Zen Cart Documentation – Release Process

Dev: Pre-Release Notes

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Note: This step only apples to pre-release version updates, which are done at the time of initiation of a new release.

If you are doing official release, please skip this step and go to the next step.

Git Work

The master branch is now the current release. If a patch is being done from a release in the past, create a branch for that patch.

Versioning files

Before doing the version updates, create a new branch specifically for these changes.

Here’s what should be in these files for the (hypothetical) version 2.3.0 build:

#	File	Version
1	`includes/version.php`	alpha: `define('PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR', '2.3-alpha1');`
		final: `define('PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR', '2.3');`
2	`zc_install/includes/version.php`	alpha: `define('PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR', '2.3-alpha1');`
		final: `define('PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR', '2.3');`
		alpha and final: `define('EXPECTED_DATABASE_VERSION_MINOR', '2.0');` DB version ends in zero always; doesn’t change because of a patch release.
3	`zc_install/sql/install/mysql_zencart.sql`	Variables now specify database and project version major and minor numbers. For database, do not specify patch version! CHECK CAREFULLY - look at all variables. This new system was introduced in 2.2.1; in older releases, the version information was repeated.
4	`zc_install/sql/updates/mysql_upgrade_zencart_220.sql`	See above.
5	`zc_install/includes/systemChecks.yml`	Top `checkDBVersion*` block should look for `version: '2.3.0'`
6	`zc_install/includes/version_upgrades.php`	`'2.3.0'=>array('required'=>'2.2.0'),`

Shortcut for editing these 6 files:

vi includes/version.php zc_install/includes/version.php zc_install/sql/install/mysql_zencart.sql zc_install/sql/updates/mysql_upgrade_zencart_220.sql zc_install/includes/systemChecks.yml zc_install/includes/version_upgrades.php

Note that in most cases, includes/version.php and zc_install/includes/version.php will be identical.

PHP Compatibility

If the new version has different PHP compatibility ranges than the prior one, be sure to update:

composer.json
The Server Requirements help document
The What’s New file for the release in Release Docs

Next - Dependency Checks

Dev: Dependency Checks

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Before doing a major or minor release build, it’s a good idea to check and update versions of external utilities that the project uses. It’s not necessary to be on the latest version, but you want to ensure that any security patches have been installed.

Last minute changes are risky! Try to do any changes a few weeks before the build so you have time to test.

Also, make time to run a Lighthouse check before the release to be sure no Javascript libraries with known vulnerabilities are in use.

The following should be checked:

Complete Projects

Project	File	Project URL
PHPMailer	`includes/classes/vendors/PHPMailer`	https://github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer
Mobile Detect	`includes/classes/Mobile_Detect.php`	https://github.com/serbanghita/Mobile-Detect/
jQuery	`includes/templates/responsive_classic/jscript/jquery.min.js` `includes/templates/template_default/jscript/jquery.min.js` `admin/includes/javascript/jquery.min.js`	https://jquery.com/
jQuery UI	`admin/includes/javascript/jquery-ui.min.js`	https://jqueryui.com/
Font Awesome	`admin/includes/css/font-awesome.min.css`	https://fontawesome.com/
Bootstrap	`admin/includes/css/bootstrap.min.css`	https://getbootstrap.com/
YAML	`zc_install/includes/vendors/yaml`	https://yaml.org/
Laravel	`laravel/vendor/*`	https://laravel.com/

Zen Cart Plugins

Be sure these are up to date in the zc_plugins/ folder.

You may view the plugin page for any of these plugins with URL:

https://www.zen-cart.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=PLUGIN_ID

Plugin	Plugin ID
PayPal Restful (Encapsulated)	2434

References within Files

Embedded references to external files that may require updating:

jQuery library: https://jquery.com/
- zc_install/includes/template/common/html_header.php
- includes/templates/responsive_classic/common/html_header.php
- includes/templates/template_default/common/html_header.php
- admin/includes/javascript_loader.php
- admin/includes/ckeditor.php
jQuery flot library: https://github.com/flot/flot
- admin/banner_manager.php
- admin/banner_statistics.php
jQuery mmenu: https://plugins.jquery.com/mmenu/
- includes/templates/responsive_classic/common/html_header.php
- includes/templates/responsive_classic/templates/tpl_modules_mobile_menu.php

