Build-release independant from database

[QuackieMackie]

This suggestion is being made to re ignite an old suggestion that had a lack of interest. https://xenforo.com/community/threa...without-needing-a-full-xf-environment.187253/

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As the title suggests, I’d like to see the php cmd.php xf-addon:build-release Vendor/Addon command function independently of the XenForo database.

At the moment, this isn’t possible because xf-addon:build-release depends on xf-addon:export, which requires a live database connection to generate the _data directory.
This dependency makes it impossible to perform a full release build in environments where a database isn’t available.

Removing XenForo’s current database dependency when building a release would mean developers would be able to automate their workflows, for example:
- Automatically build and package add-ons in CI/CD systems (e.g., GitHub, GitLab) when changes are pushed or a release is tagged.

Proposed solution
There are a couple of approaches, I could think of:

• Keep _data automatically up to date whenever add-on files change, so xf-addon:build-release can run without accessing the database.
• Allow xf-addon:export to operate directly from add-on files and the existing _output directory, rather than requiring a live database, and generate _data from that.

 

[Taylor J]

I'd also like this.

I have been tinkering with self hosting a Gitlab instance and trying to get a full XF env also hooked up to it to do exactly this, but haven't had the time to fully even figure it out and get it working with looking for a job.

 

[QuackieMackie]

I'd also like this.

I have been tinkering with self hosting a Gitlab instance and trying to get a full XF env also hooked up to it to do exactly this, but haven't had the time to fully even figure it out and get it working with looking for a job.

Self hosting GitLab should in theory make it a lot easier to do.

Whether it’s easy though is another matter. If you do end up getting it working I’d love to know what you ended up doing.