Automate release and version updates

[RayStick]

When a new release is made, various things need to happen. The version number within these files need to be edited before/alongside the new release:

• CITATION.cff
• README.md
• codemeta.json
• inst/CITATION
• DESCRIPTION

The Zenodo should sort itself out.

A regular thing that happens is that I forget to update all of these files on a new release, and the release number is not updated within these files.

We may need more GitHub Actions to automate this workflow. For example:

• https://docs.ropensci.org/cffr/reference/cff_gha_update.html (I tried to automate this for v2.0.0 but it did not work so I just did it manually for now)

[maelle]

Beside automating, one approach I like is

• using usethis::use_release_issue() for releases. It opens a new issue with a checklist.
• creating custom items for that checklist, see https://usethis.r-lib.org/reference/use_release_issue.html#ref-usage

[RayStick]

Thanks for this, I like this idea (checklist approach via issue)

I would like to change the template but I am a bit confused about how I make my own custom items - the documentation is a bit sparse

Do I create a function in my package called R/release_bullets.R? Does this only add not remove?

Thanks for any tips you can provide!

[maelle]

Yes you add an internal function, it only adds, doesn't remove, but you can't control in which section the bullets appear.

Example: https://github.com/EMODnet/emodnet.wfs/blob/70e5657774eab8488894efac32386ac356ae3a4c/R/emodnet.wfs-package.R#L46

Other examples: https://github.com/search?q=release_bullets+user%3Acran&type=code&ref=advsearch

Related issue r-lib/usethis#1818

[maelle]

You can add the internal function, then run usethis::use_release_issue(), then close/delete the issue to see how it looks like.