Welcome to Press This, the WordPress workforce podcast from WMR. Each episode choices guests from around the workforce and discussions of the largest issues coping with WordPress developers. The following is a transcription of the unique recording.
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Record Pop: You’re paying attention to Press This, a WordPress workforce podcast on WMR. Each week we spotlight participants of the WordPress workforce. I’m your host, Record Pop. I enhance the WordPress workforce by way of my serve as at WP Engine and my contributions on TorqueMag.io. You’ll be capable to subscribe to Press This on RedCircle, iTunes, Spotify, or your favorite podcasting app, otherwise you’ll download episodes right away from WMR.fm.
For individuals who’ve ever contributed to an open-source undertaking, you take into account that it’s all about collaboration and innovation, alternatively there’s a little-known downside that many developers would in all probability face in ensuring their plugins stay at the right kind aspect of the GPL, GNU, Customary Public License. It’s not handiest an issue of compliance. It’s about protective the spirit of open provide.
So lately now we have now a definite customer, Jeff Paul, the director of open provide at 10up, who will percentage a game-changing answer he presented at WordCamp US this year. Consider having a tool that scans your codebase robotically to verify your plugin’s GPL compatibility, while you add new choices and dependencies.
That’s what we’re going to be talking about lately. Alternatively previous than we dive into it, Jeff, can you tell us your WordPress starting story?
Jeff Paul: Positive. I don’t know that I’ve the best year. It used to be as soon as maximum unquestionably early 2000s. I had a personal web page that used to be as soon as on a former CMS, I think it used to be as soon as referred to as Geeklog. And between that and my website hosting provider at the time, and who’s conscious about what selection of other elements, there used to be as soon as, you recognize, a collapse of content material subject matter in CMS.
And so I was merely searching for something to modify that with at the time. I came upon, WordPress and it worked for what I sought after. , didn’t move down the path of making a CMS myself, which seems to be a superb starting story for numerous people. Alternatively that used to be as soon as, identify it, I don’t know, ‘04 to ‘07, somewhere in that adjust, alternatively I didn’t, kind of move the divide to contributing until the WordPress 4.7 unlock when I joined the release squad there with Helen Hou-Sandí and Aaron Jorbin. So, I spent a couple of years being a consumer of the undertaking, and it wasn’t until somewhat some time down the road that I used to be a contributor and have been, you recognize, continuing on that path since then. Well, you recognize, dual consumer and contributor at this degree.
DP: And likewise you’ve been a very energetic contributor to WordPress core as neatly. 10up maintains dozens of plugins throughout the plugin repository, in conjunction with ElasticPress, Distributor, ClassifAI. The ones are all available on the wordpress.org repository, and they’re maintained on GitHub, publicly and the use of open-source practices.
You may well be very acquainted with the topic we’re going to dive into. Why don’t we merely get began off with the WordPress repository, like, the WordPress plugin repository? Tell us quickly, what’s the WordPress repository and what are the principles to be able to upload the rest to it?
JP: Positive. So the WordPress repository is hosted via WordPress.org, the open provide undertaking, break away WordPress.com, break away each and every different host throughout the ecosystem, break away, third-party plugin companies or distributors. And it’s what’s right away attached or tied into every WordPress arrange to be had available in the market. When someone is throughout the WordPress admin, is searching for a plugin or theme, those searches are by way of that WordPress.org plugin repository, and theme repository, available throughout the WordPress admin. And similarly on WordPress.org. Effectively the an identical search, an identical content material subject matter, is available there.
When it comes to getting something listed there, the wordpress.org plugin overview workforce has a choice of, detailed guidelines of do’s and don’ts for plugin developers. And then there is also an actual submission workflow to transport by way of to take a look at this initial submission to the wordpress.org plugin repository. Once that is approved, there is also an SVN repo that is created on your plugin. And, you recognize, any updates, releases, and lots of others. are pushed there to SVN. And that’s kind of where the whole thing at the moment lives and breathes for problems which may well be available for search on WordPress.org or within the WordPress admin.
DP: One of the crucial first rules I believe is that regardless of you put into the WordPress repository should be compliant with the GPL, in conjunction with fonts and images, not merely the code. Is that right kind?
