Documentation/Nightly/Developers/ReleaseProcess

Release planning

• Decide what will be the version number for the next stable release
• Update issue tracker: https://issues.slicer.org/roadmap_page.php
• Define a release date
• Announce the release: https://discourse.slicer.org/t/upcoming-slicer-4-8-release/1120

Release

Since there all development occurs on master, each time version is updated, two commits will be required.

1. Update the Slicer version information for the release:

   1. In CMakeLists.txt, update at least one these variables: Slicer_VERSION_MAJOR, Slicer_VERSION_MINOR, Slicer_VERSION_PATCH

   2. Re-run CMake with -DSlicer_RELEASE_TYPE:STRING=Stable. This is required to update Utilities/Scripts/SlicerWizard/__version__.py.

      If not doing a clean build, make sure to explicitly specify the version re-configuring with -DSlicer_VERSION_MAJOR:STRING=X -DSlicer_VERSION_MINOR:STRING=Y -DSlicer_VERSION_PATCH:STRING=Z .

   3. Commit the above changes using this message like:

      ENH: Slicer X.Y.Z
      

   4. Keep track of the SVN_REVISION and SVN_BRANCH for the next steps
2. Update release scripts. See https://github.com/Slicer/DashboardScripts#rename-and-update-release-scripts
3. Generate packages running Slicer package scripts and Slicer extensions scripts on each platform. (These are the scripts updated in the previous step)

4. Tag the repository:

   SVN (Keep track of the branch revision. It will be referred below as BRANCHED_REVISION.):

   cd ~/Projects
   svn checkout http://svn.slicer.org/Slicer4/trunk Slicer-X.Y-SVN
   svn copy -r<REVISION> http://svn.slicer.org/Slicer4/trunk  \
        http://svn.slicer.org/Slicer4/tags/Slicer-X-Y  \
       -m "ENH: Tag of X.Y.Z release based on r<REVISION>."
   

   GIT:

   cd ~/Projects
   git clone git@github.com:Slicer/Slicer Slicer-X.Y
   git tag -s -m "ENH: Slicer X.Y.Z" vX.Y.Z origin/master
   git push origin vX.Y.Z
   

5. Create release branch:

   SVN:

   cd ~/Projects/Slicer-X.Y-SVN
   svn copy -r <REVISION> http://svn.slicer.org/Slicer4/trunk http://svn.slicer.org/Slicer4/branches/Slicer-X-Y \
       -m "ENH: Branching from trunk to Slicer-X-Y at r<REVISION>"
   

   svn checkout http://svn.slicer.org/Slicer4/branches/Slicer-X-Y
   

   GIT:

    cd ~/Projects/Slicer-X.Y
    
    # Source: http://ivanz.com/2009/01/15/selective-import-of-svn-branches-into-a-gitgit-svn-repository/
    # and https://stackoverflow.com/questions/19712735/git-svn-cannot-setup-tracking-information-starting-point-is-not-a-branch
    
    git config --add svn-remote.svn-XY.url http://svn.slicer.org/Slicer4/branches/Slicer-X-Y
    git config --add svn-remote.svn-XY.fetch :refs/remotes/git-svn-XY
    
    git svn fetch svn-XY -r BRANCHED_REVISION
    
    git checkout -b master-XY remotes/git-svn-XY
    
    git svn rebase
    
    git push origin master-XY
   

6. Update Release Details with release information

7. Update the Slicer version information for the development:

   1. In CMakeLists.txt,

      • Update Slicer_VERSION_MAJOR and/or Slicer_VERSION_MINOR

   2. Re-run CMake with -DSlicer_RELEASE_TYPE:STRING=Experimental. This is required to update Utilities/Scripts/SlicerWizard/__version__.py.

      If not doing a clean build, make sure to explicitly specify the version re-configuring with -DSlicer_VERSION_MAJOR:STRING=X -DSlicer_VERSION_MINOR:STRING=Y -DSlicer_VERSION_PATCH:STRING=Z .

   3. Commit the above changes using this message like:

      cd ~/Projects/Slicer
      git add -A
      git commit -m "ENH: Begin X.Y.Z development"
      

Post release

Update Mantis

• "Release" current target
• Create new target
• Check the "fixed in" fields

Midas

Clean-up older nightly packages

See https://gist.github.com/jcfr/ea9ef199bd5a3e071b8f

Tag release packages

• If needed, create a X.Y.Z folder in Slicer/Packages/Application/Release
  • Copy uploaded packages into the folder created above (Keep the default Create a reference to the existing item)
  • Identify the item_id associated with uploaded packages. For example: 11926, 11925, 11927, 11992
  • From Kitware internal network, SSH connect to jcfr@slicer.kitware.com (or jcfr@192.168.120.210)
  • Connect to mysql using mysql -u midas -p
    • See file /var/www/midas3/core/configs/database.local.ini for password
    • Choose midas database: use midas
  • List packages associated with identified items and check they are the appropriate ones:
    • select * from slicerpackages_package as p , item as i where i.item_id = p.item_id and p.item_id in (11926, 11925, 11927, 11992);
  • Set release field
    • update slicerpackages_package set `release`="4.2.2-1" where item_id in (11926, 11925, 11927, 11992);

Version NA-MIC data tree

1. Create an account on the extension server and obtain an API Key. You will then use your midas login and api key to substitute <YOUR-MIDAS-LOGIN> and <YOUR-MIDAS-APIKEY> in the examples.

2. If not already done, go to NA-MIC community and click on Join community

3. Send an email on the developer list asking to be added to the DataManager group on NA-MIC community. That will grant you read/write permissions to the Data folder and sub-folders.

