3.1. METdatadb Official Release

Create a new vX.Y.Z official release from the develop branch.

3.1.1. Open Release Issue

  • Define a new issue in the METdatadb repository to create the new release.

    • “Create the METdatadb vX.Y.Z release” for an official or bugfix release.

    • “Create the METdatadb vX.Y.Z-betaN (or -rcN) release” for a development release.

  • For an official or development release, assign the issue to the current METdatadb development project.

  • For a bugfix release, assign the issue to the organization level support project.

  • Select the target milestone.

3.1.2. Clone the Project Repository

  • Create and work in a new directory to ensure a fresh environment:

mkdir release-X.Y.Z
cd release-X.Y.Z
  • Run the clone command to obtain the repository.

Using SSH:

git clone git@github.com:dtcenter/METdatadb

Using HTTP:

git clone https://github.com/dtcenter/METdatadb
  • Enter the project repository directory:

cd METdatadb

3.1.3. Checkout the Develop Branch

  • Checkout the develop branch:

git checkout develop

3.1.4. Create Release Feature Branch

  • Create a feature branch in which to update the version number and add release notes being sure to include the GitHub issue number for the new release.

git checkout -b feature_NNNN_vX.Y.Z       # for an official or bugfix release
git checkout -b feature_NNNN_vX.Y.Z-betaN # for a development release
git checkout -b feature_NNNN_vX.Y.Z-rcN   # for a development release

3.1.5. Update Version Number for Release

Remove -dev from the version number:

  • We are naming releases with X.Y.Z format even if Z is 0.

  • The file containing the version number is located at docs/version.

  • In the develop branch, the version should match the upcoming release with -dev added to the end like X.Y.Z-betaN-dev, i.e. 4.0.0-beta1-dev

  • Remove -dev from the version number so that it matches the release you are creating.

In docs/conf.py, update the version, release_year, and release_date variables for the documentation.

3.1.6. Update Release Notes

You can refer to the GitHub Issues page to see what has changed for this release. Open the following URL in a browser:

https://github.com/dtcenter/METdatadb/issues
  • Click on the Projects tab and select the project (under Repository) that corresponds to the release you are creating.

  • Update the release-notes.rst file found in the User’s Guide directory.

  • Consider organizing release notes into logical groups (e.g. Enhancements, Bugfixes, Documentation, etc.) and modifying GitHub issue titles for consistency. The release notes should match the GitHub issue titles, when possible.

  • Use your best judgement to apply bold formatting for any major or important changes.

  • When creating the official release, combine the beta release sections into one section (i.e. “Version X.Y.Z release notes (YYYYMMDD)”).

  • Commit changes and push to GitHub.

3.1.7. Rotate Authorship

The METplus team rotates the list of authors in the citation instructions for each official release:

  • Compare the current METdatadb User’s Guide citation to the most recent official release.

  • If needed, update the authorship order, moving the previous first author to the end of the list. Note the format difference in the first name in the citation list compared with the others. The first name in the citation list is “Last name, First Initial.” and all of the following names as “First Initial. Last Name”. Please maintain that format as it is the most common format for citations.

  • The author list is typically found in the conf.py file in the documentation directory, i.e. docs/conf.py. Most of the component repositories store the list of authors in a variable named author_list. Please ensure that changes to this list match the correct format listed above. In the METplus repository, the conf.py file has variable named CURRENT_AUTHORS that is a list of the authors to rotate. To rotate, move the first item in the list to the end of the list. There is logic in this file to read the list and format it properly to match the expected format for citations.

  • Review the list of authors in the citation and at the top level of the documentation and update as needed.

3.1.8. Merge Release Issue

  • After updating the release-specific content on a release feature branch, submit a pull request to merge those changes back into the source branch.

3.1.9. Create Release Branch

  • Create a branch from the develop branch for the new official release and push it to GitHub.

cd METdatadb
git checkout develop
git pull
git checkout -b main_vX.Y
git push -u origin main_vX.Y

3.1.10. Push Release Branch to GitHub

Push the release branch to GitHub:

release_branch=main_vX.Y

git push origin $release_branch

3.1.11. Create Release on GitHub

  • Go to Releases on GitHub and click ‘Draft a new release’

  • Set the tag based on the version, starting with ‘v’, i.e. vX.Y.Z-betaN, vX.Y.Z-rcN, or vX.Y.Z

  • Set the branch value to ‘develop’ for a development release or ‘main_vX.Y’ for a bugfix or official release

  • Choose a release name (i.e. METdatadb-X.Y.Z-betaN, METdatadb-X.Y.Z-rcN, or METdatadb-X.Y.Z)

  • Add a link to the release notes from the METdatadb User’s Guide, i.e. https://METdatadb.readthedocs.io/en/vX.Y.Z-betaN/Users_Guide/release-notes.html (Note: the URL will not be active until the release is created)

  • Add a link to the PDF of the METdatadb User’s Guide, if available. The PDF can be downloaded from ReadTheDocs if it is available, i.e. https://METdatadb.readthedocs.io/_/downloads/en/vX.Y.Z-betaN/pdf/ (Note: the URL will not be active until the release is created)

  • If this is a development release, check the box that says “This is a pre-release”

  • Click on “Publish release”.

