How to install a beta version

Now and again we will release "beta" versions of the plugin and you will be given the opportunity to install it for testing.

We make every effort to test plugins before releasing them, beta or not, but either way you may run into trouble with them.

You should accept that while we support the installation of beta versions of the plugin, we do not accept responsibility for any damage to your site, downtime, loss of revenue etc. Use of this plugin, beta or otherwise, is always with acceptance of the GPL license agreement and done so at your own risk.

What does "beta" mean?

In our case, we offer the access to beta version when we have done the necessary development for a new feature, or a bug-fix, but we would like people to try it and provide feedback on it.

Perhaps someone may discover a bug, or an incompatibility with their particular hosting environment, but either way, the more people that can test a beta, the more confidence we have in releasing it as a final release version.

How to install a beta version of the plugin

Installation of a beta version of the plugin is recommended only by advanced and experienced users.  You should understand how plugins work within WordPress and how you can quickly disable or remove a plugin even if you don't have WordPress website administrative access.

The steps outlined below will be provided at a high-level. If you read these steps and you don't know how to perform 1 of the steps, then installing a beta version of the plugin isn't for you.

If you're presented with a link to download a beta version, use this link and no other to download the zip file.

Remember: This is only for advanced/experienced users and those that understand how the forceOff system works.

The steps to installing the beta plugin are as follows:

  1. Download the beta ZIP file
  2. Extract the zip file somewhere to you computer.
  3. Login to your website's FTP space and navigate to the plugins directory.
  4. Create a new folder in your plugins directory.  Call it anything - e.g. wp-simple-firewall-beta
  5. Upload all the files you extracted in Step 2 into the folder you created in Step 4 (note, if after extracting the zip file and it contains a single sub-folder with the files, ignore the sub folder and upload the files under than folder)
  6. Navigate to your plugins folder again. You should see 2x directories: the original Firewall plugin folder: "wp-simple-firewall", and the new folder your created in Step4.
  7. Rename the original Firewall plugin folder from "wp-simple-firewall" to "wp-simple-firewall-original".
  8. Rename the new beta Firewall plugin folder from "wp-simple-firewall-beta" to "wp-simple-firewall".
  9. You have now installed the beta version of the plugin and are free to test it.

To revert back to the original:

  1. undo Step 8 - rename the current folder "wp-simple-firewall" to "wp-simple-firewall-beta"
  2. Then undo Step 7 - rename "wp-simple-firewall-original" to "wp-simple-firewall"
  3. Reload your site.

Feedback - the purpose of beta

If you try the beta and you have problems, please get in touch. This is the purpose of using the beta - please do not try the beta unless you're prepared to share any issues you've had.  Otherwise, there's no point.