# Making a Translate Toolkit Release

This page is divided in three sections. The first one lists the tasks that must be performed to get a valid package. The second section includes a list of tasks to get the package published and the release announced. The third one lists and suggests some possible cleanup tasks to be done after releasing.

Note

Please note that this is not a complete list of tasks. Please feel free to improve it.

## Create the package

The first steps are to create and validate a package for the next release.

### Get a clean checkout

We work from a clean checkout to ensure that everything you are adding to the build is what is in the repository and doesn’t contain any of your uncommitted changes. It also ensures that someone else could replicate your process.

    $ git clone git@github.com:translate/translate.git translate-release
    $ cd translate-release
    $ git submodule update --init

### Check copyright dates

Update any copyright dates in `docs/conf.py:copyright` and anywhere else that needs fixing.

    $ git grep 2013  # Should pick up anything that should be examined

### Create release notes

We create our release notes in reStructured Text, since we use that elsewhere and since it can be rendered well in some of our key sites.

First we need to create a log of changes in the Translate Toolkit, which is done generically like this:

    $ git log $previous_version..HEAD > docs/releases/$version.rst

Or a more specific example:

    $ git log 1.10.0..HEAD > docs/releases/1.11.0-rc1.rst

Edit this file. You can use the commits as a guide to build up the release notes. You should remove all log messages before the release.

Note

Since the release notes will be used in places that allow linking we use links within the notes. These should link back to products websites (Virtaal, Pootle, etc), references to Translate and possibly bug numbers, etc.

Read for grammar and spelling errors.

Note

When writing the notes please remember:

1. The voice is active. ‘Translate has released a new version of the Translate Toolkit’, not ‘A new version of the Translate Toolkit was released by Translate’.
2. The connection to the users is human not distant.
3. We speak in familiar terms e.g. “I know you’ve been waiting for this release” instead of formal.

We create a list of contributors using this command:

    $ git log 1.10.0..HEAD --format='%aN, ' | awk '{arr[$0]++} END{for (i in arr){print arr[i], i;}}' | sort -rn | cut -d\  -f2-

### Up version numbers

Update the version number in:

- `translate/__version__.py`
- `docs/conf.py`

In `translate/__version__.py`, bump the build number if anybody used the Translate Toolkit with the previous number, and there have been any changes to code touching stats or quality checks. An increased build number will force a Translate Toolkit user, like Pootle, to regenerate the stats and checks.

For `docs/conf.py` change `version` and `release`.

Todo

FIXME - We might want to consolidate the version and release info so that we can update it in one place.

The version string should follow the pattern:

    $MAJOR-$MINOR-$MICRO[-$EXTRA]

E.g.

    1.10.0
    0.9.1-rc1

`$EXTRA` is optional but all the three others are required. The first release of a `$MINOR` version will always have a `$MICRO` of `.0`. So `1.10.0` and never just `1.10`.

Note

You probably will have to adjust the output of some of the functional tests, specifically the manpage ones, to use the right new version.

### Build the package

Building is the first step to testing that things work. From your clean checkout run:

    $ mkvirtualenv build-ttk-release
    (build-ttk-release)$ pip install --upgrade pip
    (build-ttk-release)$ pip install -r requirements/dev.txt
    (build-ttk-release)$ make build
    (build-ttk-release)$ deactivate
    $ rmvirtualenv build-ttk-release

This will create a tarball in `dist/` which you can use for further testing.

Note

We use a clean checkout just to make sure that no inadvertent changes make it into the release.

### Test install and other tests

The easiest way to test is in a virtualenv. You can test the installation of the new release using:

    $ mkvirtualenv test-ttk-release
    (test-ttk-release)$ pip install --upgrade pip
    (test-ttk-release)$ pip install dist/translate-toolkit-$version.tar.bz2

You can then proceed with other tests such as checking:

1. Documentation is available in the package

2. Converters and scripts are installed and run correctly:

       (test-ttk-release)$ moz2po --help
       (test-ttk-release)$ php2po --version
       (test-ttk-release)$ deactivate
       $ rmvirtualenv test-ttk-release

3. Meta information about the package is correct. This is stored in `setup.py`, to see some options to display meta-data use:

       $ ./setup.py --help

   Now you can try some options like:

       $ ./setup.py --name
       $ ./setup.py --version
       $ ./setup.py --author
       $ ./setup.py --author-email
       $ ./setup.py --url
       $ ./setup.py --license
       $ ./setup.py --description
       $ ./setup.py --long-description
       $ ./setup.py --classifiers

   The actual descriptions are taken from `translate/__init__.py`.

