[Resolved] Should I use the beta plugins

[Author]

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[BarbaraD9652]

HI,

When reading the documentation about many-to-many relationships I came across this page: https://toolset.com/documentation/post-relationships/

Though new to Toolset, a member of my team has extensive experience with relational databases. The directory we're building is complex, and am leaning toward using the stable beta so things don't have to be rebuilt later.

The spreadsheets for the directory can be seen here (Directory, Categories and Directory Admin tabs): hidden link

I have good WordPress skills (know the hierarchy) but use themes like Astra that can be heavily customized vs. building my own. I have strong HTML and CSS but less PHP.

Any input you have as to whether or not to use the stable beta would be great.

Thank you,
Barbara

[Christian Cox]

Hi, in general, the betas are not ready for production use. There are missing features, bugs, and compatibility issues that can all cause problems when trying to launch a project. We try to release fixes for those issues as soon as possible, but it's not always a fast turnaround. I recommend searching through our support forums for the word "beta" to see some examples of those issues, so you know what to expect, especially if your launch date is approaching soon.

When we release Types 2.3 stable, any existing relationships on a site will be migrated to the new relationship system in an automated process. So if your site was built without the betas, this migration process will fix those relationships automatically. Custom code that queries post relationships using the Types or WP API will need to be modified, but View relationship queries created in wp-admin will not need any manual intervention. So depending on how much custom code (PHP) you need to use to create your site using the non-beta plugins, you may or may not have much work to do if you use the regular releases now and update to 2.3 stable when it's released. I can't say for sure without knowing the scope of your site and the amount of customization that is needed.

On the other hand, if your site is fairly straightforward, you may be able to use the betas successfully now (though it's not recommended). It's hard to say exactly what will or will not work if you use the betas, so some of this will require experimentation. Layouts isn't beta-ready, but we hope to have a beta version very soon.