### Problem to solve <!-- What problem do we solve? --> Currently release notes are required when creating release. Deleting the release notes for a tag and saving these changes deletes the release. We had users saying they would only create release notes at the end of their process, and also would go back and forth to update release notes whenever necessary. ### Intended users <!-- Who will use this feature? If known, include any of the following: types of users (e.g. Developer), personas, or specific company roles (e.g. Release Manager). It's okay to write "Unknown" and fill this field in later. * [Rachel (Release Manager)](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/product-marketing/roles-personas/#rachel-release-manager) * [Parker (Product Manager)](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/product-marketing/roles-personas/#parker-product-manager) * [Delaney (Development Team Lead)](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/product-marketing/roles-personas/#delaney-development-team-lead) * [Sasha (Software Developer)](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/product-marketing/roles-personas/#sasha-software-developer) * [Presley (Product Designer)](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/product-marketing/roles-personas/#presley-product-designer) * [Devon (DevOps Engineer)](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/product-marketing/roles-personas/#devon-devops-engineer) * [Sidney (Systems Administrator)](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/product-marketing/roles-personas/#sidney-systems-administrator) * [Sam (Security Analyst)](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/product-marketing/roles-personas/#sam-security-analyst) * [Dana (Data Analyst)](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/product-marketing/roles-personas/#dana-data-analyst) Personas are described at https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/product-marketing/roles-personas/ --> * [Rachel (Release Manager)](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/product-marketing/roles-personas/#rachel-release-manager) * [Parker (Product Manager)](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/product-marketing/roles-personas/#parker-product-manager) * [Delaney (Development Team Lead)](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/product-marketing/roles-personas/#delaney-development-team-lead) ### Further details <!-- Include use cases, benefits, and/or goals (contributes to our vision?) --> ### Proposal <!-- How are we going to solve the problem? Try to include the user journey! https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/journeys/#user-journey --> * Let users create releases without having to provide release notes. * Do not delete release if release notes are removed. ### Permissions and Security <!-- What permissions are required to perform the described actions? Are they consistent with the existing permissions as documented for users, groups, and projects as appropriate? Is the proposed behavior consistent between the UI, API, and other access methods (e.g. email replies)?--> * Release deletion should follow the permissions of creating a release ### Documentation <!-- See the Feature Change Documentation Workflow https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/documentation/feature-change-workflow.html Add all known Documentation Requirements here, per https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/documentation/feature-change-workflow.html#documentation-requirements If this feature requires changing permissions, this document https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/permissions.html must be updated accordingly. --> * [Releases Documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/releases/) ### Testing <!-- What risks does this change pose? How might it affect the quality of the product? What additional test coverage or changes to tests will be needed? Will it require cross-browser testing? See the test engineering process for further help: https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/quality/test-engineering/ --> 1. Navigate to **Repository > Tags**, edit the release notes for a tag, and click "Save changes" to create a release. 2. Verify the release was created in **Project > Releases**. 3. Navigate to **Repository > Tags**, and edit the release notes for the same tag. Delete all the text for the tag's release notes.  4. Click the "Save changes" button for the tag.  5. Verify that the release is still displayed in **Project > Releases**. The row should not be removed from the `releases` table in the database. ### What does success look like, and how can we measure that? <!-- Define both the success metrics and acceptance criteria. Note that success metrics indicate the desired business outcomes, while acceptance criteria indicate when the solution is working correctly. If there is no way to measure success, link to an issue that will implement a way to measure this. --> * Users are able to successfully use the Release feature and change/delete release notes ### What is the type of buyer? <!-- Which leads to: in which enterprise tier should this feature go? See https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/pricing/#four-tiers --> * Community Edition ### Links / references * https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/blob/867a1acc9046ed15afffe8ebc04e93a3628de1d2/app/controllers/projects/tags/releases_controller.rb#L21