WoWWiki:Game patch maintenance

This article is specific to World of Warcraft software patches, but can be adapted to other Warcraft games.

When a new software patch of the game comes out, a lot of work has to be done. Generally this applies to both live and PTR patches. This article will serve as a task list for what to do when a new patch is announced, updated or released.

Patch announced

• Edit the Patch #.#.# page of the patch previous tot he newly announced patch.
  • Put the announce patch version in the | Next = of the {{Patchbox}}:

| Next         = #.#.#

• Create a new page: Patch #.#.#
  • Put {{NYI}} at the top.
  • Put {{Patchbox}} with the following filled in:

{{Patchbox
| Patchname    = 
| Patchnameref = 
| Image        = 
| Release      = TBA <!-- DD MMM YYYY -->
| Releaseref   = 
| Version      = 
| toc          = ###00
| Highlights   =
* Any major features or highlights
| Related = 
| api = 0
| Prev         = #.#.# (previous)
| Current      = #.#.# (this version)
| Next         = #.#.# (next, if known)
}}

• toc = is usually based on the first to numbers of the version number, where you take the first number and add a 0 and the second number and add 00 (the toc should not change for any version changes to the third number). So for 4.3.2, it would be: toc = 40300

• Put the following at the bottom:

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
;Patch notes
...
;News
{{elink|icon=siteicon|site=sitename|link=http://URL_to_news|desc=title of article|bydate=by and date/time}}


{{patches}}

• When using {{elink}}, instead of |icon=siteicon|site=sitename you can use |type= for commonly used sites like the following:
  • |type=bnetwowus for us.battle.net/wow/en
  • |type=bnetwoweu for eu.battle.net/wow/en
  • |type=mmochampion for www.mmo-champion.com
  • |type=wowheadnews for www.wowheadnews.com
  • |type=wowinsider for wow.joystiq.com

• Add a new patch table or a table row to the appropriate patch table in Patches.
  • If the patch has only been announced and not appeared yet on the PTR, put "TBA" for Release date (US).
  • Version column info can be left blank or put "?".
  • Interface .toc column info should use the same formula as with |toc = in {{Patchbox}} instructions above.
• Add a link in {{Patches}} for the new patch.
  • Wikicode should look like this:
    &nbsp; [[Patch #.#.#|<span title="Future patch" style="color:gray;">#.#.#</span>]]

Patch on PTR

• Create a new Template:Patch #.#.# page with the following wikicode:

<onlyinclude>{{battle-inline}} {{Patch
  |patch=#.#.#
  |date=PTR
  |bluenote={{{bluenote|}}}
  |note={{{note|}}}
  |link={{{link|}}}
  |comment={{{comment|}}}
}}</onlyinclude>

See [[:Category: Patch templates]] for documentation.
[[Category: Patch templates]]

• {{battle-inline}} should be changed to the appropriate in-line template for the current expansion.

• Edit Patch #.#.#.
  • Change {{NYI}} at the top to {{NYR}}.
  • Change: | Release = TBA <!-- DD MMM YYYY -->
    ...to: | Release = PTR <!-- DD MMM YYYY -->
  • Change: | Version =
    ...to: | Version = build#
    • The build# will often be posted by MMO Champion, if you don't know how to find it (for Mac you can do Cmd-I on the game app).
  • Add or change any "Highlights" to {{Patchbox}}, if known.
  • If there are official PTR patch notes, add a link to the "External links" section and rename Patch notes to Official PTR patch notes.
• Edit Public client builds/PTR.
  • Change #.#.# to current PTR patch number.
• Edit Public client builds.
  • Add a row to the top table with the following wikicode:

|- style="color:#aa6;" valign="top"
|[[Patch #.#.#|<span style="color:#aa6;">#.#.#</span>]].build# || build# || Test || Month Day#, Year# || Date on login screen: DATE labeled "LABEL"

• DATE and LABEL ("Test" or "Release", usually) should be how they appear on the login screen.

• Edit Patches.
  • Change "TBA" to "PTR" for Release date (US) column on the appropriate version row.
• Edit {{Patches}}.
  • For the appropriate version, change "Future patch" to "On PTR".
  • For the appropriate version, change color:gray; to color:#aa6;.

Patch released

• Change |date= on Template:Patch #.#.# page:

<onlyinclude>{{mists-inline}} {{Patch
  |date=DD Month YYYY

• Edit Patch #.#.#.
  • Remove {{NYR}}.
  • Change: | Release = PTR <!-- DD MMM YYYY -->
    ...to: | Release = DD MMM YYYY
  • Update: | Version = build#
    • The build# will often be posted by MMO Champion, if you don't know how to find it (for Mac you can do Cmd-I on the game app).
  • Add or change any "Highlights" to {{Patchbox}}, if known.
  • If there are official patch notes, add a link to the "External links" section and rename Official PTR patch notes to Official patch notes.
• Edit Public client builds/Live.
  • Change #.#.# to current Live patch number.
• Edit Public client builds.
  • Change the color of the row (and links) of the appropriate version to yellow:

|- style="color:yellow;" valign="top"
|[[Patch #.#.#|<span style="color:yellow;">#.#.#</span>]].build# || build# || Test || Month Day#, Year# || Date on login screen: DATE labeled "LABEL"

• DATE and LABEL ("Release", usually) should be how they appear on the login screen.

• • Change the color of the older patch row (and links) of the appropriate version to white if released on Live or gray if just on Test (PTR):

|- style="color:white/gray;" valign="top"
|[[Patch #.#.#|<span style="color:white/gray;">#.#.#</span>]].build# || build# || Test || Month Day#, Year# || Date on login screen: DATE labeled "LABEL"

• DATE and LABEL ("Release", usually) should be how they appear on the login screen.

• Edit Patches.
  • Change "PTR" to DD Month YYYY for Release date (US) column on the appropriate version row.
• Edit {{Patches}}.
  • For the appropriate version, change "On PTR" to patch name or a description like "First major Mists of Pandaria patch".
  • For the appropriate version, change color:#aa6; to color:yellow;.
  • For the previous version, remove color:color; if the version was most recent on Live servers or change to color:gray;, if it never made it to Live servers.