Create GitHub "releases"?

[hugovk]

Tags show up at https://github.com/pypa/setuptools/releases

When tagging and releasing, would it be possible to also publish a GitHub release of that tag?

This enables users to watch "Releases only" for this repo, and get notifications on new release via the GH UI.

How to do it:

1. https://github.com/pypa/setuptools/releases/new
   • or https://github.com/setuptools/setuptools/releases/ -> "Draft a new release"
2. Select tag in "Tag version" box (e.g. v40.0.0)
3. Click "Publish release"

There's no need to add a title or body text.

Example:

• https://github.com/hugovk/setuptools/releases
• https://github.com/hugovk/setuptools/releases/tag/v40.0.0

This can be automated using GitHub Actions:

• https://github.com/actions/create-release

Thanks!

[jaraco]

I'd like to have this feature. Is there a way that it can be made to work without adding any steps to the developer's workflow? That is, the current release workflow is to run tox -e finalize, which tags a commit. If the tests pass for that commit, a release is cut through CI through tox -e release. I'd like the process of creating a GitHub release to happen at the same time as the upload is made to PyPI (i.e. during the release), probably just after.

Preferably this behavior should be implemented at jaraco/skeleton and then ported over here.

Would you be willing to work out the implementation?

[jaraco]

Extra credit if the release notes can be extracted from the changelog so they're actually published.

[hugovk]

Yep, I can have a look!

Here's the simplest, using GitHub Actions:

• hugovk@ec64870

It runs when a tag is pushed, for example in my fork:

• https://github.com/hugovk/setuptools/runs/992769824?check_suite_focus=true
• https://github.com/hugovk/setuptools/releases/tag/v49.6.0.3

Pros:

• runs automatically in the repo when tags pushed
• no need for any extra tokens or tools
• no extra steps for the developer

Cons:

• This doesn't quite fit the required flow: it creates the release as part of tox -e finalize (tag pushed), not tox -e release (after tests pass and developer decides to release)

---

To do it as part of tox -e release, I think the best thing to do is call the GitHub API. This'll need the developer to create a GH token and (probably) store it an an env var.

First question, would that be an acceptable requirement? (I see tox -e release uses TWINE_PASSWORD and TIDELIFT_TOKEN, so I'd guess so.)

There's a bunch of CLI tools that already exist for creating releases, or it should be pretty straightforward to call the API via requests or curl.

• https://github.com/github/hub

  • + made by GH
  • - wraps git command

• https://github.com/release-it/release-it

  • + 3.4k stars
  • - ? written in node

• https://github.com/github-release/github-release

  • + 1.3k stars
  • - ? written in Go

• https://github.com/j0057/github-release

  • + Python
  • - 48 stars: less popular, less well-maintained?

• own Python script

  • eg. https://stackoverflow.com/q/38153418/724176
  • + written in Python
  • - needs maintaining
  • + probably easy enough

• own curl script

  • eg. https://www.barrykooij.com/create-github-releases-via-command-line/
  • + simple
  • - needs maintaining
  • + probably easy enough

[hugovk]

Well that's pretty easy:

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import json
import os
import sys
from urllib.request import Request, urlopen

repo = sys.argv[1]
tag = sys.argv[2]

token = os.environ["GITHUB_TOKEN"]

url_template = "https://{}.github.com/repos/" + repo + "/releases"

json.loads(
    urlopen(
        Request(
            url_template.format("api"),
            json.dumps({"tag_name": tag, "name": tag}).encode(),
            headers={
                "Accept": "application/vnd.github.v3+json",
                "Authorization": "token " + token,
            },
        )
    )
    .read()
    .decode()
)

python create-release.py "hugovk/setuptools" v49.6.0.5

-> https://github.com/hugovk/setuptools/releases/tag/v49.6.0.5

Re: https://docs.github.com/en/rest/reference/repos#releases

[hugovk]

Please see PR #2338.

[jaraco]

I've seen the proposed fix isn't working, because the mapping from Github-token to GITHUB_TOKEN wasn't present :(.

[hugovk]

I got the notification for https://github.com/pypa/setuptools/releases/tag/v50.1.0, thank you!