3.1.12. Update DTC Website

  • Navigate to the downloads page for the METdatadb repository at https://dtcenter.org/community-code/metplus/download

  • Sign in to the Drupal interface and edit the Downloads page.

  • Create a new Software Release for the newly released version by clicking on Add New Release.

    • For Full Title of Release type “METdatadb Version X.Y.Z”.

    • For Related Community Code select both the METplus and the METdatadb options (For Macs, hold the Command key to select both).

    • For Version Label type “METdatadb X.Y.Z betaN”.

    • Select the release type (Recommended for official or bugfix releases or Development for development versions).

    • Enter the release date.

    • Click on Add Code Download then click Add Link to add links for each of the following:

      • Add Link: Link text should be the name of the release and the URL should be the release page that was just created under the GitHub Releases tab.

      • Add Link: Link text should be “User’s Guide” and the URL should be the top level directory of the User’s Guide hosted on the web. Beta releases can use “develop” in the URL, but for official releases, please ensure the link uses the branch name (e.g. main_vX.Y) as opposed to the tag name (e.g. vX.Y.Z). For example, use “https://metplus.readthedocs.io/en/main_vX.Y/Users_Guide/” and NOT “https://metplus.readthedocs.io/en/vX.Y.Z/Users_Guide/

      • Add Link: Link text should be “Existing Builds and Docker” and the URL should be the latest Existing Builds page, i.e. https://dtcenter.org/community-code/metplus/metplus-X-Y-existing-builds (If creating a new official release, be sure to add a new Existing Builds and Docker page, if one was not already created.)

    • Inside the text box in the “Release Notes” section provide a direct link to the release-notes.html file in the User’s Guide.

    • Click on “Create Release”.

    • Update the existing releases, as needed.

      • For a development release, change any previous Development versions to Other.

      • For a bugfix or official release, change any previous Recommended versions to Other.

      • For an official release, remove the corresponding development releases.

    • Make any other necessary website updates.

    • Click on “Save”.

3.1.13. Finalize Release on GitHub

  • Close the GitHub issue for creating this official release.

  • Edit the milestone for the current release by updating the Due date with the actual release date.

  • If necessary, create a new milestone for the next official release (e.g. next vX.Y.Z release).

  • If necessary, reassign any remaining issues for the current milestone to the next one.

  • Close the current milestone.

  • Confirm that all existing development projects for the current milestone are closed.

  • If necessary, create development projects for the next milestone (e.g. METdatadb-X.Y.Z-beta1, beta2, beta3).

  • Update the repository settings by resetting the Default branch to the new main_vX.Y branch:

https://github.com/dtcenter/METdatadb
-> Settings
-> Branches (tab on left)
-> change the drop down to new branch

3.1.14. Update Version on Develop Branch

Change METdatadb/docs/version value to the next release after this one with -dev added to the end. Releases will loosely follow these names, but are subject to change:

Release Version

New Develop Version

X.Y.Z-beta1

X.Y.Z-beta2-dev

X.Y.Z-beta2

X.Y.Z-beta3-dev

X.Y.Z-beta3

X.Y.Z-rc1-dev

X.Y.Z-rc1

X.Y.Z-dev

X.Y.Z

(X+1).0.0-beta1-dev

3.1.15. Update the Documentation on the Web

Because Read the Docs is configured to automate the building of new “main” branches in the METplus components’ repositories, nothing needs to be done to build the documentation for the new release. See the Read the Docs section for further information. For an official release, it is important to update the “Default branch” to this latest “main” branch. An administrator of the METplus component repository will need to do the following to update the default branch:

  • Log into their Read the Docs account

  • Click on the appropriate METplus component project

  • Click on Admin in the top menu

  • Click on Advanced Settings in the left menu

  • Select the new default branch in the dropdown menu for “Default branch” (e.g. main_v4.0.0)

  • Ensure that “latest” points to the new default branch by clicking on “View Docs”in the upper right corner and confirm that the version number displayed in the header is the desired version for “latest”.

3.1.16. Set up Reminder to Delete Beta Tags

Help keep the GitHub repositories and DockerHub clean by removing beta tags. Do not delete the beta tags for this release right away. Please set a calendar reminder or schedule an email to be sent two weeks from the release date as a reminder to delete the beta tags in both GitHub and DockerHub (if applicable).