Releasing snags

[YOU54F]

We haven't needed to push out any releases since Oct 2021, there are some snags at the moment, so here are some notes on the current release process

1. Out of date notes?

• Should this tag publishing have triggered a workflow run for the release? Was that the case when we had travis?
• https://github.com/pact-foundation/pact-provider-verifier/blob/master/RELEASING.md#code-release

2. Release workflow not currently working

• Issues with release-gem
  • https://github.com/pact-foundation/pact-provider-verifier/actions/runs/6159550388/job/16714595269
  • Might need tag updating to use latest release
    • current https://github.com/pact-foundation/release-gem/releases/tag/v0.0.11
    • latest https://github.com/pact-foundation/release-gem/releases/tag/v0.0.14
  • could be updated to allow setting of release increment in workflow action dispatch from UI

I don't think step 1 is needed anymore and should be replaced with step 2

[YOU54F]

Release is out now

1. Updated release-gem to 0.0.14 tag
2. Executed release with ./script/trigger-release.sh minor

TODO

1. Update RELEASING.md to reflect new releasing instructions

• set GITHUB_ACCESS_TOKEN_FOR_PF_RELEASES token in shell
• ./script/trigger-release.sh <major|minor|patch>

2. workflow_dispatch has no way to setting INCREMENT for release workflow. Pick one of the following

• Remove workflow_dispatch
• Update workflow_dispatch to set release increment
  • Note:- a choice value will always provide a default (the default cannot be blank)
  • defaulting to a "null" string would suffice, see ./script/trigger-release.sh

3. Update peter-evans/repository-dispatch action, due to deprecation notices from node 12

[YOU54F]

Some thoughts on our semver and ruby required version

So background, for this, was #107 which bumped the ruby required version to 2.6 or greater so we wanted to ensure the correct semver bump

I’m not sure what is correct in ruby land in terms of package etiquette.

The PR introduces the restriction on minimum ruby version 2.6 or greater, so I just want to check if it should be bumped as a major or minor.

I would traditionally do a major in node-js projects on a language runtime restriction, but not sure if its done at minor level in ruby gems. (Gem versions seem to be much lower than equivalent npm packages, and it’s been around alot longer, which is why I want to clarify)

mixed opinions https://www.reddit.com/r/ruby/comments/7vtceq/when_is_it_okay_to_drop_support_for_ruby_versions/

Both semver specs and other sources such as gov.uk

• https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html#what-should-i-do-if-i-update-my-own-dependencies-without-changing-the-public-api
• https://docs.publishing.service.gov.uk/manual/publishing-a-ruby-gem.html#ruby-version-compatibility

We should then release the updated gem as a minor version. In the past, our policy was to release as a major version, but this was superfluous given that the change is low risk (Dependabot shouldn’t even raise a PR unless the upstream app is on a supported Ruby version). It also limited our ability to benefit from the automated workflows agreed in RFC-156, which apply only to patch and minor version upgrades. Note that patch versions are generally reserved only for bug fixes.

[YOU54F]

believe this is sorted