Handle the first release of a gem

.markdownlint.yml

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 default: true
 
 # Unordered list indentation
-MD007: { indent: 4 }
+MD007: { indent: 2 }
 
 # Line length
 MD013: { line_length: 90, tables: false, code_blocks: false }

README.md

@@ -5,29 +5,47 @@
  [![Maintainability](https://api.codeclimate.com/v1/badges/b8c0af10b15a0ffeb1a1/maintainability)](https://codeclimate.com/github/main-branch/create_github_release/maintainability)
  [![Test Coverage](https://api.codeclimate.com/v1/badges/b8c0af10b15a0ffeb1a1/test_coverage)](https://codeclimate.com/github/main-branch/create_github_release/test_coverage)
 
-Create a GitHub release for a new gem version.
+A script to manage your gem version and create a GitHub branch, PR, and release
+for a new gem version.
 
-The `create-github-release` script does the following:
+Since this script builds a changelog by listing the commits on the default branch,
+it works best if you are disciplined about squashing PR commits to the
+minimum number of commits necessary (usually one) in order to avoid a noisy changelog.
 
-* Bumps the project's version
-* Updates the project's changelog
-* Creates a release branch
-* Commits the version change and changelog update
-* Creates a version tag
-* Pushes the release branch to GitHub
-* Creates a GitHub release and GitHub pull request for the release
+Tested on Ruby 2.7+
 
-You should merge the pull request once it is reviewed and approved.
+* [The create\_github\_release Gem](#the-create_github_release-gem)
+  * [Installation](#installation)
+  * [Usage](#usage)
+    * [First release using this script when there were NO prior releases](#first-release-using-this-script-when-there-were-no-prior-releases)
+    * [First release using this script when there were prior releases](#first-release-using-this-script-when-there-were-prior-releases)
+    * [Subsequent releases using this script](#subsequent-releases-using-this-script)
+  * [After Running create-github-release](#after-running-create-github-release)
+  * [How the changelog is updated](#how-the-changelog-is-updated)
+  * [Limitations](#limitations)
+  * [Development](#development)
+  * [Contributing](#contributing)
+  * [License](#license)
 
-Pull the changes from the default branch and publish your gem with the `rake release` command.
+## Installation
+
+Add `create_github_release` as a development dependency in your project's gemspec:
+
+```ruby
+spec.add_development_dependency 'create_github_release', '~> 0.1'
+```
+
+and then install using `bundle update`.
+
+## Usage
 
-Here is the command line --help output:
+This gem installs the `create-guthub-release` command line tool:
 
 ```text
 Usage:
 create-github-release --help | RELEASE_TYPE [options]
 
-RELEASE_TYPE must be 'major', 'minor', or 'patch'
+RELEASE_TYPE must be 'major', 'minor', 'patch', or 'first'
 
 Options:
         --default-branch=BRANCH_NAME Override the default branch
@@ -43,27 +61,216 @@ Options:
     -h, --help                       Show this message
 ```
 
-The following conditions must be met in order to create a release:
+The RELEASE_TYPE should follow [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org) rules:
 
-* The bundle must be up to date (via bundle update)
-* You current directory must be in the top level of the git repository
-* The default branch must be checked out
-* There are no uncommitted changes
-* The local and remote must be on the same commit
-* The last release tag must exist
-* The new release tag must not already exist either locally or remotely
-* The new release branch must not already exist either locally or remotely
-* The gh command must be installed
+* A **major** release includes incompatible API changes
+* A **minor** release includes added functionality in a backwards compatible manner
+* A **patch** release includes backwards compatible bug fixes or other inconsequential changes
 
-## Installation
+This script will be used for three different use cases:
 
-Add `create_github_release` as a development dependency in your project's gemspec:
+### First release using this script when there were NO prior releases
 
