[Enhancement] File Versioning for Approval Workflow

[anik-fahmid]

Problem

When vendor uploads replacement file on approval-enabled marketplace, current approach moves product to Pending Review. This hides product from customers during approval (sales loss).

Proposed Behavior

Product stays Published with v1 file live. v2 queued for approval invisibly. Vendor keeps earning while admin reviews.

State	v1 File	v2 File	Product Status	Customers See	Sales
Vendor uploads v2	Live	Pending	Published	v1 works	Keep earning ✓
Admin approves v2	Replaced	—	Published	v2 works	Keep earning ✓
Admin rejects v2	Live	Deleted	Published	v1 works	Keep earning ✓

How File Versioning Works

Track two files: active (customers see) and pending (awaiting approval).

• Vendor uploads → stays pending, old file stays live
• Download check: is file pending? Only admin/vendor/pre-approval customers see it
• Admin approves → pending becomes active, old file archived/deleted
• Admin rejects → pending deleted, old file stays active

What Needs to Build

1. File metadata storage: active_file_id, pending_file_id, file_status
2. Download endpoint checks if file pending, gates access accordingly
3. Approval swap: atomic replace of active file
4. Split-order isolation: vendor A's pending doesn't affect vendor B
5. Vendor editor shows: active file + pending status
6. REST API exposes both states

Old File Handling

Keep for audit trail first year, then auto-delete. Vendor can manually restore if needed.

Timeline

Phase 1 (current PR #3372):

• File holds v1 live during approval
• Discard button (delete v2, keep v1)
• Vendor notifications + docs

Phase 2 (this enhancement):

• Full file versioning system
• Product never goes Pending

Related

• PR fix: hold vendor downloadable file changes until admin approval #3372
• Issue dokan-pro#6045

[akzmoudud]

@anik-fahmid bhai, this is WooCommerce's default behavior.

When a downloadable product is created and published, a customer can purchase it and receives a download link (let's call it A).

If the admin (in this case, the admin and vendor are the same person because Dokan is not enabled) edits the product and changes its status to Pending Review, the customer can still use the previously provided download link (A) and download the file.

However, if the admin replaces the downloadable file with a new file (B) and saves the product with the status Pending Review, the customer immediately receives access to the updated download link/file (B).

So, changing the product status to Pending Review does not revoke the customer's existing download access. However, updating the downloadable file immediately affects the customer's available download.

Our Dokan has exactly the same behavior.