JP: Correct. Correct. So somewhat in fact, the principle rule of the plugin workforce is that the plugins in their entirety will have to be GPL-compatible. That’s the an identical license that WordPress follows, and as you mentioned, code, images, and third-party libraries, all wish to be GPL-compatible. It doesn’t wish to necessarily be the true, you recognize, GPLv2 license, there are others which may well be GPL neatly matched, alternatively yeah, fonts, images, third-party libraries, dependencies, all that should be GPL neatly matched and not merely the code {{that a}} plugin developer writes, right kind? The entire ones other problems moreover want to be GPL-compatible.
DP: And in order that we don’t keep listeners in a position, like, lets merely leap into it. Your keep up a correspondence used to be as soon as about how to be able to check for GPL compatibility the use of GitHub actions. Can you walk us by way of that process?
JP: Yeah, so this stems a bit from my serve as since the director of open provide at 10Up. It’s in all probability not something that an regularly plugin writer of, you recognize, a single plugin or even a few ones would in all probability take note of, or, trouble them. Alternatively I think at some point I had nearly somewhat in fact that stand up in the middle of the night time taking into account, “I don’t know if I know evidently that you recognize, all the images, all the 0.33 birthday party dependencies, all the fonts, et cetera, are GPL-compatible and attempting to decide a way at scale for us at 10up where we’ve got, like you mentioned, dozens of plugins which may well be available on the wordpress.org repository or on GitHub as neatly. The availability there.
I didn’t wish to have to transport by way of all of that with a fine-toothed comb and have to check any upstream dependencies that we have got been the use of for the plugins and decide, you recognize, how are the ones qualified. That may be a pain throughout the butt for a single plugin, let alone a few. And through some, taking a look out online, I identified that there were some equipment, some GitHub actions that can be used to lend a hand effectively automate that process so that, you recognize, not just a single one-time scan of a repository to say, certain, you’re neatly matched or no, you’re not, alternatively continued scans so that any longer term computer virus fixes, enhancements, et cetera, that will in all probability each add a brand spanking new dependency or in all probability bump a dependency in your plugin that in all probability happened to change how something used to be as soon as qualified, having the ability to check that ongoing, and do that kind of first-time move by way of used to be as soon as something I was attempting to decide so that it wouldn’t change into just a guide, intensive process and kind of like an ongoing nightmare to ensure that, that compatibility.
So yeah, I indicate, I think the initial concern that I had used to be as soon as, I didn’t know that—I had no approach to know that some feature we add, if we’re in conjunction with a brand spanking new dependency, that that used to be as soon as GPL-compatible, and then came upon there can have been a excellent worse state of affairs where we had plugins which have been introduced, iterated upon that already had incompatibilities inside of in their instrument.
And so that used to be as soon as kind of the principle downside I wanted to take a look at and treatment. That first initial scan, right kind? Are our, you recognize, individual plugins, and are all the ones that 10up is helping, in truth neatly matched with the license we declared? And optimistically, move our hands they’ve been. And then, you recognize, from there, that continued check of making sure that longer term PRs, be they from my workforce and the open provide practice at 10up, broadly with other 10upers contributing to the duties, or just really any individual in the community, ensuring that those maintained the licensing that we stated throughout the plugins themselves.
DP: And easily to clarify proper right here, for many who didn’t, for many who came upon by way of this, that there used to be as soon as, uh, some provide dependency or something in there that, that used to be as soon as not compliant, is the ramification merely form of, shaming from the gang or is there in all probability punitive hurt that it’s very important to go through for not following the principles?
JP: So I’m not a felony skilled, right kind? So, you recognize, I wouldn’t have a felony skilled hat on giving this observation, so, you recognize, not respectable criminal advice, alternatively the process that I took as I was running the ones scans on our plugins, because of over again, I didn’t know, I was in reality somewhat fearful running all of the ones, what the effects were going to be.
My plan used to be as soon as if I came upon that there used to be as soon as a plugin that used to be as soon as the use of something that wasn’t GPL-compatible, that the best means may well be to each remove that dependency, transfer it out for something else, effectively clear by way of that, irrespective of the issue used to be as soon as and quickly unlock a brand spanking new style, right kind?