4. Install prerequisites

   $ pip install pydas
   

5. Identify id of the Data folder. For example 301

6. Simulate creation of X.Y data folders based Nightly ones

   $ cd /path/to/Slicer/Base/Python/slicer/release
   $ python midasdata.py --url=http://slicer.kitware.com/midas3 --data_id=301 \
     --email=<YOUR-MIDAS-LOGIN> --apikey=<YOUR-MIDAS-APIKEY> --source_version=Nightly --dest_version=X.Y --dry-run
   Application ( folder_id: 302 )
   '-Nightly ( folder_id: 831 )
   '-'-Testing ( folder_id: 832 )
   '-'-'-Baseline ( folder_id: 889 )
   '-'-'-'-DiffusionTensorImagingTutorial.png ( item_id: 12067 )
   '-'-'-'-NeurosurgicalPlanningTutorial.png ( item_id: 12066 )
   '-'-'-'-SlicerTestingTest.png ( item_id: 17760 )
   '-'-'-Input ( folder_id: 833 )
   '-'-'-'-AtlasTests ( folder_id: 834 )
   '-'-'-'-'-2012-10-26-BrainAtlas.mrb ( item_id: 10276 )
   [...]
   Module: VotingBinaryHoleFillingImageFilter ( folder_id: 1491 )
   '-Nightly ( folder_id: 1491 )
   '-'-Testing ( folder_id: 1492 )
   '-'-'-Baseline ( folder_id: 1493 )
   '-'-'-'-VotingBinaryHoleFillingImageFilterTest.nhdr ( item_id: 103418 )
   '-'-'-'-VotingBinaryHoleFillingImageFilterTest.raw.gz ( item_id: 103419 )
   
   

7. Create X.Y data tree based Nightly ones

   $ python midasdata.py --url=http://slicer.kitware.com/midas3 --data_id=301 \
     --email=<YOUR-MIDAS-LOGIN> --apikey=<YOUR-MIDAS-APIKEY> --source_version=Nightly --dest_version=X.Y
   
   Versioning of the NA-MIC Data tree for release X.Y...
   Versioning Modules...
   [...]
   Versioning Modules...[DONE]
   Versioning Application...
   Creating folder X.Y under Application directory
   Duplicating subfolders from Nightly to X.Y...
   Duplicating subfolders from Nightly to X.Y...[DONE]
   Versioning Application...[DONE]
   Versioning of the NA-MIC Data tree for release X.Y...[DONE]
   
   

Update Slicer wiki

There are two steps involved:

• copy of the pages associated with the Nightly namespace into the X.Y namespace.
• update of permanent pages referencing the current Slicer version

As of November 2016, the process is fully automated and can be done using Base/Python/slicer/release/wiki.py script.

1) Install prerequisites:

• Check with <email>jchris.fillionr@kitware.com</email> to get the credential associated with UpdateBot user.
• Install mwdoc:

$ pip install mwdoc

2) Query current version information:

$ python Base/Python/slicer/release/wiki.py query

3) Copy and update pages

$ python Base/Python/slicer/release/wiki.py update 4.6
$ python Base/Python/slicer/release/wiki.py copy 4.6

Pages expected to be updated are the following:

• Template:Documentation/prevversion
• Template:Documentation/nextversion
• Template:Documentation/currentversion
• Template:Documentation/versionlist
• Template:Documentation/acknowledgments-versionlist
• Documentation
• Documentation/Release/Acknowledgments

Pages with #REDIRECT expected to be updated are the following:

• FAQ
• Documentation/Release
• Documentation/Release/Announcements
• Documentation/Release/Report a problem
• Documentation/UserTraining
• Documentation/UserFeedback
• Documentation/Release/SlicerApplication/HardwareConfiguration

CDash

1. Create new CDash groups for extension submissions associated with X.Y release:

   Extensions-X.Y-Nightly
   Extensions-X.Y-Continuous
   

ExtensionsIndex

See https://github.com/Slicer/ExtensionsIndex

1) Create branch X.Y based of master

Update external website

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3DSlicer
• http://www.nitrc.org/projects/slicer/

Update User Survey (Not Needed Anymore)

Title of the survey should be updated. See https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1rggxoTV5KL_vt3gX9BNNAcKH4pnL5lkMqPnklOThINg

Instead, the Slicer welcome module has been updated to ask user to report feedback on the Slicer forum

Sign packages

MacOSX

As discussed in issue #3965, the code signing command is of the form:

codesign --deep --force --sign "Developer ID Application: <Name-of-certificate-in-keychain>" ./Slicer.app

where the argument to --sign is the name of the developer's certificate in Mac OS X Keychain.app .

Note: The signing of MacOSX package is not yet implemented in our nightly and release build workflows. See Documentation/Nightly/Developers/Mac_OS_X_Code_Signing for more information.

Windows

TBD - See #2697

Also see Documentation/Nightly/Developers/Windows_Code_Signing for more information.

Backport commit into release branch

The following steps will lead to the creation of new git-svn clone having two branches:

• git-svn
• git-svn-XY

Reference: http://www.dmo.ca/blog/20070608113513/

Step 1: Checkout sources

git clone git://github.com/Slicer/Slicer.git Slicer-X.Y
cd Slicer-X.Y
git svn init http://svn.slicer.org/Slicer4/trunk
git update-ref refs/remotes/git-svn refs/remotes/origin/master
git checkout master
git svn rebase

Step 2: Add release branch remote

Edit .git/config, and in addition to the existing 'git-svn' remote, add the following one:

[svn-remote "svn-XY"]
   url = http://svn.slicer.org/Slicer4/branches/Slicer-X-Y
   fetch = :refs/remotes/git-svn-XY

Step 3: Pull associated SVN branch

git svn fetch svn-XY
git checkout -b master-XY git-svn-XY

Step 4: Backport

We can now cherry pick commit associated with master (trunk) into master-XY (Slicer-X-Y)