Test WordPress Patches

Test patches on WordPress coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. tickets to validate fixes before release. Test independently at your own pace, or join weekly team sessions for guided support.

Steps

  1. Find a ticket to test. You have two options:
    • On your own: Browse WordPress Trac for tickets tagged needs-testing or has-patch.
    • With guidance: Join a Patch Testing Scrub, where experienced contributors assign tickets and guide you through testing. Check the Test team meeting calendar for upcoming scrub times.
  2. Check for a testable patch. Look for a GitHubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged by the repository owner. https://github.com/ PR link in the ticket. If there’s only a .patch file, ask in #core-test for help or skip to another ticket.

  3. Open the patch in Playground. Click “View PR” to open the GitHub pull request. Find the comment that says “Test this pull request with WordPress Playground” and click the link.

  4. Test the patch. Check whether the patch fixes the reported issue, look for unintended side effects or regressions, and try different scenarios.

  5. Submit your test report. Add a comment to the TracTrac Trac is the place where contributors create issues for bugs or feature requests much like GitHub.https://core.trac.wordpress.org/. ticket with your results. Use the Test Reports plugin to auto-generate a report with your environment details pre-filled, or copy the Patch Testing Report Template and fill it in manually.

Contribution checklist

  • Test report posted on the Trac ticket
  • Environment documented (OS, PHPPHP PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML. https://www.php.net/manual/en/index.php, WordPress version, browser)
  • Confirmed whether patch fixes the issue and noted any regressions

What happens next

The patch maintainer will review your test report to determine if the patch is ready. They may ask follow-up questions in the ticket comments.

Continue testing patches on your own or join the regular Patch Testing Scrubs for guided support and community.

Help

Stuck? Check the getting help guide, then ask in #core-test.

Further reading:
Patch Testing templates and examples
WordPress Playground documentation
Test reports overview

Test
Beginner-friendly task

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