Note that the license for mmenu changed in their v5.6.0 to CC-BY-NC-4.0, which is not compatible with Zen Cart’s GPLv2 license. So we cannot distribute mmenu 5.6.0 or newer with Zen Cart. Bugfixes must be applied directly to current distro files instead.

jQuery UI: https://jqueryui.com/
- admin/includes/admin_html_head.php
- admin/includes/javascript_loader.php
jQuery jAlert: https://github.com/HTMLGuyLLC/jAlert
- admin/includes/keepalive_module.php
jQuery jTimeout: https://github.com/HTMLGuyLLC/jTimeout
- admin/includes/keepalive_module.php
Bootstrap: https://getbootstrap.com/
- admin/includes/admin_html_head.php
- admin/includes/javascript_loader.php

Note that the following error-condition template files do not share common header components from the default template because they are intended to be as “standalone” as possible, in case other template-system files are damaged:

includes/templates/template_default/templates/tpl_zc_phpupgrade_default.php
includes/templates/template_default/templates/tpl_zc_install_suggested_default.php

CAUTION: Be mindful that upgrading Bootstrap between Bootstrap’s “major” releases is usually a very cumbersome task because they change class-names and utility markup, which affects every page where Bootstrap markup is used (ie: every Admin page). But upgrading minor updates is mostly a drop-in-replacement of JS/CSS files.

Font Awesome: https://fontawesome.com/
- includes/templates/responsive_classic/common/html_header.php
- admin/includes/admin_html_head.php
- admin/includes/stylesheet.css

CAUTION: Be mindful that upgrading FontAwesome between its “major” releases is usually a very cumbersome task because icon naming strategies may be different, which affects every page where FA icons are used (ie: numerous Admin pages, and Catalog templates). But upgrading minor updates is mostly a drop-in-replacement of some CSS files.

Next - Prerequisites

Dev: Prerequisites

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

To run the release process, you must have the following:

Running at least PHP 8.1. (This means php -v must run without an alias and must show php 8.1 or higher.) Here are guidelines for upgrading to PHP 8.1 on a Mac.
Maintainer access to the Zen Cart github repository.
A local copy of the VersionStamper application.
Admin access to the main Zen Cart website
Admin access to the team’s Server Manager console
an up to date copy of the master branch for Zen Cart.
an up to date copy of the documentation repo.

Once you have these things, you’re almost ready to begin.

Final Steps Before Beginning

Prepare your branch

Be sure your copy of the Github repo is up to date, and be sure you’re on the right branch for building (either master or prior-version-branch for a patch).

Create a new branch specifically for the version file changes.

Update the versioning files:

NOTE: If you are setting up a pre-release, please see Pre-Release Notes.

Remember we are using Semantic Versioning in post 2.0 releases. So a reelease number is MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH.

Edit the file includes/version.php and update the version.
Edit the file zc_install/includes/version.php and update the version.

For patch releases or any release with no database change SKIP REMAINING VERSION FILE UPDATES. Go to the next step.

Edit the file zc_install/sql/install/mysql_zencart.sql and update the version number in the project_version and project_version_history tables.
Edit the file zc_install/sql/updates/mysql_upgrade_zencart_<current>.sql and update the version number in the project_version and project_version_history tables.
Ensure the version number in zc_install/includes/systemChecks.yml is the current version.
Ensure the new version number has been added to zc_install/includes/version_updates.php.

The thing to remember is that the database version does not include the patch number / letter, because the database doesn’t change just because of a patch release.

Here’s what should be in these files for a (hypothetical) version 2.3.0 build:

#	File	Version
1	`includes/version.php`	alpha: `define('PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR', '2.3-alpha1');`
		final: `define('PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR', '2.3');`
2	`zc_install/includes/version.php`	alpha: `define('PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR', '2.3-alpha1');`
		final: `define('PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR', '2.3');`
		alpha and final: `define('EXPECTED_DATABASE_VERSION_MINOR', '2.0');` DB version ends in zero always; doesn’t change because of a patch release.
3	`zc_install/sql/install/mysql_zencart.sql`	Variables now specify database and project version major and minor numbers. For database, do not specify patch version! CHECK CAREFULLY - look at all variables. This new system was introduced in 2.2.1; in older releases, the version information was repeated.
4	`zc_install/sql/updates/mysql_upgrade_zencart_220.sql`	See above.
5	`zc_install/includes/systemChecks.yml`	Top `checkDBVersion*` block should look for `version: '2.3.0'`
6	`zc_install/includes/version_upgrades.php`	`'2.3.0'=>array('required'=>'2.2.0'),`

