Release 2.9.6

[github-actions]

Checklist

1. Check if the version, base, and target branches are as you desire.
2. Make sure you have woorelease installed and set up.
3. Go to your local repo clone, and check out this PR to be able to commit any potential adjustments.

   git fetch origin release/2.9.6
   git checkout release/2.9.6

4. Remove older changelog entries from readme.txt (keep the last two versions, since we will be adding a third during the release), commit changes.
5. If there are new database migration classes (under src/DB/Migration/), modify their applicable version set in the get_applicable_version class of each migration class to be the same value as the version that is to be released.
   ⚠️ Notice that x.x.x is not a valid version and should be set manually with the new version. So, for example, if we are releasing version 1.12.0 and there is a file Migration20211228T1640692399.php inside src/DB/Migration/, you should open that file and in the method get_applicable_version return 1.12.0.
6. ❗ If this release has updated composer packages, we should test Composer package conflicts with other plugins.
7. Simulate the release locally

   woorelease simulate --product_version=2.9.6  --generate_changelog https://github.com/woocommerce/google-listings-and-ads/tree/release/2.9.6

   Note: Select y when prompted: "Would you like to add/delete them in the svn working copy?"
8. The changelog is correct.
   Check if some entries are missing, need rewording, or need to be deleted. You can edit respective PRs by changing their title, ### Changelog entry section, or assigning the changelog: none label.
   You can also edit the changelog manually in the woorelease release step later.
9. Automated tests are passing.
10. Test the package
    1. Install the /tmp/google-listings-and-ads.zip file on a test site
    2. Confirm it activates without warnings/errors and is showing the right versions
    3. Run a few basic smoke tests

Next steps

1. Do the final release

   woorelease release --product_version=2.9.6   --generate_changelog https://github.com/woocommerce/google-listings-and-ads/tree/release/2.9.6
   

   When prompted for changelog entries, double-check and apply any changes if needed.
2. Confirm the release using the activation link from your email.
   When releasing to WordPress.org, “release notifications” have been enabled, so each committer will be sent an email with an action link to confirm the release. This must be done after committing in SVN before the release becomes available. See the following page for releases pending notifications: https://wordpress.org/plugins/developers/releases/
3. Go to https://github.com/woocommerce/google-listings-and-ads/releases/2.9.6, generate GitHub release notes, and paste them as a comment here.
4. Merge this PR after the new release is successfully created and the version tags are updated.
5. Merge trunk to develop (PR), if applicable for this repo.
6. Update documentation
   • Publish any new required docs
   • Update triggers/rules/actions listing pages
7. Mark related ideas complete on the feature requests page.

[codecov]

Codecov Report

Attention: Patch coverage is 77.77778% with 10 lines in your changes missing coverage. Please review.

Project coverage is 67.1%. Comparing base (f25f66c) to head (5ba002c).

Files with missing lines	Patch %	Lines
src/DB/Table/ShippingRateTable.php	0.0%	2 Missing ⚠️
src/API/Google/Connection.php	0.0%	1 Missing ⚠️
src/Assets/ScriptAsset.php	0.0%	1 Missing ⚠️
src/ConnectionTest.php	0.0%	1 Missing ⚠️
src/Coupon/CouponSyncer.php	85.7%	1 Missing ⚠️
src/DB/Migration/Migration20211228T1640692399.php	0.0%	1 Missing ⚠️
src/DB/Query/ShippingRateQuery.php	0.0%	1 Missing ⚠️
src/Jobs/ActionSchedulerJobMonitor.php	0.0%	1 Missing ⚠️
...Jobs/Notifications/AbstractItemNotificationJob.php	0.0%	1 Missing ⚠️

Additional details and impacted files

@@           Coverage Diff           @@
##             trunk   #2777   +/-   ##
=======================================
  Coverage     67.1%   67.1%           
  Complexity    4677    4677           
=======================================
  Files          796     796           
  Lines        24493   24493           
  Branches      1204    1204           
=======================================
  Hits         16441   16441           
  Misses        7915    7915           
  Partials       137     137           

Flag	Coverage Δ
js-unit-tests	66.7% <ø> (ø)
php-unit-tests	67.2% <77.8%> (ø)

Flags with carried forward coverage won't be shown. Click here to find out more.

Files with missing lines	Coverage Δ
google-listings-and-ads.php	75.0% <ø> (ø)
src/API/Google/AdsConversionAction.php	97.6% <100.0%> (ø)
src/API/Google/Middleware.php	95.7% <100.0%> (ø)
src/API/WP/NotificationsService.php	95.5% <100.0%> (ø)
src/Ads/AccountService.php	98.7% <100.0%> (ø)
src/DB/Table/AttributeMappingRulesTable.php	46.7% <100.0%> (ø)
src/DB/Table/BudgetRecommendationTable.php	96.4% <100.0%> (ø)
src/DB/Table/MerchantIssueTable.php	40.0% <100.0%> (ø)
src/DB/Table/ShippingTimeTable.php	50.0% <100.0%> (ø)
src/MerchantCenter/MerchantStatuses.php	76.2% <100.0%> (ø)
... and 15 more

[ianlin]

• Tweak - Resolve some of the plugin check errors and warnings.
• Tweak - Set specific flags for html_entity_decode.

What's Changed

[Fix] Fixes 🛠

• Set specific flags for html_entity_decode by @mikkamp in Set specific flags for html_entity_decode #2771

[Tweak] Tweaked 🔧

• Resolve some of the plugin check errors and warnings by @mikkamp in Resolve some of the plugin check errors and warnings #2772

[Dev] Developer-facing changes 🧑‍💻

• Improve a few E2E test cases by @eason9487 in Improve a few E2E test cases #2769

Full Changelog: 2.9.5...2.9.6