prepare-release

Prepare Release

This skill automates the release preparation workflow for the Feature Management .NET SDK project.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Bump the package version for a new stable or preview release
• Create merge PRs to sync branches (main → release, preview → release)
• Prepare all the PRs needed before publishing a new release

Background

Repository Information

• GitHub Repo: https://github.com/microsoft/FeatureManagement-Dotnet
• Packages (all 3 are released together with the same version):
  1. Microsoft.FeatureManagement — Base package
  2. Microsoft.FeatureManagement.AspNetCore — ASP.NET Core package
  3. Microsoft.FeatureManagement.Telemetry.ApplicationInsights — Application Insights telemetry package

Branch Structure

• main – primary development branch for stable releases
• preview – development branch for preview releases
• release/v{major} – release branch (e.g., release/v4)

Version Files

The version is defined by <MajorVersion>, <MinorVersion>, <PatchVersion>, and optionally <PreviewVersion> properties in all three .csproj files simultaneously:

1. src/Microsoft.FeatureManagement/Microsoft.FeatureManagement.csproj
2. src/Microsoft.FeatureManagement.AspNetCore/Microsoft.FeatureManagement.AspNetCore.csproj
3. src/Microsoft.FeatureManagement.Telemetry.ApplicationInsights/Microsoft.FeatureManagement.Telemetry.ApplicationInsights.csproj

Each file contains a version block like:

<!-- Official Version -->
<PropertyGroup>
  <MajorVersion>4</MajorVersion>
  <MinorVersion>1</MinorVersion>
  <PatchVersion>0</PatchVersion>
</PropertyGroup>

For preview versions, a <PreviewVersion> line is also present:

<!-- Official Version -->
<PropertyGroup>
  <MajorVersion>4</MajorVersion>
  <MinorVersion>0</MinorVersion>
  <PatchVersion>0</PatchVersion>
  <PreviewVersion>-preview5</PreviewVersion>
</PropertyGroup>

Version Format

• Stable: {major}.{minor}.{patch} (e.g., 4.1.0)
• Preview: {major}.{minor}.{patch}-preview{N} (e.g., 4.0.0-preview5)

Quick Start

Ask the user whether this is a stable or preview release, and what the new version number should be. Then follow the appropriate workflow below.

---

Workflow A: Stable Release

Step 1: Version Bump PR

Create a version bump PR targeting main by running the version bump script:

.\scripts\version-bump.ps1 <new_version>

For example: .\scripts\version-bump.ps1 4.2.0

The script will automatically:

1. Read the current version from the first .csproj file.
2. Create a new branch from main named <username>/version-bump-<new_version> (e.g., linglingye/version-bump-4.2.0).
3. Update <MajorVersion>, <MinorVersion>, <PatchVersion> in all three .csproj files, and remove <PreviewVersion> if present.
4. Commit, push, and create a PR to main with title: Version bump <new_version>.

When the script prompts Proceed? [y/N], confirm by entering y.

Sample PR: https://github.com/microsoft/FeatureManagement-Dotnet/pull/540

Step 2: Merge Main to Release Branch

After the version bump PR is merged, create a PR to merge main into the release branch by running:

.\scripts\merge-to-release.ps1 <new_version>

For example: .\scripts\merge-to-release.ps1 4.2.0

When the script prompts Proceed? [y/N], confirm by entering y.

Important: Use "Create a merge commit" (not "Squash and merge") when merging this PR to preserve commit history.

Sample PR: https://github.com/microsoft/FeatureManagement-Dotnet/pull/541

---

Workflow B: Preview Release

Step 1: Version Bump PR

Create a version bump PR targeting preview by running the version bump script with the -Preview flag:

.\scripts\version-bump.ps1 <new_version> -Preview

For example: .\scripts\version-bump.ps1 4.0.0-preview4 -Preview

When the script prompts Proceed? [y/N], confirm by entering y.

Sample PR: https://github.com/microsoft/FeatureManagement-Dotnet/pull/476

Step 2: Merge Preview to Release Branch

After the version bump PR is merged, create a PR to merge preview into the release branch by running:

.\scripts\merge-to-release.ps1 <new_version> -Preview

For example: .\scripts\merge-to-release.ps1 4.0.0-preview4 -Preview

When the script prompts Proceed? [y/N], confirm by entering y.

Important: Use "Create a merge commit" (not "Squash and merge") when merging this PR to preserve commit history.

Sample PR: https://github.com/microsoft/FeatureManagement-Dotnet/pull/477

---

Review Checklist

Each PR should be reviewed with the following checks:

• Version is updated consistently across all 3 .csproj files
• No unintended file changes are included
• Merge PRs use merge commit strategy (not squash)
• Branch names follow the naming conventions
• All CI checks pass