Shortcut for editing these 6 files:

vi includes/version.php zc_install/includes/version.php zc_install/sql/install/mysql_zencart.sql zc_install/sql/updates/mysql_upgrade_zencart_220.sql zc_install/includes/systemChecks.yml zc_install/includes/version_upgrades.php

Note that in most cases, includes/version.php and zc_install/includes/version.php will be identical.

There are other version related updates to do, but they’re not part of the build, so they are detailed in post release tasks.

For Major Releases - Update the Implementation Guide

The implementation guide (docs/implementation-guide.pdf) is part of the build and should be updated before the build begins. See Implementation Guide.

This is mentioned on the next page as well as a reminder, since it’s easy to forget.

For Major Releases - set the PHP Version range

Update these places:

Uses of PHP_VERSION_ID (for the minimum version):

zc_install/index.php
includes/application_top.php
admin/includes/application_bootstrap.php
admin/includes/application_top.php

Other Code Files:

zc_install/includes/languages/en_us/main.php (set TEXT_ERROR_PHP_VERSION)
zc_install/includes/systemChecks.yml (set checkPhpVersion)
zc_install/index.php (only change if zc_install itself needs a newer PHP version: we want zc_install to run for inspection even on older PHP)

Documentation Files:

Server Requirements in user/first_steps/server_requirements.md.
What’s New file for this release, e.g. What’s New in 2.2 under “About PHP Versions”. This file is in the release folder.
README.md under Zen Cart github home page

Other considerations:

/composer.json
Update github workflows so tests run on desired versions

Copyright Updates

Do copyright updates in the following files:

docs/INSTALL.TXT
what’s new and changes files list for this release (common footer in doc repo /layouts/shortcodes/release_footer.md.)

Check in!

You’ll want to check in all these changes so they get version stamped correctly. Merge the branch you created for these changes.

Next - Initial Steps

Dev: Initial Steps

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The initial phase of the release process consists of

Locking the repository for merges
Ensuring all code is up to date
Ensuring the current code runs properly
Preparing the Release Documentation

When this is all done, we can stamp and tag the release.

Locking Repository

While doing the initial steps of the release process, at least up to the tagging release stage, we need to ensure that no commits/merges are created against the release branch and the main branch, except where necessary for the release.

Message all developers who have merge privileges using the Skype Dev Chat channel, and then lock the branch you are building (probably “master”). Go to the branches page and set a branch protection rule. If there is no branch protection rule for the branch you are building, add one. Click on the checkbox for Require a pull request before merging then set the required approvals to 6, and the branch will be effectively locked.

Updating Code

Before tagging a release we need to:

Ensure code is up to date.
Be sure the versioning file changes you did in the prior steps are checked in and merged. If they weren’t, remember you will have to bypass merge protections since the branch has been locked for merges.
Update the Documentation Website to ensure that it reflects changes that have happened within the release. (Focus on the What’s New page; it’s easier to build the Changed Files page once the build is complete.)

Testing Prior to the build

Create a new shop using the branch you are about to build, and run through some tests. You want to be confident that what you’re building will work.

Hopefully you have been testing up until now and have not introduced major changes right before the build. This will give you a much greater chance of success.

Release Documentation

The Documentation Website contains details of changes between versions and general installation instructions.

The 2 main pages that need adding/updating are the What’s New and Changed Files pages. Note: The above links give examples of previous releases.

You will need to have checkout of the Zen Cart documentation website and be able to use the Hugo system to edit and test the pages locally before pushing changes,

While previously we would duplicate content in the /docs folder of the release and on the https://zen-cart.com/docs folder, these now redirect to the documentation website.

There is a branching page, which should be updated if the code branches have been changed (typically following a major release).

There is a final piece of documentation which needs to be updated, and that is the Implementation Guide. This is delivered as part of the build, so it must be up to date before you do the build!

