanitized
• Nonce Verification: WordPress nonces protect admin forms
• Capability Checks: Requires delete_users capability for license management
• XSS Protection: Output is escaped using WordPress functions

Error Handling

The updater includes comprehensive error handling:

• API connection failures
• Invalid license keys
• Update server timeouts
• Malformed responses

Errors are logged and displayed appropriately in the WordPress admin.

Debugging

Enable debugging with the included helper method:

$integration = new \Shazzad\PluginUpdater\Integration(/* ... */);
$integration->p($some_data); // Pretty print data

Changelog

Version 1.0

• Refactored into modular structure
• Improved error handling
• Enhanced security measures
• Better WordPress integration
• Comprehensive documentation

Support

For support and bug reports, please contact your plugin developer or visit the plugin's official support channels.

License

This updater package is typically licensed under the same terms as your main plugin. Check your plugin's license file for specific terms.