-```ruby
-spec.add_development_dependency 'create_github_release', '~> 0.1'
+If this is to be the first release of this gem follow these instructions.
+
+For this use case, let's assume the following:
+
+* the default branch is `main` (this is the HEAD branch returned by `git remote show origin`)
+* the current version of the gem is `0.1.0` (as returned by `bump current`)
+
+If a different first version number is desired, update the version number in the
+source code making sure that `bump current` returns the desired version number.
+Then commit the change to the default branch on the remote before running this
+script.
+
+You should start with a CHANGELOG.md that just has frontmatter. An empty file or
+no file is also acceptable. It is not recommended to go with the CHANGELOG.md generated
+by `bundle gem`. Here are suggested CHANGELOG.md contents prior to the first release:
+
+```markdown
+# Change Log
+
+Changes for each release are listed in this file.
+
+This project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/) for its releases.
 ```
 
-and then install using `bundle update`.
+See [How the changelog is updated](#how-the-changelog-is-updated) for more information.
+
+The following prerequisites are checked by this script:
+
+* The current directory must be in the top level of the git repository
+* The HEAD commit of the default branch (`main`) must be checked out
+* The HEAD commit of the default branch of the local repository must match the
+  HEAD commit of the default branch of the remote repository
+* There are no uncommitted or unstaged changes
+* The bundle must be up to date (the script will attempt to update the bundle if needed)
+* The next-release tag (`v0.1.0`) must NOT already exist
+* The next-release branch (`release-v0.1.0`) must NOT already exist
+* The gh command must be installed and authenticated via `gh auth`
+
+You should run:
+
+```shell
+create-github-release first
+```
+
+The `create-github-release` script will do the following:
+
+* Determine the next-release version (`v0.1.0`) using `bump current`
+* Update the project's changelog file `CHANGELOG.md`
+* Create a release branch `release-v0.1.0`
+* Commit the changes to the changelog and create a release tag (`v0.1.0`) pointing
+  to that commit
+* Push the release branch to GitHub
+* Create a GitHub release and pull request for the release
+
+See [After running create-github-release](#after-running-create-github-release)
+for instructions for completing your release.
+
+### First release using this script when there were prior releases
+
+In order to start using `create-github-release` after you have used some other
+method for managing the gem version and creating releases, you need to ensure the
+following prerequisites are met:
+
+1. that `bump current` is the version of the last release (let's use `1.3.1` as an
+   example).
+2. that there is a corresponding release tag that points to the last commit on the
+   default branch of the previous release. If the last version was `1.3.1`, then
+   the last-release tag should be `v1.3.1`.
+
+Changes to the changelog file to ensure the next-release description is added correctly
+may need to be done. See [How the changelog is updated](#how-the-changelog-is-updated)
+for details.
+
+Any changes needed to make sure these prerequisites are met should merged or pushed
+to the default branch on the remote.
+
+Once these prerequisites are met and any adjustments have been done, follow the
+directions in [Subserquent releases using this script](#subsequent-releases-using-this-script).
+
+See [After running create-github-release](#after-running-create-github-release)
+for instructions for completing your release.
+
+### Subsequent releases using this script
+
+For this use case, let's assume the following:
+
+* you want to create a `major` release
+* the default branch is `main` (this is the HEAD branch returned by `git remote show origin`)
+* the current version of the gem is `0.1.0` (as returned by `bump current`)
+
+The following prerequisites must be met:
+
+* The current directory must be in the top level of the git repository
+* The HEAD commit of the default branch (`main`) must be checked out
+* The HEAD commit of the default branch of the local repository must match the
+  HEAD commit of the default branch of the remote repository
+* There are no uncommitted or unstaged changes
+* The bundle must be up to date (the script will attempt to update the bundle if needed)
+* The last-release tag (`v0.1.0`) must already exist
+* The next-release tag (`v1.0.0`) must NOT already exist
+* The next-release branch (`release-v1.0.0`) must NOT already exist
+* The gh command must be installed and authenticated via `gh auth`
+
+You should run:
+
+```shell
+create-github-release major
+```
+
+The `create-github-release` script will do the following:
+
+* Determine the last-release version using `bump current`
+* Determine the next-release version using `bump show-next RELEASE_TYPE`
