Update Made Available on Apex Dashboard and TF?

[strobley]

Hi Themeco,

When will updates Pro 1.2.5, X 5.2.4, and Cornerstone 2.1.5 noted in this news release https://theme.co/apex/forum/t/v2-elements-maintenance-releases/10598 be made available on Apex Dashboard and TF?

Given the plethora of recent problems, issues, and bugs experienced by customers in all recent automatic updates it is reasonable to request they be made available as full download packages for manual review and manual update.

Going forward I would request all future updates, both major and minor be made available as full download packages. It is reasonable to request this option, allowing customers to fully manually review all code/changes and perform a fully controlled fallback. It is not reasonable to force customers down an erroneous automatic update route. However you spin it, it is clearly probllematic as demonstracted by all the recent updates.

[kyle]

Hi @strobley,

The updates will be available soon. We’ve put a hold on them at the moment while we investigate a CSS transcription issue we’ve seen on a couple sites. When we turn them back on they will be bumped up one version.

With regards to making older versions available, we do give the full download on your account dashboard including the most recent stability release as a fall back. We’re going to discuss the process and see if it would be advantageous to provide more versions then that as there are some challenges with making too many legacy versions available (this is why we settled on the two that are there now - both full downloads and there to provide customers the option to test manually).

The issue is also complicated by the fact that some customers get updates from ThemeForest/Code Canyon and Envato has their own approval process that can take days to get something approved. This is why we make them available as full downloads on the customer dashboard.

[strobley]

Thanks @kyle

Apologies I was not clear, I was actually referring to always making the most recent full download package with extension updates available on the Apex Dashboard and TF for essentially all updates both major and minor updates.

I do appreciate TF has an approval process. Providing customers the option by offering full download X packages including all/any extensions updates on TF - essentially matching the changelog in a download bundle if that makes sense? In the past, the support team has declined this request. This lack of full download packages with extension updates is problematic for a manually controlled updated/fallback.

I maintain my own copies of older versions of X every time I update - hence requesting full download bundles with extensions. With regards to allowing access to full downloads of older versions is going above and beyond. It’s great to hear you’re seriously looking at options to improve the user Xperience

[kyle]

OK, I’m tracking now. The issue with that comes down to the distribution of Extensions. There are some guidelines we have to follow. I wouldn’t have an ETA on if we could change that as it’s not our decision to make but will be happy to investigate a bit further down the road.

[strobley]

Thanks again @kyle

I was referring to Themeco extensions rather than 3rd party extensions. I understand 3rd party are outside the control of Themeco and updated as and when compatible.

However, I would have thought and hope that Themeco extensions are within Themeco control, and a decision to always bundle new updates to Themeco extensions; thus allow controlled manual updates/fallback is a decision Themeco can make?

[kyle]

Yes, we can absolutely do anything we want with our own. The challenge at that point is making it consistent and not confusing for people. I could see some problems with just making ours available and not everything. Like all things it’s a balancing act with outside forces and play and various workflow preferences. I appreciate your thoughts.