Updating Branch Snapping Workflow for New Versioning Scheme

Completed:

• 1. Create helper function to calculate next release version (rounds up to nearest tens version)
• 2. Add new gulp task for updating version on prerelease → release snap
• 3. Update incrementVersion task to support release candidate flag
• 4. Add unit tests for the new helper function
• 5. Update GitHub workflow to support new versioning scheme
• 6. Update documentation in CONTRIBUTING.md
• 7. Verify and test all changes
• 8. Address all code review feedback
• 9. Add changelog automation for stable releases

Changes Made:

Latest Code Review Feedback Addressed:

• Extracted changelog helper: Created addChangelogSection() helper function to eliminate duplication between tasks
• Stable release changelog: updateVersionForStableRelease now automatically adds a changelog entry that references the prerelease version (e.g., "See 2.74.x for full list of changes")
• Simplified incrementVersion logic: Rewrote to use clearer flow - if RC mode, get next stable version first, then increment from there
• Removed workflow title: Removed title setting from create-pull-request action to allow default PR title

Previous Code Review Feedback Addressed:

• Extracted helper functions: Created readVersionJson() and writeVersionJson() to eliminate duplication
• Reduced duplication in incrementVersion: Refactored to use clearer logic flow
• Renamed task: Changed updateVersionForRelease to updateVersionForStableRelease for clarity
• Use create-pull-request action: Replaced manual git push with peter-evans/create-pull-request@v4 action in workflow

1. Helper Functions & Tasks (tasks/snapTasks.ts)

• getNextReleaseVersion(): Rounds up minor version to next tens (e.g., 2.74 → 2.80)
• readVersionJson(): Helper to read and parse version.json
• writeVersionJson(): Helper to write version.json with consistent formatting
• addChangelogSection(): Helper to add a new version section to the changelog (with optional additional lines)
• updateVersionForStableRelease: Gulp task for prerelease → release snaps, now includes automatic changelog update with reference to prerelease
• incrementVersion: Enhanced to accept --releaseCandidate flag with clear, simplified logic

2. GitHub Workflow (.github/workflows/branch-snap.yml)

• Added releaseCandidate input parameter for workflow dispatch
• Updated bump-main-version job to use the flag when provided
• Updated update-release-version job to use create-pull-request action
• Removed title setting to allow default PR title
• Updated action versions to latest (checkout@v4)

3. Documentation (CONTRIBUTING.md)

• Added "Versioning Scheme" section explaining the new rules
• Updated snap instructions with details about the release candidate flag
• Clarified version update behavior for each snap type

4. Test Infrastructure

• Created comprehensive unit tests (10 test cases, all passing)
• Added tasks test suite with proper jest configuration
• Integrated into existing test infrastructure

Testing & Validation:

✅ All unit tests pass (492 total: 482 existing + 10 new)
✅ ESLint passes on all modified files
✅ TypeScript compilation successful
✅ YAML syntax validation passes
✅ Manual testing confirms correct behavior:

• updateVersionForStableRelease: 2.74 → 2.80 with changelog entry ✓
• incrementVersion: 2.74 → 2.75 with changelog entry ✓
• incrementVersion --releaseCandidate=true: 2.74 → 2.81 with changelog entry ✓

Console Output Examples:

• Normal: Updating 2.74 to 2.75
• RC mode: Release candidate, using base version of 2.80 then Updating 2.74 to 2.81

Changelog Example for Stable Release:

# 2.80.x
* See 2.74.x for full list of changes.

💬 We'd love your input! Share your thoughts on Copilot coding agent in our 2 minute survey.