Release Instructions
Introduction
Here are the steps to follow when making a release of PCGen. If it is your first time, please check the prereqs section at the bottom of this page.
Prerequisites
The first time you run a release you will have to make sure you have the following tools available:
Release Notes
- Text editor
- Web browser
- Perl interpreter
- Perl modules: readonly (installed on Windows via ActivePerl's Perl Package Manager)
Release
- Java SDK 1.5 (the one that includes the javac compiler)
- Maven 1.1
- Ant 1.6
- Perl interpreter
- Perl modules: readonly and File-Copy-Recursive (installed on Windows via ActivePerl's Perl Package Manager)
- Cygwin You'll need to install SSH (two modules under Net), an editor, and rsync)
- SVN
- NSIS
Outstanding Issues
You need to check JIRA for any outstanding issues to ensure the release meets our QA std.
- Alpha releases require no Blockers, allow Critical only with Code lead exception
- Beta releases require no Blockers or Criticals
- RCs/final releases require no Blockers, Criticals, or Majors
Create Release Notes
- Update your local copy of pcgen from SVN
- Copy the previous set of release notes to pcgen-release-notes-nnn.html where nnn is the version number.
- Do a global replace of the old version number to the new version number, both as n.nn.n and nnnn
- Open JIRA and for each project open the release notes for the version.
- Copy the html to the changelog section, changing h2 tags to h3.
- Update the What's New section with any high profile changes.
- Commit the new release notes and notify pcgen_bod so they can review it.
- Notify pcgen dev and experimental lists of upcoming release, asking for autobuilds to be tested. Best to give 24 hours notice.
The Build
- Using a clean directory with no changes to the pcgen files
- svn update the PCGen repository (5 mins)
- Release manager edits src/java/pcgen/gui/prop/PCGenProp.properties to set the release date, version number, contributors, etc. and commit the result (5 mins)
- Execute ant clean build test for alpha and beta builds or ant clean build-optimize test for production builds in the pcgen directory and verify there are no failing Junit test (10 mins)
- Check the trackers for any closed requests missing from the release notes. Steps 4 and 6 of 'Create Release Notes' section above can be used to assist here. (10 mins)
- Smoke test the newly build pcgen.jar (you can use maven pcgen:genrelease to generate a testing zip). NB: If there are any "Unknown publisher" messages when running this you need to add new entries for the listed publishers to the gendatalist.pl script. (30 mins)
- Create a folder for the release under the File Manager
- Upload the release notes using the File Manager to the release fiolder
- Delete the generated files in the ../release folder and then run maven clean to tidy up the maven generated files in the target directory
- Run maven scm:prepare-release (which updates the maven files and tags the SVN repository). Tag format is release-x.x.x while the version format is x.x.x (2 mins)
- Run maven pcgen:release to generate the release files and upload them to SourceForge. (Takes 5-10 mins then 5 mins) This will:
- Run release.pl to create the .zip files and to prepare the nsis directory for the Windows installer
- Run the NSIS compiler to create the windows installation .exe
- Run gendigest.pl to generate the SHA1 checksums for the files.
- When the above command pauses (generally after 5-10 mins), sign the .exe and .zip files with PGP. See below for the method.
- Once the command completes, you need to upload the files to SourceForge. Some common options are listed below. See the SourceForge Release File System doco for more information. (1 hour or more)
- Using cygwin on Windows, or from the Unix prompt, point the program to your target directory e.g. /cygdrive/d/eclipse/pcgen/target and then use rsync to upload the generated files in the publish folder. e.g. rsync -avP -e ssh *.zip jdempsey@frs.sourceforge.net:/home/frs/project/p/pc/pcgen Repeat for exe and jar.
- Using an SCP client such as WinSCP, login to frs.sourceforge.net using you user name and upload the files from the target/publish folder to the release folder under /home/frs/project/p/pc/pcgen .
