fix: update checker — fall back to /tags when no formal Gitea Release exists (v3.3.2)

The v3.3.0 update checker only queried Gitea's /releases/latest
endpoint, which requires a formal Release object (created via the
Gitea web UI with optional notes + zip assets attached). A plain
"git tag v3.3.x && git push --tags" from the terminal does NOT
create that Release object — so the checker kept returning "No
releases tagged on the Gitea repo yet" even when tags existed.

wp_notes_fetch_latest_release() now falls back to the
/tags?limit=1 endpoint when /releases/latest returns 404 (or any
non-200). It synthesises a release-like payload from the newest
tag — tag_name, html_url pointing at the tag view, tag message as
the body, empty assets[] so the existing download-URL logic falls
through to Gitea's source-archive URL pattern (/archive/<tag>.zip).

Net effect: the "Check now" button now finds the latest version
whether David creates formal Gitea Releases OR just pushes tags
with "git push --tags". No workflow change required.

Discovered while diagnosing why "Check now" wasn't seeing today's
v3.1.0/v3.2.0/v3.3.0/v3.3.1 tags (just pushed in this session)
— the tags were there, the formal Release objects were not.

KNOWN LIMITATION (not a bug — flagged)
The Gitea repo ranger/a-wp-notes-v3 is currently private. Anonymous
API requests get a 404 (Gitea's standard behaviour for private
repos). The updater code is correct but can't actually reach the
API on a private repo without authentication. Fix: change the
repo visibility to public on Gitea — appropriate anyway for a
GPL-licensed plugin headed for the WordPress.org marketplace.

VERSION BUMP
- wp-notes.php header 3.3.1 → 3.3.2
- WP_NOTES_VERSION constant 3.3.1 → 3.3.2
- About page version-history leads with v3.3.2; v3.3.1 demoted

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -9,6 +9,40 @@ Format: [Keep a Changelog 1.1.0](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/) — versi
 
 ---
 
+## [3.3.2] — 2026-05-25
+
+### Fixed — update checker now works with tag-only workflows
+The v3.3.0 update checker only queried Gitea's `/releases/latest`
+endpoint, which requires a **formal Release object** (created via
+the Gitea web UI with optional notes + zip assets). A plain
+`git tag v3.3.x && git push --tags` from the terminal doesn't
+create that Release object — so the checker kept returning *"No
+releases tagged on the Gitea repo yet"* even when tags clearly
+existed.
+
+`wp_notes_fetch_latest_release()` now falls back to the
+`/tags?limit=1` endpoint when `/releases/latest` returns 404 (or
+any non-200). It synthesises a release-like payload from the
+newest tag — `tag_name`, an `html_url` pointing at the tag view,
+the tag message as the body, and an empty `assets[]` array so the
+existing download-URL logic falls through to Gitea's source-archive
+URL pattern (`/archive/<tag>.zip`).
+
+**Net effect:** the "Check now" button now finds the latest version
+whether David creates formal Gitea Releases OR just pushes tags
+with `git push --tags`. No workflow change required.
+
+### Known limitation (not a bug — flagged for awareness)
+The Gitea repo `ranger/a-wp-notes-v3` is currently **private**.
+Anonymous API requests get a 404 (Gitea's standard behaviour to
+avoid leaking the existence of private repos). The updater code is
+correct, but it can't actually reach the API on a private repo
+without authentication. **Fix:** change the repo visibility to
+public on Gitea (Settings → Visibility) — appropriate anyway for a
+GPL-licensed plugin headed for the WordPress.org marketplace.
+
+---
+
 ## [3.3.1] — 2026-05-25
 
 **Naming: dropped the `WP` prefix. The plugin is now just `Logbook`.**

inc/wp-notes-about.php

@@ -125,7 +125,11 @@ function wp_notes_about_page() {
                 <h2>Version history</h2>
                 <ul>
                     <li>
-                        <span class="ver">v3.3.1</span> &mdash; 25 May 2026 <span class="latest">latest</span><br>
+                        <span class="ver">v3.3.2</span> &mdash; 25 May 2026 <span class="latest">latest</span><br>
+                        Update checker now falls back to Gitea's <code>/tags</code> endpoint when no formal Release object exists for the latest tag. Means a plain <code>git tag &amp;&amp; git push --tags</code> is enough to make the &ldquo;Check now&rdquo; button report a new version &mdash; no need to manually create a Release in the Gitea web UI.
+                    </li>
+                    <li>
+                        <span class="ver">v3.3.1</span> &mdash; 25 May 2026<br>
                         Dropped the <code>WP</code> prefix &mdash; the plugin is now just <strong>Logbook</strong>. Cleaner name, also clears a potential WordPress.org trademark-policy hurdle if/when the plugin ever lands on the marketplace.
                     </li>
                     <li>

inc/wp-notes-updater.php

@@ -48,18 +48,44 @@ function wp_notes_fetch_latest_release( $force_refresh = false ) {
         if ( is_array( $cached ) ) { return $cached; }
     }
 
