12-13-2013, 06:27 PM
This information will be permanently stickied in the LUA Modules / Addons forum also:
Addon Devs README!! New changes to addon update compatibility!!
Starting with the next major update we will be implementing a new pseudo-versioning system for the LUA modules that will lock out all addon modules after an update. Here's a rundown of how it will work (open to some minor changes as we test/refine it over the next few days).
Every addon must have a new field, "SupportedFrameworkVersion=" in the module.def. The framework version will be updated whenever we make changes that we deem significant enough to possibly cause addons to fail. Every time we release an update that changes the framework version, we will post that update information in a visible place (probably make a front page post) and that post will also contain the new version number. It will be the job of each addon dev that wants their module to continue to be supported to run some quick tests of their functionality and then update the SupportedFrameworkVersion once everything is in order.
This is a very significant need and if we find addon devs who are just changing the version without doing at least a bare minimum of testing then we will most likely have to cut any benefits they're getting. On the flipside, the devs who are diligent in supporting their modules and updating them properly will get first dibs on the finite allotment of free subs etc we give out for contributions. This is not meant to be a punishment or extra "busy-work"; it's because we're dealing with dozens and dozens of forum posts/irc questions where users are angry that their bot broke after an update, and we're finding out that 90% of the complaints are due to addons. This isn't to blame any issues on addon developers; on the contrary, there's no way for you to know what changes are coming so that you can prepare in advance. My other big push in the near future will be to get a beta launcher running so that you can test new functionality in advance and see how it will affect your mods.
You are free to enlist other users as your "update peons" and give them permission to test your mod and update the version if you're not around when an update drops. That's the nice thing about open source addons. If you don't want to support a module anymore then don't worry about updating the version after an update...let someone else take it over if the community wants to keep the mod going. What we want to avoid are abandoned/non-updated mods causing us a dozen hours of wasted support every week...we think this will be a solution that forces somebody to take responsibility for the mod after a major update to ensure that it is working properly. If the mod is popular, the community will take care of maintaining it if you decide you don't want to anymore. If not, then let it die. This would be a good time to look into some type of version control system such as SVN/github so that users can grab an easy gui like tortoisesvn and update your mod with a simple right click selection.
Please post any suggestions/concerns
PS. You are free to ask for donations in your main post to reward you for maintaining your mod. We do not allow sales of private mods in our forums, but posting a paypal donation button is fine. I see some of these mods with 5-10 posts after an update that breaks it begging for the mod to be updated...if your mod is that popular you might want to seriously consider throwing a donation button up.
Addon Devs README!! New changes to addon update compatibility!!
Starting with the next major update we will be implementing a new pseudo-versioning system for the LUA modules that will lock out all addon modules after an update. Here's a rundown of how it will work (open to some minor changes as we test/refine it over the next few days).
Every addon must have a new field, "SupportedFrameworkVersion=" in the module.def. The framework version will be updated whenever we make changes that we deem significant enough to possibly cause addons to fail. Every time we release an update that changes the framework version, we will post that update information in a visible place (probably make a front page post) and that post will also contain the new version number. It will be the job of each addon dev that wants their module to continue to be supported to run some quick tests of their functionality and then update the SupportedFrameworkVersion once everything is in order.
This is a very significant need and if we find addon devs who are just changing the version without doing at least a bare minimum of testing then we will most likely have to cut any benefits they're getting. On the flipside, the devs who are diligent in supporting their modules and updating them properly will get first dibs on the finite allotment of free subs etc we give out for contributions. This is not meant to be a punishment or extra "busy-work"; it's because we're dealing with dozens and dozens of forum posts/irc questions where users are angry that their bot broke after an update, and we're finding out that 90% of the complaints are due to addons. This isn't to blame any issues on addon developers; on the contrary, there's no way for you to know what changes are coming so that you can prepare in advance. My other big push in the near future will be to get a beta launcher running so that you can test new functionality in advance and see how it will affect your mods.
You are free to enlist other users as your "update peons" and give them permission to test your mod and update the version if you're not around when an update drops. That's the nice thing about open source addons. If you don't want to support a module anymore then don't worry about updating the version after an update...let someone else take it over if the community wants to keep the mod going. What we want to avoid are abandoned/non-updated mods causing us a dozen hours of wasted support every week...we think this will be a solution that forces somebody to take responsibility for the mod after a major update to ensure that it is working properly. If the mod is popular, the community will take care of maintaining it if you decide you don't want to anymore. If not, then let it die. This would be a good time to look into some type of version control system such as SVN/github so that users can grab an easy gui like tortoisesvn and update your mod with a simple right click selection.
Please post any suggestions/concerns
PS. You are free to ask for donations in your main post to reward you for maintaining your mod. We do not allow sales of private mods in our forums, but posting a paypal donation button is fine. I see some of these mods with 5-10 posts after an update that breaks it begging for the mod to be updated...if your mod is that popular you might want to seriously consider throwing a donation button up.