- Create a new release in Stable or Unstable, make a link to the release notes in the notes section and follow it with the SHA1 checksums from target/SHA1-digests.txt. Then paste the changes from the top section of the release notes into the changes list. (5 mins)
- Add all the uploaded PCGen files to the release and adjust all the file information (10 mins)
- Notify PCGen_bod of the new release. (5 mins)
- Send the notice for the new release (1 min)
- PR Monkeys create a news item for the new release
- PR Monkeys send announcement to all pcgen mailing list for the new release
Mac Installer
See Instructions
Signing Files with PGP
We currently use the [GnuPG for Windows] to generate the signatures. You will need the private key, either your own, or the PCGen one (contact the PCGen BOD). Once GnuPG is installed and knows about the key you wish to use, it is just a matter fo right clicking on the files to be signed (multi-select is fine) and selecting GPGee > Sign and then making sure the PCGen key is selected, hitting OK and entering the passphrase for the key. This creates an .asc signature file for each selected file.
Troubleshooting
Yes, even the best installs of all the program amount to nothing if there is a hitch. These are basic notes from the current issues cropping up and resolutions. These notes are not prettified yet. The idea being we will get a full set of troubleshooting tips and tricks here in the near future.
Check your versions. JDK1.5 is required with JAVA_HOME variable (see below) Maven 1.1 (Not using 2.1) SVN must be a true .exe install, TortoiseSVN will not meet this requirement SVN exe can be found here [SVN]
My Computer > System > Advanced Settings: For JAVA_HOME make sure it's a set System Variable and make sure it's using the correct path to your current installation base folder
Same goes for MAVEN
PATH Should have the Maven Install Path, PERL install Path, Java Install Path
- In the installers\Windows_Installer\Includes\ Directory you'll need to have your paths set for the Base Destination Folder We are using localpaths.pl with the following code (Alter it for your circumstances, and if the file does not exist you will need to create it)
- #!/usr/bin/perl\n
- $SRC_BRANCH = 'C:/Install/Path/To/BaseFolder';
- $DEST_BASE_FOLDER = 'C:/Install/releaseFolder';
-- Current Unresolved Error Messages:
pcgen:release: pcgen:genrelease:
[exec] =================
[exec] Paths in use are:
[exec] $SRC_BRANCH is D:/eclipse/Clean_Trunk/Trunk/pcgen
[exec] $DEST_BASE_FOLDER is D:/eclipse/release
[exec] =================
[exec]
[exec] Removing old and creating new directories...
[exec] Generating the Windows installer publisher list...
[exec] Create Installer Constants file...
[exec] Copy Windows local files...
[exec] Can't rmtree(D:/eclipse/release/nsis_dir/Local/.svn), $! is "No such file or directory" at (eval 21) line 3
[exec] main::__ANON__('D:/eclipse/release/nsis_dir/Local/.svn') called at release.pl line 226
[exec] [ERROR] Result: 2
nsis:generate-project:
[echo] Creating D:\eclipse\Clean_Trunk\Trunk/target/project.nsh ...
nsis:generate-setup:
[echo] Creating D:\eclipse\Clean_Trunk\Trunk/target/setup.nsi ...
nsis:installer:
[exec] LicenseData: open failed "D:/eclipse/release/nsis_dir\PCGen_5170b\docs\acknowledgments\PCGenLicense.txt" [exec] Usage: LicenseData local_file_that_has_license_text | license_lang_string [exec] Error in macro MUI_PAGE_LICENSE on macroline 21 [exec] Error in script "D:\eclipse\Clean_Trunk\Trunk/target/setup.nsi" on line 153 -- aborting creation process
>> Unable to obtain goal [pcgen:release] >> null returned: 1
BUILD FAILED
Total time : 4 seconds Finished at : Tuesday, September 1, 2009 7:37:42 AM PDT Final Memory : 4M/254M
>> Referenced Line 153 has:
!insertmacro MUI_PAGE_LICENSE "${SrcDir}\PCGen_${SIMPVER}b\docs\acknowledgments\PCGenLicense.txt"