Next - Version Stamping

Dev: Version Stamping

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Version stamping consists of a number of processes that are actioned on files that have changed in the release.

Those actions are

Update the copyright year in the header of the file to the current year.
Add/Update the details of what release the file was added/modified
Create a list of files that were added/deleted or modified and sort into those sections.

We use a php script to automate this process.

The script is available in the https://github.com/zencart/versionstamper repository.

This is a private repository for team members only.

Preparatory Actions for Version Stamping

Create a feature branch in your Zen Cart directory for the version stamping changes, e.g.

git checkout -b version-stamping-v200

Installing the Version Stamper

Clone the https://github.com/zencart/versionstamper repository to your local computer.

Follow the instructions in the README.

config.php file

    'prevOfficialRelease' => 'v2.1.0',
    'newVersion' => 'v2.2.0-alpha', // note at this point we don't have to have a tag
    'prevStampedVersion' => 'v2.1.0', // note at this point we don't have to have a tag
    'commitDate' => '2025', //the date that will be used for the updatecommit
    'copyrightDate' => '2025', //the date that will be used for the copyright date
    'firstHash' => '28b79ce2120771411d08ef2c7cce5058e42a2cc3', // usually the hash of tagged prior release
    'lastHash' => '3bb5429b64095b89c671aae8f3e31cc9163b86b9', // usually the hash of the last commit for this new release
    'ignoreDirectories' => ['includes/classes/vendors', '.circleci', '.github', 'laravel', 'not_for_release'],
    'rootPath' => '/home/wilt/Projects/zencart/',
    'authorMap' => ['Chris Brown' => 'DrByte', 'Ian Wilson' => 'Zcwilt', 'zcwilt' => 'Zcwilt']
];

prevOfficialRelease The most recent official release e.g. v1.5.7d
prevStampedVersion The name of the most recent release that was version stamped (may have been a pre-release)
newVersion - the version name of the release being worked on e.g. v1.5.8. Should be the same as what’s in includes/version.php.
commitDate - the year to use for updating the commit date - will be deprecated for auto setting
copyrightDate - the tear to use for the copyright date - will be deprecated for auto setting
firstHash - the hash of the first commit in this branch - see below
lastHash - the hash of the first commit in this branch - see below
ignoreDirectories - a list of directories to ignore for changes
rootPath - the absolute path to your Zen Cart checkout

firstHash

The firstHash represents the first commit after a previous tag/branch was created. It also should represent the first commit after the last known version stamping commit was created. This can sometimes be difficult to find manually. See section below.

lastHash

This is the hash of the last commit to the branch we are working on. See section below.

rootPath

Be sure to update rootpath to the PATH to your local git folder.

newVersion

It is critically important that the spelling of this new version number is exactly what you want to use; it cannot be changed once the version stamper has been run.

Determining the Values of firstHash and lastHash

To help with finding both the first/last hash, we have a command line option within the version stamp code:

php versionstamp.php app:hash-suggest

This command will output something like:

last Hash = 3bb5429b64095b89c671aae8f3e31cc9163b86b9
first Hash = 28b79ce2120771411d08ef2c7cce5058e42a2cc3

The output values can then be used to update the config.php file.

Note: Be sure the prevStampedVersion setting in the config.php file is correct prior to running this command. You can find the exact spelling of the prior version by looking at the releases page.

Executing the Version Stamper

Remember that we should have created a feature branch in our Zen Cart folder to encapsulate these changes, rather than running directly against our working branch.

If you run git status in your Zen Cart folder, you should see something like,

On branch version-stamping-v200
nothing to commit, working tree clean

Back in your version stamper folder, run the stamper in debug mode first.

php versionstamp.php app:version-stamp

This will run the version stamper in debug mode i.e. It will output information about the changes it would make, without altering any files.

We could also do php versionstamp.php app:version-stamp > somefile.txt

to create a log of proposed changes that we could review.

To actually make changes we would use

php versionstamp.php app:version-stamp --mode=run

Merging the version stamper updates

Once the version stamping is complete, you will need to go to your Zen Cart folder and commit and merge the changes created by the version stamping.

Be sure to merge into the right branch (master for new releases; number-of-patch-version (e.g. 2.2) for patches).
Remember you will have to bypass merge protections since the branch has been locked for merges.