## Publish the new release

Once we have a valid package it is necessary to publish it and announce the release.

### Tag and branch the release

You should only tag once you are happy with your release as there are some things that we can’t undo. You can safely branch for a `stable/` branch before you tag.

    $ git checkout -b stable/1.10.0
    $ git push origin stable/1.10.0
    $ git tag -a 1.10.0 -m "Tag version 1.10.0"
    $ git push --tags

### Release documentation

We need a tagged release before we can do this. The docs are published on Read The Docs.

- https://readthedocs.org/dashboard/translate-toolkit/versions/

Use the admin pages to flag a version that should be published.

### Publish on PyPI

Note

You need a username and password on Python Package Index (PyPI) and have rights to the project before you can proceed with this step.

These can be stored in `$HOME/.pypirc` and will contain your username and password. A first run of:

    $ ./setup.py register

will create such file. It will also actually publish the meta-data so only do it when you are actually ready.

Run the following to publish the package on PyPI:

    $ make publish-pypi

### Create a release on Github

- https://github.com/translate/translate/releases/new

You will need:

- Tarball of the release
- Release notes in Markdown

Do the following to create the release:

1. Draft a new release with the corresponding tag version
2. Convert the major changes (no more than five) in the release notes to Markdown with Pandoc. Bugfix releases can replace the major changes with This is a bugfix release for the X.X.X branch.
3. Add the converted major changes to the release description
4. Include at the bottom of the release description a link to the full release notes at Read The Docs
5. Attach the tarball to the release
6. Mark it as pre-release if it’s a release candidate

### Update Translate Toolkit website

We use github pages for the website. First we need to checkout the pages:

    $ git checkout gh-pages

1. In `_posts/` add a new release posting. This is in Markdown format (for now), so we need to change the release notes .rst to .md, which mostly means changing URL links from ``xxx <link>`_` to `[xxx](link)`.
2. Change `$version` as needed. See `download.html`, `_config.yml` and egrep -r $old_release *
3. git commit and git push – changes are quite quick, so easy to review.

### Announce to the world

Let people know that there is a new version:

1. Announce on mailing lists using plain text emails using the same text (adjusting what needs to be adjusted) used for the Create a release on Github description:

   - translate-announce@lists.sourceforge.net
   - translate-pootle@lists.sourceforge.net
   - translate-devel@lists.sourceforge.net

2. Adjust the Pootle gitter channel topic. Use `/topic [new topic]` to change the topic.

3. Adjust the #pootle channel notice. Use `/topic [new topic]` to change the topic. It is easier if you copy the previous topic and adjust it.

   Note

   You might need to identify yourself by using `/msg nickserv identify [password]` so the IRC server knows you in order to check if you have enough permissions.

4. Email important users

5. Tweet about it

6. Update Translate Toolkit’s Wikipedia page

## Post-Releasing Tasks

These are tasks not directly related to the releasing, but that are nevertheless completely necessary.

### Bump version to N+1-alpha1

If this new release is a stable one, bump the version in `master` to `{N+1}-alpha1`. The places to be changed are the same ones listed in Up version numbers. This prevents anyone using `master` being confused with a stable release and we can easily check if they are using `master` or `stable`.

Note

You probably will have to adjust the output of some of the functional tests, specifically the manpage ones, to use the right new version.

### Add release notes for dev

After updating the release notes for the about to be released version, it is necessary to add new release notes for the next release, tagged as `dev`.

### Other possible steps

Some possible cleanup tasks:

- Remove your `translate-release` checkout.
- Update and fix these releasing notes:
  - Make sure these releasing notes are updated on `master`.
  - Discuss any changes that should be made or new things that could be added.
  - Add automation if you can.

We also need to check and document these if needed:

- Change URLs to point to the correct docs: do we want to change URLs to point to the `$version` docs rather then `latest`?
- Building on Windows, building for other Linux distros.
- Communicating to upstream packagers.