OpenNest/docs/releasing.md

Windows releases

GitHub (ajisaacs/OpenNest) is the primary repository: push branches and tags there. Gitea (git.thecozycat.net/aj/OpenNest) is a read-only backup that pulls from GitHub every hour; it refuses pushes.

Build a candidate

1. Choose a committed source revision; never include uncommitted work implicitly.
2. Push a release/vX.Y.Z branch containing the release workflow to GitHub. The pushing credential needs Contents: read/write, plus Workflows: read/write to introduce or update .github/workflows files. Do not change credentials or broaden permissions without the owner's approval.
3. The Windows release build workflow uses a GitHub-hosted windows-2022 runner. It builds the solution, runs all four test projects in Release and the main test project in Debug, then packages and smoke-tests the desktop app. Optional local/proprietary fixture and opt-in measurement tests may skip; inspect the uploaded TRX files rather than treating skips as passes.
4. Download the OpenNest-X.Y.Z-win-x64 artifact and verify its .sha256. It contains OpenNest.vX.Y.Z.win-x64.zip, with the .NET runtime, native dependencies, shipped configurations, all three post-processors, license, and build-info.json identifying the exact source commit. The nesting engines are built into OpenNest.Engine.dll; no external engine repository or plug-in DLL is packaged. scripts/ReleaseSmoke loads the packaged engine assembly and checks that every built-in engine instantiates from it, that the renamed Opus55NestingEngine selection resolves to Irregular, and that an unknown engine name is rejected.

The workflow has read-only repository permissions and does not publish releases. Once present on the default branch, it can also be dispatched manually with an X.Y.Z version. Running/dispatching via a PAT needs suitable Actions permissions; public run metadata alone does not prove dispatch access.

For a local Windows build with PowerShell 7 and the .NET 8 SDK:

./scripts/Publish-Windows.ps1 -Version X.Y.Z

Run the test suites separately before local packaging. The script refuses an existing output directory; use a fresh -OutputDirectory rather than deleting previous packages. CI also exercises this refusal and verifies the ZIP is unchanged.

Publish

Review release notes, breaking API changes, and known limitations with the owner. After the candidate passes, integrate the release tooling into the chosen branch, create an annotated vX.Y.Z tag on the exact release commit and push it to GitHub. Use the successful tag build's artifacts for the GitHub Release; do not substitute packages built from another commit. Verify the public asset names, sizes, download/checksum, and release status after upload. Do not overwrite an existing release/tag or asset silently.

The automated desktop smoke test proves the extracted app opens its main window and discovers posts. It does not replace interactive CAD/nesting acceptance, physical CNC/serial verification, GPU execution, or real-model ONNX accuracy. Packages are unsigned; code signing and a fuller packaged-post execution test remain follow-up hardening.