Be sure to use a comment which indicates which version number is being stamped (e.g. “Version stamping 2.1.0”).

Capturing information in Release Log

There is a section of these docs called Release Log, in which you should capture some basic information about the release progress. Update /dev/release/release_log.md.

Next - Release Tagging

Dev: Release Tagging

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

We are now ready to tag the release.

Ensure your Zen Cart folder is up to date, especailly as you will have merged the version stamping changes.

Now we tag the release.

Go to your Zen Cart folder, which now is on the branch you are releasing (e.g. 2.2.1) and has all the updates from stamping.

Prerequisites

If you have not pulled the current list of tags, do so now:

git fetch --tags

You can confirm your local copy of tags using

git tag --list

Tagging

Note: The tag must be the same as the newVersion setting in the versionstamper’s config.php file.

git tag v2.2.1

obviously replacing the release name as appropriate.

Now push the file to the remote.

git push upstream --tags

Create the Release on Github

Now we need to create the release on github.

https://github.com/zencart/zencart/tags

By clicking on the … on the far right hand side we can create a release.

The Release title should be the same name as the tag name.

For Pre-Releases (alpha, beta, release-candidate):

Don’t forget to check the pre-release box

For Official Releases:

Click the “Generate Release Notes” button to auto-generate a list of changes and contributors
The textarea below the Release title should reference the https://docs.zen-cart.com/release release documentation.

It’s a good idea to also check the “Create a discussion for this release” box if it’s not a pre-release.

When you’re ready, press the Save Draft button (note: don’t press the Publish Release button just yet).

STOP! Do Verification

Take some time to verify the build you just published. Since you already did pre-testing before beginning the build process, hopefully there will be no issues, but if there are, return to the Possible Remedial Commits step.

Be sure you download the build from the Github Releases page so you’re testing exactly what will be released.

Ship it when ready

On the Releases page, click the pencil, scroll to the bottom and press the Publish Release button.

Next - Additional Release Tasks

Possible Remedial Commits

(You can skip this step if everything went well)

After creating the release on Github, you will want to test the build and make sure it works.
If you test and find a problem, it may be that you may need to do some remedial commits at this point.

For any new commits at this point, you must manually update headers as it is difficult to re-run the version stamper.

Edit files to update headers - change date and committer name
Create PR, merge, update your branch

If you have added extra commits you will need to update the release tag.

git tag -d v2.2.1
git push --delete upstream v2.2.1
git tag v2.2.1
git push upstream --tags

Then re-run these steps of the build:

Create the release on Github (as detailed above) from the tags page. Note that once you do this, you will have to delete prior releases of the same name on the releases page.
Note new commit hash. Edit the Release Log and update the last_hash field.

Once you have published the build on the Releases page:

Update the Release Manifest (you can get the SHA hash from here)
Update the zip file SHA on the Home page.
Check the Releases Page and be sure the build you just did has been published and the old one has been removed.
If required, update docs (What’s New file, Changed Files).

Next - Additional Release Tasks

Dev: Additional Release Tasks

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Some final actions need to be done to wrap up the release.

Update the What’s New and Changed Files documents for the release in zencart_documentation/content/release.
Create a release announcement on the Zen Cart Forum. Create it as a sticky post (click Administrative > Stick Thread). Here is an example release announcement. You should also take the time here to unstick prior release announcements and updates as appropriate.
Create a “Known Bugs in ” thread in the appropriate subforum under Upgrading Your Zen Cart. Update the release announcement and the known bugs page with this link.

Next - Ping Server

Dev: Server Manager

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Note: if you are doing a pre-release rather than an official release, please skip this step and go to the next step.

The Server Manager controls the endpoint that allows for a call home from within Zen Cart admin. (It was formerly called the Ping Server, or ping.zen-cart.com.)

It will notify a shop owner if a new release is available.

On the Server Manager site dashboard, access the Version Manager > Versions menu.

Create a new release by clicking the “New Version” button.

For a full release we need to edit

Version major
Version minor
Version detail
Version download URL

Version major

Currently this will be 2.

