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Per Søderlind
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Stand down instead of taking over from the Reference Plugin

The Reference Plugin declares tachyon_url() and class Tachyon without guards, so the site fatals if both plugins load in the same request. Tachyon Edge Images therefore enters Stand-down whenever the Reference Plugin is active or already loaded. It shows an admin notice with a one-click deactivate button and never deactivates the Reference Plugin by itself. Taking over silently would surprise admins: the Deviations change output, and WordPress.org guidelines frown on plugins that change other plugins’ state. Blocking activation would make the migration harder without adding any safety.

Consequences

Section titled “Consequences”
  • The main plugin file must not declare any Public API symbol. Those are loaded from a separate file only when no Stand-down applies.
  • If the Reference Plugin is an mu-plugin or loaded through Composer, it can’t be deactivated from the admin. The notice explains how to remove it instead.
  • The reverse order can’t be guarded: activating the Reference Plugin while Tachyon Edge Images is running redeclares tachyon_url(). WordPress’s activation sandbox catches the fatal and refuses the activation, so the site stays up. To switch back, deactivate Tachyon Edge Images first.

📦 Source: soderlind/tachyon-edge-images · Edit on GitHub