Configuring Automatic Background Updates in codex is misleading

[lovingboth]

"By default, only minor releases – such as for maintenance and security purposes – and translation file updates are enabled."

The actual default, as seen in wp-admin/includes/class-wp-upgrader.php and specifically

should_update_to_version

is that minor updates and - if and only if you are currently running a development version - development updates are enabled.

See the defaults of

 $upgrade_dev   = true;
 $upgrade_minor = true;
 $upgrade_major = false; 

The section on WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE should also make it clear that, even if they are enabled by setting it to 'true' and/or using the relevant filter, automatic development updates are only done if you are currently running an earlier development version.

At the moment, the strong implication is that if you set WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE to true, you will get development updates regardless of whether or not you are running a development version.

That a) put me off setting it to true and b) got me looking at what would be needed to patch class-wp-upgrader.php to tell it that I want major+minor automatic updates but not development ones when in fact no changes are needed.

[Otto42]

I don't understand the objection here. The upgrade_dev stuff only happens if you're already running a development version, which is defined as anytime the version number contains a "-" dash in it.

3.7 is not a development version, 3.7-alpha is, because of the dash in the version number.

There is no way for it to auto-upgrade from a non-dev version to a dev version that I'm aware of.

[lovingboth]

I don't understand the objection here.

The objection is that the codex page is wrong and misleading :)

"By default, only minor releases .. are enabled" - this is not true. The default is that automatic development updates are also enabled, iff you are currently running a development version. As you say, that's defined as having a '-' in the version number.

In the WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE section:

"Value of true – Development, minor, and major updates are all enabled" - this is misleading. The development updates only happen iff you are currently running a development version, but I cannot interpreted what's there as saying anything other than 'if you set WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE to true, you will get development updates regardless of whether or not you are running a development version'

Everything else you say is correct, but it's not currently in the codex page.

[Otto42]

By default, people don't run development releases, so those upgrades don't happen.

Most of the wording of that page comes from nacin's post on the topic here:

​http://make.wordpress.org/core/2013/10/25/the-definitive-guide-to-disabling-auto-updates-in-wordpress-3-7/

Note that the codex is a wiki, and if you think it could be worded better, then by all means go ahead and make the necessary changes. But since normal people don't run development releases, then I don't think it needs a whole lot of changes in that respect. Development upgrades are somewhat outside of the scope of the target audience for that article.

[lovingboth]

I didn't notice it was a wiki, so I have, thanks.

I get the comment about the scope of the target audience. What put me off enabling major updates was thinking I would be given development ones too.

[Otto42]

Okay, I'm going to close this since you edited the codex then. :)