Version minor

e.g. 0.0

Version detail

Link to release announcement (e.g. https://www.zen-cart.com/showthread.php?230040-Zen-Cart-2-0-0-Released)

Version download url

Link to download (e.g. https://github.com/zencart/zencart/archive/refs/tags/v2.0.0.zip)

is_current

Turn slider on

Next - Release Links

Dev: Release Links

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Note: if you are doing a pre-release rather than an official release, please skip this step and go to the next step.

You’ll need to update the release links on the Home page of the Zen Cart Web Site.

To change the links etc, you will need admin permissions for the Zen Cart forum. See the infrastructure repo. (Team members only.)

Clicking on the edit icon in the top left will allow you to change the front page details.

The actual content that manages the release information looks like


<div class="vbcms_content" style="width:100%;">
    <div class="my_right_box"  style="width:33%;text-align:center;float:right;">
      <img src="/images/styles/zencart/style/ZC-in-the-box.jpg">
<div style="font-size:14px;margin-bottom:20px"><a href="https://www.zen-cart.com/showthread.php?228675-Zen-Cart-v1-5-7d-released!!">v1.5.7d Release Announcement</a></div>
<a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/zencart/zencart/archive/refs/tags/v1.5.7d.zip" style="display:block">
<div class="dlButton"><p class="verBubble"><span class="verNum">v1.5.7d</span></p> Download Zip File</div>
</a>

<br />

<div style="font-size:10px;margin-bottom:20px">SHA256: 0b115b58745cd09a0e4ae2795df437f051552d453ff9d0d9f333d96685836294</div>

<div style="font-size:10px;margin-bottom:20px">Tip: Use the SHA checksum shown to <a href="https://docs.zen-cart.com/user/installing/validate_sha/" target="_blank">verify file integrity</a></div>

<p style="font-size:14px;"><a href="https://docs.zen-cart.com/history/v15x/" target="_blank">Click here to download older versions</a></p>
<p style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://www.zen-cart.com/docs/" target="_blank">Implementation Guide</a></p>

    </div>

The areas that need changing are:

release announcement
download link
SHA

To determine the SHA value, download the release zip from Github, and compute the SHA with the appropriate method for your platform.

MacOS: shasum -a 256 ./zencart-1.5.8.zip
Linux: sha256sum zencart-1.5.8.zip

Next - Release Manifests

Dev: Release Manifests

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Note: if you are doing a pre-release rather than an official release, please skip this step and go to the next step.

The manifest api shows a hash of all files in a release.

Its original purpose as to allow for doing diffs/security checks between a customized zen-cart and the original files.

On the Server Manager dashboard:

Login to the Server Manager. For instructions, see the infrastructure repo. (Team members only.)
Click Version Manager > Manifests
Click the New manifest button
Enter the “Tag name” (the tag name you created in prior steps), and click the “Create” button.

Next - Post Release Tasks

Dev: Post-Release Tasks

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Post-Release Tasks for the Zen Cart Forum

(Note that some steps will not be required for patch releases or pre-releases.)

Steps:

Login to the admin panel for zen-cart.com. For instructions, see infrastructure repo. (Team members only.)
Thread Prefixes -> Thread prefix manager
Where it says “Zen Cart version”, click on Add Prefix

then set prefix id, title (both) to the version e.g. v158
leave display order as 10
click Save

Add the new version as a checkbox to the plugin version list.

(Note that this is not required for patch releases.)

One more documentation check:

Review the What’s New file for this release (Documentation repo in the /release/ folder.) Be sure it doesn’t have any more statements like “New Version has not yet been released”.
Review the Changed Files list for this release (Documentation repo in the /release/ folder.) Same checks.

Post-Release Things to Consider

Is it time to remove old versions from the plugin version list?
Is it time to hide older what’s new / changed files documents in the release folder?
Are there old stuck posts on the forum that should be unstuck?
Check the Zen Cart and Zen Cart Documentation projects for tags that mark things that need to be taken care of - there might be a Post Release X.y.z tag or something like that, for example.

