CODEWITHSUNDEEP
wordpressgitftp
Sara
Sara

Reputation: 612

Sync wordpress plugin updates to git repo

I have a wordpress site that I am finally getting into git. Previously I was editing changes locally and uploading via ftp. I want to come up with a strategy to be able to do the following:

  1. Update my git repository with any changes made on the ftp server (plugin updates etc). That I will then sync that down into my local copy

  2. Push locally tested changes into git and then deploy via ftp (I know how to do this part)

I don't know the best way to approach 1 and I'm very new to using git (usually use svn).

Thanks

Upvotes: 1

Views: 1455

Answers (2)

DevDonkey
DevDonkey

Reputation: 4880

Using a conventional development workflow on Wordpress is challenging.

Because WP puts too much in the database, including site config, it makes syncing changes from one environment to the other a real pain.

We have a number of WP installs (against my better judgement) and organise our workflow like this.

You might lighten this process if you're not part of a dev team and are going alone.

Local Dev

codebase changes only. Including shortcode development and templating. This lives under a GIT workflow (branches, tags, etc). Plugin/framework updates are installed here, and tested before adding to the gitball.

Beta Live

All content is built here, with any code based changes being requested as needed. Testing is carried out here, responsive, UAT etc.

Code changes are pushed up via deployment scripts which trigger either a GIT pull, or by syncing files via ssh:rsync. heres a good resource on how to use git hooks for this.

Live

For live deployment, we use a WP database migration plugin to get content across, and the git repository to push tagged releases up to the live server. We also use the sync tool to pull down up to date copies of the database to our local dev machines.

I'm sure there are lots of other opinions on what's best, and how to implement them.

My opinion

The fact is is that WP is a bad choice for websites that require a lot of under the hood attention. It was never designed for this, and consequently is a real pain to force into a proper development cycle. If I must use a CMS, I generally use Drupal for sites that need more functionality, its a steeper learning curve, but more than worth it.

Upvotes: 2

heyitsgeo
heyitsgeo

Reputation: 11

You could follow a git flow pattern. This consist of three main branches:

  • master
  • release
  • develop

Preform all of your development in the develop branch which you would build and test locally. Then when you are ready to test on a server merge your changes into the release branch for testing. When everything checks out you can then merge into your master branch. From here you can either manually ftp the files from the master branch like you have been or set up a deployment hook to automate deployment to your server when changes are detected.

As your project grows you can implement a couple of other branches to further maintain your build. You can base a new branch feature off of develop when you need to add a new feature then merge it back into develop following the flow back up again. As well as a hotfix branch to take care of any bugs "on the fly" straight off the master branch.

Here is a good example of the git flow pattern: [http://nvie.com/posts/a-successful-git-branching-model/][1]

This article goes into a lot more detail about the git flow pattern and is an awesome resource!

Be sure that whenever you start a new development phase you merge from master to develop so you know you are starting with the most recent version of your project.

Upvotes: 0

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