+* Bump the project's version using `bump RELEASE_TYPE`
+* Update the project's changelog file `CHANGELOG.md`
+* Create a release branch `release-v1.0.0`
+* Commit the changes to the version and changelog AND create a release tag (`v1.0.0`) pointing
+  to that commit
+* Push the release branch to GitHub
+* Create a GitHub release and pull request for the release
+
+See [After running create-github-release](#after-running-create-github-release)
+for instructions for completing your release.
+
+## After Running create-github-release
+
+If you want to make additional updates to the ChangeLog or make changes as
+part of the release PR, it is best to do them before running this script. If
+you must make changes after running this script, you should do so in additional
+commits on the release branch. Before merging to the default branch, you should
+squash all commits down to ONE commit on the release branch and make sure that
+the new release tag (`v1.0.0` in this example) points to this commit.
+
+If you are happy with the PR, you should approve it in GitHub.
+
+Next, merge the release branch into the default branch **MANUALLY AT THE COMMAND
+LINE** using a fast forward merge with the following commands:
+
+```shell
+git checkout main
+git merge --ff-only release-v1.0.0
+git push
+```
+
+GitHub will automatically close the PR after the `git push` command. These commands
+are output by `create-github-release` so you do not have to memorize them ;)
+
+It is important to use a fast foward marge to ensure that the release tag points
+to the right commit after the merge. GitHub does not allow fast forward merges when
+ merging a PR.
+
+Finally, publish your gem to rubygems.org with the `rake release` command.
+
+## How the changelog is updated
+
+A release description is generated by listing the commits between the last release
+and the next release.
+
+As an example, let's assume the following:
+
+* the last release version was `0.1.0`
+* the next release version will be `1.0.0`
+* there were two changes in the next release:
+  * The first commit has sha `1111111` and a commit message starting with the
+    line 'Add feature 1'
+  * The second commit has sha `2222222` and a commit message starting with the
+    line 'Add feature 2'
+
+The release description will look like this:
+
+```text
+## Release v1.0.0
+
+Full Changelog
+
+Changes since v0.1.0:
+
+* 2222222 Add feature 2
+* 1111111 Add feature 1
+```
+
+The existing changelog file is read and split into two parts: front matter and
+body.
+
+The front matter is everything before the first markdown H2 header. If there is
+no H2 header, the entire file is considered front matter.
+
+The body is everything else in the file (if the file contains an H2 header)
+
+The resulting updated changelog file has the following sections:
+
+1. front matter
+2. next release description
+3. body (including past release descriptions)
+
+## Limitations
+
+* Does not work on Windows
+* Has only been tested on MRI Ruby
+*
 
 ## Development
 

create_github_release.gemspec

@@ -8,8 +8,11 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
   spec.authors = ['James']
   spec.email = ['jcouball@yahoo.com']
 
-  spec.summary = 'Create a GitHub release PR for a Ruby Gem'
-  spec.description = spec.summary
+  spec.summary = 'A script to create a GitHub release for a Ruby Gem'
+  spec.description = <<~DESCRIPTION
+    A script that manages your gem version and creates a GitHub branch, PR, and
+    release for a new gem version.
+  DESCRIPTION
   spec.homepage = 'https://github.com/main-branch/create_github_release'
   spec.license = 'MIT'
   spec.required_ruby_version = '>= 2.7.0'

lib/create_github_release/assertions/last_release_tag_exists.rb

@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ class LastReleaseTagExists < AssertionBase
       # @raise [SystemExit] if the assertion fails
       #
       def assert
+        return if project.first_release?
+
         print "Checking that last release tag '#{project.last_release_tag}' exists..."
 
         tags = `git tag --list "#{project.last_release_tag}"`.chomp

lib/create_github_release/command_line_options.rb

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ module CreateGithubRelease
   # An array of the valid release types
   # @return [Array<String>]
   # @api private
-  VALID_RELEASE_TYPES = %w[major minor patch].freeze
+  VALID_RELEASE_TYPES = %w[major minor patch first].freeze
 
   # Regex pattern for a [valid git reference](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-check-ref-format)
   # @return [Regexp]
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ module CreateGithubRelease
   ) do
     # @attribute release_type [rw] the type of release to create
     #
-    #   Must be one of 'major', 'minor', or 'patch'
+    #   Must be one of the VALID_RELEASE_TYPES
     #
     #   @example
     #     options = CreateGithubRelease::CommandLineOptions.new(release_type: 'major')