-    $api_url  = WP_NOTES_GITEA_HOST . '/api/v1/repos/' . WP_NOTES_GITEA_OWNER . '/' . WP_NOTES_GITEA_REPO . '/releases/latest';
+    $base_api = WP_NOTES_GITEA_HOST . '/api/v1/repos/' . WP_NOTES_GITEA_OWNER . '/' . WP_NOTES_GITEA_REPO;
-    $response = wp_remote_get( $api_url, array( 'timeout' => 8 ) );
 
+    // Try /releases/latest first — that's the canonical endpoint when David
+    // has published a formal Gitea Release via the web UI (with notes + zip
+    // assets attached).
+    $response = wp_remote_get( $base_api . '/releases/latest', array( 'timeout' => 8 ) );
     if ( is_wp_error( $response ) ) {
         return null;
     }
 
     $code = (int) wp_remote_retrieve_response_code( $response );
+    $body = ( $code === 200 ) ? json_decode( wp_remote_retrieve_body( $response ), true ) : null;
 
-    // 404 = repo has no releases yet, OR private. Cache briefly and surface
+    // Fallback: if no formal Release exists (typical for tag-only workflows
-    // a friendly status to the UI.
+    // where you `git tag v3.3.1 && git push --tags` without using the web
-    if ( $code !== 200 ) {
+    // UI), hit /tags instead and synthesise a release-like payload from the
+    // newest tag. Gitea's /tags endpoint sorts by creation order, so [0] is
+    // the most recent.
+    if ( $code !== 200 || ! is_array( $body ) || empty( $body['tag_name'] ) ) {
+        $tags_response = wp_remote_get( $base_api . '/tags?limit=1', array( 'timeout' => 8 ) );
+        if ( ! is_wp_error( $tags_response )
+            && (int) wp_remote_retrieve_response_code( $tags_response ) === 200 ) {
+            $tags = json_decode( wp_remote_retrieve_body( $tags_response ), true );
+            if ( is_array( $tags ) && ! empty( $tags[0]['name'] ) ) {
+                $body = array(
+                    'tag_name'     => $tags[0]['name'],
+                    'html_url'     => wp_notes_gitea_repo_url() . '/src/tag/' . rawurlencode( $tags[0]['name'] ),
+                    'body'         => isset( $tags[0]['message'] ) ? $tags[0]['message'] : '',
+                    'published_at' => isset( $tags[0]['commit']['created'] ) ? $tags[0]['commit']['created'] : null,
+                    'assets'       => array(),
+                );
+                $code = 200;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Still nothing usable? Surface a friendly status and short-cache.
+    if ( $code !== 200 || ! is_array( $body ) || empty( $body['tag_name'] ) ) {
         $info = array(
             'version'      => null,
             'html_url'     => wp_notes_gitea_releases_url(),
@@ -72,11 +98,6 @@ function wp_notes_fetch_latest_release( $force_refresh = false ) {
         return $info;
     }
 
-    $body = json_decode( wp_remote_retrieve_body( $response ), true );
-    if ( ! is_array( $body ) || empty( $body['tag_name'] ) ) {
-        return null;
-    }
-
     // "v3.3.0" → "3.3.0" so version_compare() against WP_NOTES_VERSION works cleanly.
     $version = ltrim( (string) $body['tag_name'], 'vV' );
 

wp-notes.php

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  * Plugin Name: Logbook
  * Plugin URI: https://icanhelp.ie/wp-notes
  * Description: A lightweight task & logbook plugin for WordPress. Log your daily work, mark tasks done, and keep a tidy record inside the dashboard. Perfect for freelancers showing clients what's been delivered and students proving work to teachers.
- * Version: 3.3.1
+ * Version: 3.3.2
  * Requires at least: 5.0
  * Requires PHP: 7.2
  * Author: IR240474
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ if (!isset($wp_notes_init)) {
     $wp_notes_init = true;
     
     // Plugin Constants
-    if (!defined('WP_NOTES_VERSION')) define('WP_NOTES_VERSION', '3.3.1');
+    if (!defined('WP_NOTES_VERSION')) define('WP_NOTES_VERSION', '3.3.2');
     if (!defined('WP_NOTES_FILE')) define('WP_NOTES_FILE', __FILE__);
     if (!defined('WP_NOTES_PATH')) define('WP_NOTES_PATH', plugin_dir_path(__FILE__));
     if (!defined('WP_NOTES_URL')) define('WP_NOTES_URL', plugin_dir_url(__FILE__));