Create a class to handle updates

Add this to your plugin’s main PHP file or a separate updater file:

<?php

class GitHub_Plugin_Updater {
    private $slug;
    private $plugin_file;
    private $github_user;
    private $github_repo;
    private $github_api_url;

    public function __construct($plugin_file, $github_user, $github_repo) {
        $this->plugin_file = $plugin_file;
        $this->slug = plugin_basename($plugin_file);
        $this->github_user = $github_user;
        $this->github_repo = $github_repo;
        $this->github_api_url = "https://api.github.com/repos/{$github_user}/{$github_repo}/releases/latest";

        add_filter('pre_set_site_transient_update_plugins', [$this, 'check_for_update']);
        add_filter('plugins_api', [$this, 'plugin_info'], 10, 3);
        add_filter('upgrader_package_options', [$this, 'modify_zip_download'], 10, 1);
    }

    /**
     * Check GitHub for updates
     */
    public function check_for_update($transient) {
        if (empty($transient->checked)) {
            return $transient;
        }

        // Get plugin data
        $plugin_data = get_plugin_data($this->plugin_file);
        $current_version = $plugin_data['Version'];

        // Get latest release from GitHub
        $response = wp_remote_get($this->github_api_url, ['headers' => ['User-Agent' => 'WordPress']]);
        if (is_wp_error($response)) {
            return $transient;
        }

        $release_data = json_decode(wp_remote_retrieve_body($response));
        if (!$release_data || !isset($release_data->tag_name)) {
            return $transient;
        }

        // Debug: Log the release assets to check the download URL
        //error_log('Release Assets: ' . json_encode($release_data->assets));		
		//error_log('Browser URL: ' . $release_data->assets[0]->browser_download_url);

        // Get the version tag from GitHub
        $new_version = $release_data->tag_name;  // Get the tag name from GitHub
        $new_version = str_replace('v', '', $new_version);  // Remove 'v' if present

        if (version_compare($current_version, $new_version, '<')) {
            $transient->response[$this->slug] = (object) [
                'slug'        => $this->slug,
                'new_version' => $new_version,
                'package'     => $release_data->assets[0]->browser_download_url, // Use the correct zipball URL
                'url'         => $release_data->html_url,
            ];
        }

        return $transient;
    }

    /**
     * Provide plugin details in the update popup
     */
    public function plugin_info($false, $action, $args) {
        if ($action !== 'plugin_information' || $args->slug !== $this->slug) {
            return $false;
        }

        $response = wp_remote_get($this->github_api_url, ['headers' => ['User-Agent' => 'WordPress']]);
        if (is_wp_error($response)) {
            return $false;
        }

        $release_data = json_decode(wp_remote_retrieve_body($response));
        if (!$release_data || !isset($release_data->tag_name)) {
            return $false;
        }

        return (object) [
            'name'          => $plugin_data['Name'],
            'slug'          => $this->slug,
            'version'       => $release_data->tag_name,
            'author'        => 'Your Name',
            'homepage'      => $release_data->html_url,
            'sections'      => ['description' => $release_data->body],
            'download_link' => $release_data->assets[0]->browser_download_url, // Use the correct zipball URL
        ];
    }

    /**
     * Modify the package URL to point to the correct GitHub zip file
     */
    public function modify_zip_download($options) {
        if (!empty($options['hook_extra']['plugin']) && $options['hook_extra']['plugin'] === $this->slug) {
            $response = wp_remote_get($this->github_api_url, ['headers' => ['User-Agent' => 'WordPress']]);
            if (!is_wp_error($response)) {
                $release_data = json_decode(wp_remote_retrieve_body($response));
                if ($release_data && isset($release_data->assets[0]->browser_download_url)) {
                    $options['package'] = $release_data->assets[0]->browser_download_url; // Ensure correct URL is used
                }
            }
        }
        return $options;
    }
}

?>

Initialize the Updater in Your Plugin

In your plugin’s main file (e.g., my-plugin.php), add:

if (is_admin()) {
    require_once plugin_dir_path(__FILE__) . 'github-updater.php';
    new GitHub_Plugin_Updater(__FILE__, 'your-github-username', 'your-plugin-repository');
}

Replace ‘your-github-username’ and ‘your-plugin-repository’ with your actual GitHub username and repo name.

Ensure Your GitHub Repository is Set Up Correctly

– Create tagged releases (e.g., v1.0.1)
– Attach a ZIP file of the plugin as a release asset
– Make sure the release follows semantic versioning (e.g., v1.0.1 instead of 1.0.1)

Ensure your plugin has the pre-requiste header code:

/**
 * Plugin Name: KWWD Pinterest Designer
 * Description: Create a Pinterest Image On The Fly
 * Version: 1.0.1
 * Author: Katy Whitton
 * Requires at least: 5.0
 * Tested up to: 6.7.2
 * Requires PHP: 7.0
 */

Ensure that your release is public and tagged correctly with a version number