WordPress plugin regression via Playground

This package boots a local WordPress Playground site, mounts a plugin, captures front-end output, and compares before and after states.

Installation

1. Import this Git's files to a private folder location.
2. Open Terminal.
3. cd to folder.
4. Enter: npm install.

Updating

1. Open Terminal.
2. cd to folder.
3. Enter: git pull.
4. Enter: npm install.

Usage

1. Open Terminal.
2. cd to folder.
3. Enter: node run.js <command> --root <consumer> --plugin-json <plugin.json>.

Commands:

node run.js launch --root C:\path\to\plugin --plugin-json C:\path\to\plugin.json
node run.js stop --root C:\path\to\plugin
node run.js capture --root C:\path\to\plugin --plugin-json C:\path\to\plugin.json --label before
node run.js compare --root C:\path\to\plugin --plugin-json C:\path\to\plugin.json --before before --after after
node run.js harness --root C:\path\to\plugin --action ping
node run.js harness --root C:\path\to\plugin --json-file C:\path\to\payload.json

Optional launch flags: --wp, --php, --site, --plugin=working|wporg, --port.

Captures are logged-out. The server is not started with --login. Same-path redirects are followed; a redirect to a different path is recorded as-is.

Pretty permalinks are set in the blueprint, but rewrite rules are not flushed there. Playground must flush them on a later init after post types exist. A flush_rewrite_rules() during boot writes incomplete rules and makes post permalinks and 404s fall through to the homepage.

Playground ships a mu-plugin that 301s /sitemap.xml to /wp-sitemap.xml. Launch blanks that file so the mounted plugin can own the endpoint.

State is written under the consumer .local/playground/, not in this folder.

Issues

Node.js 20.18 or higher must be on your PATH.

stop sends a graceful tree kill first, then force, and waits until sites/<id>/database/.ht.sqlite is unlocked. If a hard kill still leaves that file unreadable, retry launch or use --site with a new id. Deleting .ht.sqlite forces a fresh install for that site.

PowerShell strips quotes from --json "{...}". Use --json-file <path> (resolved from --root when relative).