Tools: Release checklist for tools repo

[drpatelh]

It would be useful to have a point of reference when releasing nf-core/tools just to make sure nothing has been forgotten before release and that everything has been triggered properly after the release. Ive jotted down some stuff below:

Before release

1. Check issue milestones to see outstanding issues to resolve if possible or transfer to the milestones for the next release e.g. v1.9
2. Create a PR to dev to bump the version in CHANGELOG.md and setup.py.
3. Make sure all CI tests are passing!
4. Create a PR from dev to master
5. Make sure all CI tests are passing again (additional tests are run on PRs to master)
6. Request review (2 approvals required)
7. Most importantly, pick an undeniably outstanding name for the release where Prefix = Metal and Dictionary = Animal.
8. Merge the PR into master
9. Once CI tests on commit have passed, create a new release copying the CHANGELOG for that release into the description section.

After release

1. Check the automated template synchronisation has been triggered properly. This should automatically open PRs directly to individual pipeline repos with the appropriate changes to update the pipeline template.
2. Check that the automatic PyPi deployment has worked: https://pypi.org/project/nf-core/
3. Check BioConda has an automated PR to bump the version, and merge. eg. https://github.com/bioconda/bioconda-recipes/pull/20065
4. Create a tools PR to dev to bump back to the next development version in CHANGELOG.md and setup.py

[ewels]

Edited your issue to add a bit more detail - click the "edited by ewels" dropdown to see what I changed 👍

[ewels]

We should make one of these for pipelines too - maybe on the website? Will be pretty similar..

[drpatelh]

Im not convinced this makes sense anymore: "Add today's date for the Changelog release number." There is almost always a delay between merging final changes to dev and reviews being approved which means it just another thing to look out for and update...given also that the date is recorded by GitHub anyway.

@apeltzer wrote something similar for pipelines a while back:
https://nf-co.re/developers/adding_pipelines#release-checklist

[ewels]

Ah my bad, this is just my habit from other tools I guess (I was referring to my MultiQC checklist when I was editing this). Didn't realise that we don't have release dates on the changelog. Adjusted..

The pipeline release checklist is great, but maybe a little tricky to find.. (I had forgotten it existed!)

[drpatelh]

No worries 👍

Agreed, we should maybe re-position the pipeline checklist somewhere a bit more findable on the website.

[apeltzer]

Yeah I also figured its not ideally placed for people to look after it 😓 Should have that somewhere more up the list I think so too?

[MaxUlysse]

@apeltzer wrote something similar for pipelines a while back:
https://nf-co.re/developers/adding_pipelines#release-checklist

That was there....
I was looking for this for such a long time.
Can we have that in the template in a .github/RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md file, like in the MultiQC repo