How to create a new release

The following steps explain how to create a release. These steps are done by members of the Firely company.

Update release notes

1. The release notes are generated automatically during the release process.
2. Edit the release-notes.md file to include additional general information about the release.
3. Create a branch and submit a pull request to update the release-notes.md file in the repository (this step can also be performed during a sprint).

Create release

1. Ensure that all necessary pull requests have been merged.
2. Update your local GIT repository to the latest version.
3. Create a new release branch named release/x.y.z, where x.y.z represents the new version number.
4. Modify the VersionPrefix in the src/firely-net-sdk.props file by creating a pull request on the release/x.y.z branch.
5. Once the build server confirms success, set a tag on the latest commit of the release/x.y.z branch to trigger the release.
6. Create a new tag named vx.y.z for this commit and push it to GitHub, which will initiate the release pipeline.
7. The Azure DevOps pipeline will require an additional approval for the final stage, which involves pushing the packages to NuGet. Review the details and, if everything is satisfactory, grant approval to finalize the release.
8. The Azure DevOps pipeline will generate a draft release here. Review the contents of the release notes, and when they are accurate, click the publish button. This action will also publish the notes in Slack and Zulip.

Start new development phase

1. Merge the release/x.y.z branch into both the main and develop branches. Do this by creating PRs from release/x.y.z to develop and release/x.y.z to main. Another team member should approve those PRs.
2. Update the VersionPrefix in the src/firely-net-sdk.props file to x.y.z+1 by creating a pull request on the develop branch.
3. Update PackageValidationBaselineVersion to your just released version.
4. Run dotnet pack /p:GenerateCompatibilitySuppressionFile=true locally to reset the compatibility suppression file