Test and roll out changelog generation using Gitaly
In &351 (closed) and &399 (closed) we are rolling out the ability to generate changelogs using the GitLab API.
In #1525 (closed) we started testing this with GitLab Pages. Once that issue is closed, we want to test this feature using Gitaly.
Testing process
During the testing period, developers are asked to annotate their commits
(should they go in the changelog) with the Git trailer Changelog
. This trailer
can have the following values:
- added
- fixed
- changed
- deprecated
- removed
- security
- performance
- other
This means that when a commit should go in the changelog, it will look something like this:
The subject of the commit message.
More details about the change here, if necessary.
Changelog: fixed
This would be done in addition to the process currently used by Gitaly. Further, changelogs would be generated on a separate branch using a manually triggered API call (by Delivery team members). Keeping the old process intact for the time being ensures our testing doesn't affect releases. We generate the new changelogs on a separate (temporary) branch for the same reason.
When reviewing merge requests, reviewers should ensure the appropriate Git trailer is used whenever a commit is supposed to go in a changelog. This is similar to reviewing changelog files in the main GitLab project.
@yorickpeterse will take care of setting up the necessary configuration files, and is the contact person for any feedback.
Testing period
This is yet to be decided.
After testing
Should the new process be deemed a success, we want it to replace the old process used by Gitaly. This will likely require changes in our Release Tools code so it supports both the old and new approach in parallel.