Search results for Install Plugins should report 'compatible up to' version to save on clickthroughs to outdated plugins

[WebDragon]

on the Search results section of Install Plugins, I feel quite strongly that this listing should also report the "Compatible up to:" (and possibly also the date of the most recent update if I wanted to be really finicky), as knowing this ahead of time would save me a ton of clickthroughs to old outdated plugins

I believe this is somewhat related to #19520 but in a different vein, while installing new plugins

note that this also is not the same thing as #22736 seeing as from what they say here, that any plugin that hasn't been updated in two years wouldn't show up anyway.

I'd still like to know the current compatibility in the search results table so as to streamline my clicking around looking for something to fill the bill.

[SergeyBiryukov]

Related: #28673

[mikejolley]

Compatibility column

[mikejolley]

I've attached my take on an extra 'compatibility' column which highlights quickly,

1. If the plugin has been tested with your WP version
2. If the plugin requires a higher version of WP that you are running
3. Otherwise, you get a dashicon checkmark. It works.

This is how it looks in practice:

[WebDragon]

@mikejolley See, "Not tested with" is one thing, but "compatible up to" is quite another.

Since if it's not tested with 3.9.1 but compatible up to 3.8, I might consider testing it myself; However, if it's not tested with 3.9.1 but only compatible up to 3.4 or 3.2 I'm not going to waste my time.

It's the Compatible up to bit that I really really want to know about, to save me on bothering to generate the web traffic necessary to find out more about the plugin. I'll worry about tested with, when I know what it's compatible up to first.

The only thing I really care about seeing in the "Compatibility" column, is the version # of wp it's claimed to work with, which saves on space as much as possible.

There's plenty of brave souls willing to test old plugins on their install, but few of them ever come back and report 'works!' (and by that I mean with all the versions of WP that it would work with if only people tested them all, let alone had time to. This is the author's job.)

[mikejolley]

Based on that logic, a tweak to the text (also attached this patch) would make it look like:

The tested up to would only display when needed.

As would the 'Required WordPress XXXX' when you are running an older version of WordPress - I feel thats just as useful for those folk who don't click 'update' when they should (they exist, I deal with support tickets).

[mikejolley]

Tweaked the text

[helen]

Please see #28785.

[helen]

In 29047:

Display plugin install results as "cards" rather than in a list table, first run.

props stephdau, ryelle, tellyworth, melchoyce. see #28785, #28646.

[DrewAPicture]

Closing this as fixed for 4.0. There's an open ticket, #28785, discussing language changes for the "compatible" text.