Check for updates

gomedia · 2010-11-28 03:20:32

Just clicked on check updates button in 4.2.0 Admin & the following message is displayed:

You have the most updated version of this Textpattern branch
There is a completely new Textpattern version available. Do you want to try it?: 4.3.0

Is the message a bit confusing? – “you have the most updated version … there is a completely new one”

And shouldn’t the “4.3.0” bit be a clickable link?

Check updates in 4.0.8 produces:

You have the most updated version of this Textpattern branch
There is a completely new Textpattern version available. Do you want to try it?: 4.2.0
There is a completely new Textpattern version available. Do you want to try it?: 4.3.0

Er, what?

Bloke · 2010-11-28 07:43:07

gomedia wrote:

Is the message a bit confusing? – “you have the most updated version … there is a completely new one”

Kind of, yeah. I guess it’s a bit tech-talk and could be made clearer, since an updated branch is one in your current X.Y.someval series — likely bugfixes and backwards-compatible changes (4.0.4, 4.0.5, 4.0.6…) — but a new ‘version’ is when there’s a bigger step and the values of X or Y change.

Any advice on wording to make it less confusing? It’s only a language string so should be fairly easily alterable.

Spookily I spotted this feature the other week when I added the version checking advice to smd_prognostics. I copied the code from the core and got the confusing double-message in my plugin. The wording I chose instead was:

An <a href="http://textpattern.com/download">update to this Textpattern series is available</a>
A <a href="http://textpattern.com/download">new version of Textpattern is available</a>

but even that could be considered a little confusing. The difference with smd_prognostics is it only displays the latest entry — even if there’s a new branch available it ignores it and tells you there’s a brand new version available, which I think I prefer (but I may be alone).

And shouldn’t the “4.3.0” bit be a clickable link?

Yes. That’ll probably require a change in the core though as we may need to change the gTx() entry to raw if it includes a link. Will look into it.

You have the most updated version of this Textpattern branch
There is a completely new Textpattern version available. Do you want to try it?: 4.2.0
There is a completely new Textpattern version available. Do you want to try it?: 4.3.0

Whoever wrote that function seemed to assume that you’ll only ever upgrade to the next version and not leave a site in a state where there are more than one new versions available.

I refactored that hunk of code in the plugin and now it only reports once. I’m not sure this constitutes a “bug” because it’s telling the truth — there are two new versions of Textpattern available since you last installed — but since the link will ultimately point you to textpattern.com/download and the only available version will be the latest one, the proper thing to do might be to only report the latest. I guess I could reproduce what I did in my plugin and share the love back to the core.

What does everyone think?

Last edited by Bloke (2010-11-28 07:44:37)

gomedia · 2010-11-28 08:18:29

Hi Stef,

I think it should be simplified. Something like:

You are running the latest version of Textpattern.

and:

There is a newer version of Textpattern available. Would you like to download it?

I don’t think the end user needs to be concerned about the intricacies of branches & versions or even intermediate releases.

Bloke · 2010-11-28 08:26:15

gomedia wrote:

I don’t think the end user needs to be concerned about the intricacies of branches & versions or even intermediate releases.

I am inclined to concur. Will wait to see if anybody weighs in with a counter-argument before doing anything though.

ruud · 2010-11-28 13:23:02

I agree with gomedia, unless there are two or more maintained branches (but I don’t think the 4.0.x, 4.2.x branches will see any new releases).

maverick · 2010-11-28 14:02:30

gomedia wrote:

You are running the latest version of Textpattern. and There is a newer version of Textpattern available. Would you like to download it?

I don’t think the end user needs to be concerned about the intricacies of branches & versions or even intermediate releases.

Agree.

When possible, simplicity is a better user experience.

Last edited by maverick (2010-11-28 14:03:16)

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#1 2010-11-28 03:20:32

Check for updates

#2 2010-11-28 07:43:07

Re: Check for updates

#3 2010-11-28 08:18:29

Re: Check for updates

#4 2010-11-28 08:26:15

Re: Check for updates

#5 2010-11-28 13:23:02

Re: Check for updates

#6 2010-11-28 14:02:30

Re: Check for updates

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