There wasn’t so much that I felt could be performed for what had already been revealed and introduced. From my standpoint, none of it’ll have been performed in some way of purposely in quest of to avoid licensing. it’ll have merely been, you recognize, at some point along the street, human error, quite very similar to a security issue that can get reported to a plugin writer. Like, the best means there is also to art work on a remediation and quickly get a unlock out so that people which may well be staying provide on plugins are in that extra safe state, be it a security issue or in this case, a licensing concern. Certainly, if there happened to be a plugin that used to be as soon as significantly source of revenue generating, and if there in all probability could be, reasons to show that it used to be as soon as a identified mistake to have something off-licensed, aside, I don’t believe that any one throughout the space is doing that on function, alternatively I think the only ones that would possibly most certainly be at criminal chance may well be ones which may well be significantly source of revenue generating, that may well be a function for licensing.
So yeah, I think long story fast, if someone runs a scan and finds a subject in their provide code base, I think the best means is really that issue a unlock, an up to the moment style, you recognize, identify out throughout the industry log, identify out throughout the unlock notes what used to be as soon as changed and why, be transparent about that. Alternatively at the moment, that’s really, I think the best {{that a}} plugin writer can do if this is the case. Fortunately for 10up’s plugins, we didn’t run into that state of affairs. The whole thing used to be as soon as, fortunately, neatly matched, and I would possibly hope that the large majority of people going down this path, putting in place some automation to provide them that stage of comfort, would have a an identical enjoy.
It may be rather little little bit of a fearful, fearful look ahead to a couple of seconds or a minute for the GitHub actions to run. Alternatively, you recognize, as quickly because it shows that the whole thing passes, I think most people would maximum unquestionably in the end finally end up in that state.
DP: Speaking of getting comfy, we’re going to take a short lived damage. So take a seat down once more and loosen up, and we’ll be once more after the short trade damage with additional of our interview with Jeff Paul, the director of open-source duties at 10up about maintaining your plugins GPL-compliant. Stay tuned for added after this fast damage.
DP: Welcome once more to Press This, a WordPress Group Podcast. I’m Record. I’m talking to Jeff Paul about, the use of GitHub actions to make certain that your code, your plugins are GPL-compliant. Quicker than the damage, we kind of dived into this rather bit and we talked regarding the ramifications for many who aren’t completely compliant. And I guess I wanted to get once more to this specific issue. There are GitHub actions that anyone can create. Alternatively Jeff, you mentioned in your WordCamp keep up a correspondence that you just use the authentic GitHub movement, I think, with, some small changes. Can you tell us what’s the establish of the movement that folks should be searching for to be able to do this?
JP: Positive. That’s it’s a dependency overview movement. So GitHub.com, slash actions, slash dependency, hyphen overview, hyphen movement. Optimistically, the transcript gets that as it should be. If there’s any downside finding that I do have notes about this up on my website online, on a publish that covers the controversy. So, there are links available, alternatively for many who search for dependency overview movement throughout the GitHub movement marketplace, you’re going to optimistically to find the authentic person who I used, and it does additional than just check plugin dependencies. It’s going to check additional than just the licenses. It’s going to most certainly moreover check for vulnerabilities and other problems in your plugin dependencies. Alternatively the only issue that I benefit from it for, the core issue I benefit from it for, is checking for invalid licenses throughout the dependencies within our plugins.
DP: And that’s an movement that you just’ll prepare what type of GPL you want to be following. You’ll be capable to include a license and it tests against that. And there’s moreover the possibility for many who handle, let’s say, dozens of plugins, that you just’ll however provide to that exact same issue. You’ll be capable to have all the ones, plugins that you just handle however coming to that one checklist, in order that you don’t have to transport and, and substitute that each and every time, right kind?
JP: Correct. Yeah. I see you sat by way of my keep up a correspondence at WordCamp US, kudos to you for being throughout the audience and unsleeping and listening, in a different way you caught it on YouTube or WordPress.tv, alternatively certain, there are kind of two usual flows that I may well be anticipating people to follow proper right here.