Dev: Release Log

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

v2.2.2

Built 4 April 2026

first_hash = 420cccd696d0f2c88e71be68582718e126e8b503

last_hash = 6091deb27615c3f79a217f3e778e709476b696f5

initial version stamping commit = https://github.com/zencart/zencart/commit/63cf0ec3324d49767d25a07d168cdecb829e4d2a

v2.2.1

Built 20 March 2026

first_hash = 912249e2d8e672b2997372caddca8449aaddc66b

last_hash = 8a1f54717814e205fca81a35ae83f445b298bf61

initial version stamping commit = https://github.com/zencart/zencart/commit/5a71afdccf3ed55789bfc0d4136c3f40af60f4eb

v2.2.0-alpha

Built 07 November 2025

first_hash = fcc1ab8e72307cfdb1cdf333c2b3b8a11532df4b

last_hash = 2a64bc2b893d817d6b960138c3cb1532421fde16

initial version stamping commit = https://github.com/zencart/zencart/pull/7424/commits/48ac4ec639210574e648e8801e9d6c9ad7031d48

v2.1.0

Built 23 November 2024

first_hash = bb8c9751b69f7b6ea477827419c799c27af7d951

last_hash = 86e6b27e75bbb89ebe99c2b712b995a4a228e92f

initial version stamping commit = https://github.com/zencart/zencart/commit/a255caba270e3defee99ada0d89c3b5dce7daf58

v2.1.0-beta1

Built 30 Sept 2024

first_hash = 3b381cdd44f7fb1303284de1dcba06c6f6a493f1

last_hash = be9c298f64a614db6b1fb67913c83b489171fe14

initial version stamping commit = https://github.com/zencart/zencart/commit/3f01718bad5cb0cf774010024efe8637b27226d0

v2.1.0-alpha2

Built 01 Sept 2024

first_hash = 2d87e7ae9450ac795363355403c00952c26d9c1e

last_hash = df73628e083a8216dc0e802f1c3aa82eee319764

initial version stamping commit = https://github.com/zencart/zencart/commit/8395912649113b17c54b9877db0be8bf888675a9

v2.1.0-alpha1

Built 04 Aug 2024

first_hash = 198b15002b53a534fc9fbd3907415f4612ded6a7

last_hash = 5a07c12523a05b3b3e57fdd081482fa188c50398

initial version stamping commit = https://github.com/zencart/zencart/commit/a8b61d5f5825b4accc4622966255345514dc2156

v2.0.1

Built 19 May 2024

first_hash = 6ce2a575ac2be575a067e365898c7754298db178

last_hash = 77d56e1f58c07ca3d58cdec5fc06ca69eaf43f90

initial version stamping commit = https://github.com/zencart/zencart/commit/b44bb30e2009afe194391f55425e2f783a3fdc3e

v2.0.0

Built 07 April 2024

first_hash = 6ce2a575ac2be575a067e365898c7754298db178

last_hash = a8baab09b766bb6b3e54439b364862ced138452d

initial version stamping commit = https://github.com/zencart/zencart/commit/7e9875b2ec20a124b7dc703ee32311fb6cb238a5

v2.0.0-rc2

Built 16 March 2024

first_hash = ebb5fa877e5c8a645ad7e7f2c86b8da6d81cb64a

last_hash = d6da68ea718a04f2975571adeccc862e69f223d7

initial version stamping commit = https://github.com/zencart/zencart/commit/6e8017472943eb362b5be68b0efd53a76b48f155

v2.0.0-rc1

Built 09 March 2024

first_hash = 70c75b9c233c6bb61c60e7582c6874432af7db6e

last_hash = be20ccdede7093371404659bc5729152956aa88b

initial version stamping commit = https://github.com/zencart/zencart/commit/3394e81bf79dbf471d29b0b154cc68563b8203dc

v2.0.0-beta1

Built 25 Feb 2024

first_hash = 603c8b435fb0d560a14f6137e11b4b35b6ab3019

last_hash = 8641593cf9dbbbf4a4d69024bcdaa5845f90f187

initial version stamping commit = https://github.com/zencart/zencart/commit/b120b63476bb9f38aed9a7fc5d70236f1ce3f9c9

v2.0.0-alpha1

Built 27 Jan 2024

first_hash = ca928ffa40ddb4157e607e45f05df5f4105c4569

last_hash = 9b1a1ec14be3c47896231575811bee12b17ec1a7

initial version stamping commit = https://github.com/zencart/zencart/commit/bc0c4bf48d7160bce6c944af69b1ae45b7f8c461

v1.5.8a

Built 18 Mar 2023

first_hash = 479d5e1eb597aa09e5c879ee2c2e8aaabb78f45d

last_hash = ebafeedcb4c1ec70a879a84aa11de879a313a2dd

initial version stamping commit = https://github.com/zencart/zencart/commit/3db8d527910b7fc0f0fb9e2f722833cb9d973d79

v1.5.8

Built 16 Oct 2022

first_hash = 479d5e1eb597aa09e5c879ee2c2e8aaabb78f45d

last_hash = c2c5301bd3d2b9a9783936cbfd519249873f7415

initial version stamping commit = https://github.com/zencart/zencart/commit/936158f544f07237cd20fe081c6d513c62ece2a3

Note that a rebuild was done the next day to add the zc_install fixes. Commit Hash was 1c97c4b463310d64d75016aa06b9f951a436171e.

v1.5.8-alpha2

Built 29 Aug 2022

first_hash = 28b79ce2120771411d08ef2c7cce5058e42a2cc3

last_hash = 3bb5429b64095b89c671aae8f3e31cc9163b86b9

initial version stamping commit = https://github.com/zencart/zencart/commit/b33bf3888b0f7b660d0f7747c5901ff968eca5ab

v1.5.8-alpha

Built 12 Jul 2022

first_hash = bc80dc0f2f88e3d461fca826a0a42aa5567a9dfcc

last_hash = 136cf2dfae30d112cc7e1d9bc7210f4bf423b4fe

initial version stamping commit = https://github.com/zencart/zencart/commit/532a5904f0bab3f69c9a3703f7bc3593a54894a9

Dev: Implementation Guide

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The source for the Implementation Guide is in the private-docs repo. The documentation prime should create a PDF version of this file with a name containing the release number, and put it into the /docs folder.

PCI-DSS requires that this guide be:

specific for each release
distributed with the release.

For this reason, the guide is in the /docs folder of the build.

Things to tweak at release time:

front page. When updating the version number, be sure to do it in the footer as well (but not in the Changelog).
version number (search and replace). For example: v1.5.7 -> v1.5.8

(In the Changelog at the end, be sure to leave off the “v” so the history won’t get accidentally updated.)

Section 2.4 Server Software Requirements - update versions
Any other relevant places.

Dev: Adding Team Members

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This content has been moved to the infrastructure repo. (Team members only.)

Zen Cart Documentation – Release Process

Dev: Pre-Release Notes

Git Work

Versioning files

PHP Compatibility

Dev: Dependency Checks

Complete Projects

Zen Cart Plugins

References within Files

Dev: Prerequisites

Final Steps Before Beginning

Prepare your branch

Update the versioning files:

For Major Releases - Update the Implementation Guide

For Major Releases - set the PHP Version range

Copyright Updates

Check in!

Dev: Initial Steps

Locking Repository

Updating Code

Testing Prior to the build

Release Documentation

Dev: Version Stamping

Preparatory Actions for Version Stamping

Installing the Version Stamper

config.php file

firstHash

lastHash

rootPath

newVersion

Determining the Values of firstHash and lastHash

Executing the Version Stamper

Merging the version stamper updates

Capturing information in Release Log

Dev: Release Tagging

Prerequisites

Tagging

Create the Release on Github

STOP! Do Verification

Ship it when ready

Possible Remedial Commits

Dev: Additional Release Tasks

Dev: Server Manager

Version major

Version minor

Version detail

Version download url

is_current

Dev: Release Links

Dev: Release Manifests

Dev: Post-Release Tasks

Post-Release Tasks for the Zen Cart Forum

Add the new version to the Zen Cart Version dropdown on the forum

Add the new version as a checkbox to the plugin version list.

Other Post-Release Tasks

All Releases

Major and Minor Releases Only

One more documentation check:

Post-Release Things to Consider

Dev: Release Log

v2.2.2

v2.2.1

v2.2.0-alpha

v2.1.0

v2.1.0-beta1

v2.1.0-alpha2

v2.1.0-alpha1

v2.0.1

v2.0.0

v2.0.0-rc2

v2.0.0-rc1

v2.0.0-beta1

v2.0.0-alpha1

v1.5.8a

v1.5.8

v1.5.8-alpha2

v1.5.8-alpha

Dev: Implementation Guide

Dev: Adding Team Members