One, a plugin writer that is accountable for one or a very small choice of plugins, or someone who has additional on the one-to-n scale, they’ve that many plugins they’re supporting. So for those that merely have a single one, the GitHub movement, as you’ve got it defined, can effectively within that workflow report where you effectively are calling that dependency overview movement, and having it scan by way of your repository, there are two, environmental variables or parameters that you just’ll provide. That movement one is allow licenses and, the corollary to that is deny licenses. You’ll be capable to’t do every at the an identical time. and the process that I took used to be as soon as to transport with the allow licenses as opposed to the deny licenses. The taking into account there used to be as soon as… I would possibly rather have a case where I forgot to include a GPL-compatible license throughout the allow license tick list and get effectively a false certain, right kind? Like get a dependency flagged as not neatly matched with my licenses because of its license used to be as soon as merely something I forgot to be able to upload throughout the tick list, versus if I benefit from the deny licenses tick list and I forgot to deny a license that I don’t want, then that can have supposed a dependency would get by way of, would not be caught via this check.
So, my extremely robust recommendation is to transport with that let licenses tick list. And throughout the case where someone is maintaining a single plugin, is to easily use that parameter and that tick list of licenses in your workflow files. So, for 10up, for our plugins, that’s the dot GitHub checklist, and then the workflows subdirectory there. And then now we have now the dependency overview workflow that calls that dependency overview movement, has the allow licenses tick list, you’ll pull up my presentation each on my web page or to find the debate online and notice the tick list of licenses that we have. You’ll be capable to moreover uncover any of 10up’s repositories on GitHub and notice the licenses we find.
Our workflow files are reasonably neatly documented and kind of give an explanation for how we got to understanding what we felt were neatly matched licenses with our plugins. So people may well be welcome to use the tick list that we have, may well be welcome to use a subset of that tick list, may well be welcome to do their own research, in all probability to truly really feel that stage of comfort. Alternatively we did do reasonably lengthy research to make certain that what we have now been the use of in our allow licenses tick list in reality is definitely matched with what we declare. And near to via default for 10up, we use, GPLv2 or later, and so all of the licenses that we tick list are GPLv2-compatible, particularly.
So that’s the case for, over again, the plugin writer with a single plugin they’re maintaining. As you mentioned, for the case where someone has more than one, a few ones, you’ll have a separate license protection report that effectively has all the ones licenses declared in it. And then you definitely reference that config report, that license protection report, throughout the workflow in your plugins, so that, as you mentioned, you really at the moment most effective have one place you need to handle the tick list of neatly matched licenses. If there happens to be, you recognize, a brand spanking new open-source, initiative-approved license that happens to be GPLv2-compatible for us, right kind? If a brand spanking new one comes on the scene, then that can be added to the tick list, or in all probability if one should be removed for regardless of reasons, you don’t have to take a look at this in dozens of puts. You do it in one location, and then all of your workflow files which may well be referencing that config are up to the moment right away, the use of that new tick list of licenses.
DP: This is all automated, so if any individual does a pull request, it does that just for you. Correct?
JP: Correct, right kind. So, as we create our workflow files in our repositories, we do have a reason on a pull request. So, it’s very important to moreover in all probability have it set up to run on a CRON time table, it’s very important to have it run weekly or per 30 days, alternatively really, when you do that first run, you scan all the code base of the dependencies, and it’s really going forward, you really most effective want to check those pull requests which may well be coming in, You need to maximum unquestionably moreover check individual commits for many who’re not the use of a reasonably strict system of requiring PRs on regardless of your default or robust branches are on your plugins.
So, there could be additional triggers that folks would in all probability wish to use. For 10up, we usually have a tendency to reasonably strictly require PRs to increase and trunk branches so that we will be able to use this movement reliably and know that any changes to dependencies that introduce a brand spanking new one or bump a style that happens to change the license will get caught via this. So yeah, we use, we pivot or spark off of pull requests, alternatively depending on how strict people are, it’s conceivable you’ll, in all probability have that check individual commits to a selected division, or even run on a time table day by day, weekly, per 30 days, merely to have that comfort understanding that your code is still passing, that there aren’t any licenses which may well be incompatible with, in this case, GPLv2 for 10up.
DP: We’re going to take any other fast damage proper right here. Once we come once more, we’ll wrap up our conversation with Jeff Paul about GPL licenses and most likely make a choice up on the rest we didn’t touch upon earlier. So stay tuned for added after this fast damage.
DP: Welcome once more to Press This, a WordPress Group Podcast. We’re wrapping up the show and we’re going to change gears up rather bit. There used to be some keep up a correspondence lately regarding the overview process on the plugin repository and, merely basically mentioning this undeniable fact that it’s, it’s rather slower than it’s been prior to now.
Some persons are saying they know that it’s taking, you recognize, months to get something reviewed where I think I’ve spotted it top at most likely 4 weeks in most of my years in WordPress. So, Jeff, I know that they’ve discussed most likely some changes they’re going to make to that. Can you tell us what the gang is working on now?
JP: Positive. Yeah. And I’ve, you recognize, I enlarge what you mentioned. I think historically, I’ve spotted all the problems that I’ve submitted have been underneath two weeks and have been so much faster than what’s most often reported. And it’s up at spherical 88 days or something unfortunate for everybody involved.
I think there’s been some turnover on that workforce. Some very professional senior knowledge used to be as soon as out of place. And the fogeys that have graciously stepped in to lend a hand fill that void, I think are however getting to the aim where they can have that exact same form of throughput on processing plugins and reviewing those initial submissions. And there is also art work they’re doing to take a look at and automate a couple of of that. So one of the vital problems that, you recognize, laptop techniques are upper at that folks in all probability aren’t, in all probability like running WordPress coding necessities and honing within the position there are really very important errors reported, right kind? As a substitute of a human having to transport by way of and process those problems, having a plugin checker that runs and tests for problems that can be automated and helping that plugin overview workforce merely get a to hand information a coarse initial pause of like, are problems which may well be automated passing? If this is the case, then, adequate, dive into your human overview and tempo problems along. If problems have been reported, being automated in nature that don’t appear to be passing, then it’s, I think, a sooner response to that plugin developer of, hiya, we’ve identified the ones initial problems in our scan, you recognize, please, resolve those and then post an up to the moment zip report, to get problems once more on the right track.
So I know that they’re working to be able to upload some automation in, I think the additional they can do to lend a hand them on that path, the simpler, just because at this degree, neatly up over a thousand plugins, the backlog is lengthy, and over again, not helping any individual there. So certain, they’re working on automations. I know they wish to do additional, and I think if that’s an area where someone is particularly gifted at automations and must contribute, I think the plugin overview workforce wish to have some lend a hand on that front. So unquestionably reach out in Slack if that’s the case.
DP: And speaking of achieving out, if people have questions, about your keep up a correspondence that you just gave at WordCampUS, or just one of the vital duties that 10uP is working on throughout the open provide space, what’s one of the best ways for other people to achieve out to you?
JP: Positive. So my web site is jeffpaul.com. I’ve got my presentation up there, for many who merely search for GPL, it’s maximum unquestionably going to be one of the vital important first posts in the end. In a different way, my email correspondence is jeff.paul@10up.com, my art work email correspondence, um, and then near to every social group. WordPress.org, GitHub, Twitter, slash X, and I’m @Jeff Paul, and y’all can to find me on the social networks that suggests.
DP: In a similar way, if listeners wish to to find examples of most likely the 10uP art work on GitHub, I’m assuming that’s merely 10up on GitHub?
JP: Correct, yeah, github.com/10up. All of the repositories for our plugins are up there in public. Our workforce tracks new issues and PRs closely. Those all get piped into our Slack channel, so the rest, any questions people have, any discussions, they open there. Our workforce should be reasonably responsive to those, but if not, you recognize, hitting me up on, on WordPress Slack, on Twitter by means of email correspondence, any of those art work. I’m always happy to speak open provide with people in the community.
DP: Well, thank you the sort of lot for turning into a member folks lately, Jeff, it’s been really great talking to you and I noticed such a lot regarding the actions that GitHub has for pull requests and automating that experience. That’s very helpful.
For individuals who overpassed it closing week’s episode of Press This, we talked to Carmen Johnson about steps that you just’ll take to organize your web page for the top of life of MySQL 5.7 and the way you’ll get ready for MySQL 8. So that’s a really superb episode you’ll check out, and now we have now loads additional. You’ll be capable to to find those on TorqueMag.io if you want to to find transcribed permutations. Thanks for paying attention to Press This, a WordPress workforce podcast on WMR. You’ll be capable to follow our adventures on Twitter, on the Torque Magazine.
You’ll be capable to subscribe to Press This on RedCircle, iTunes, Spotify, or your favorite podcasting app, otherwise you’ll download episodes right away from WMR.fm. I’m your host, Dr. Same old. I enhance the WordPress workforce by way of my serve as at WP Engine, and I really like spotlighting participants of that workforce every week on PressThis.
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