Add links to core and contrib to Github releases on releases from this repository

[mx-psi]

By default, the Github release only includes the changelog from this repository, but most users would care more about the changelog on core and contrib.

I manually edited the release for v0.96.0 to include the core and contrib changelogs (see https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/releases/tag/v0.96.0) but we could make this automatic via goreleaser using https://goreleaser.com/customization/release/#custom-release-notes.

[Enzujp]

Hello @mx-psi , @jpkrohling if this is still unattended, I'd love to work on it!

[mx-psi]

@Enzujp assigned to you!

[Enzujp]

@mx-psi Thank you, I'd get on it !

[Enzujp]

hello @mx-psi , while working on this, I discovered we can only automate using GoReleaser Pro, the feature that allows us link the change logs for core and contrib require the GoReleaser Pro and I don't have access to that. Is there perhaps another way to go about this ?

[TylerHelmuth]

@Enzujp correct, we use goreleaser pro. Seems we've run into #497.

[Enzujp]

Aw shucks, I was looking forward to working on this @TylerHelmuth

[mx-psi]

@Enzujp We do have goreleaser Pro. An alternative is to use the CLI tool from Github, which has the gh release edit subcommand. Yet another alternative is to use a dedicated Github Action for this. Any of these options seems acceptable to me.

[Enzujp]

@mx-psi , Thank you very much I'd get on it.

[Enzujp]

Hello there @mx-psi, I finally got this to work as expected, it required a .goreleaser file in the root of the project. It does print the custom message and link to change logs from core and contrib; automatically updating the hyperlinks with each version released.
If this is acceptable, I'd like to create a pull request.

[TylerHelmuth]

it required a .goreleaser file in the root of the project

I am curious to see this solution. How does it interact with the distro-specific .goreleaser files? Go ahead an open a PR.

[mx-psi]

Agreed, let's see a PR and discuss it there :)

[Enzujp]

Hello @mx-psi , welcome back! This already happened, would you like for me to tag you to it ?

[mx-psi]

Oh, looks like that should be #504, I had a look but missed it 😅 no need to tag me now!

[TylerHelmuth]

Adding the .goreleaser.yaml to the root of the directory did not work during the v0.97.0 release: https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/releases/tag/v0.97.0

[TylerHelmuth]

I have manually updated the release notes to include the desired header.

[Enzujp]

I'll go through the goreleaser docs and find a better way to do it. I'd find a fix.

[TylerHelmuth]

It might be easiest to use gh cli somehow. Also maybe try using release note templates.

[Enzujp]

@TylerHelmuth , I figured out what was missing! The repository specification is what's missing.

[Enzujp]

Here's a sample of its usage and there's a release to show too : https://github.com/KenanBek/dbui/blob/main/.goreleaser.yml

[TylerHelmuth]

I am still concerned that the jobs specify a workdir that is different than root. I noticed after the v0.97.0 release that I had missed that your example repo does not do that: https://github.com/Enzujp/sample-releases/blob/ddcbd7645567cf99ed6b818f3c040c709ca775dc/.github/workflows/goreleaser.yaml#L36-L43

[Enzujp]

I'll make adjustments to that, and test the code to be sure it works as it should this time.

[Enzujp]

Hello @mx-psi , @TylerHelmuth after about a week of battling and reading most of the goreleaser docs, here's what I've found. Having the .goreleaser file in the root directory doesn't work for the header release. They make mention of goreleaser release --release-notes command but it didn't work for templated text and there was no mention of how to use it for templated text so I experimented and searched and found this command goreleaser release --release-header-tmpl=file. It allows use of a markdown file, and here's a test of it, please check it out and let me know : https://github.com/Enzujp/sample-releases/actions/runs/8659835103/job/23746516462

[Enzujp]

Without the root as the working directory, this is the only other way to do it.

[TylerHelmuth]

@Enzujp this looks promising. What happens if instead of a separate step you pass --release-header-tmpl=release.md as an argument like this:

- name: Run GoReleaser
  uses: goreleaser/goreleaser-action@v5
  with: 
    distribution: goreleaser
    version: latest
    workdir: distributions/${{ inputs.distribution }}
    args: release --clean --release-header-tmpl=release.md
  env:
    GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

[Enzujp]

Oh that's brilliant @TylerHelmuth ! It worked!
Here's the link : https://github.com/Enzujp/sample-releases/actions/runs/8701172920/job/23862650984

[TylerHelmuth]

@Enzujp perfect! can you do one more test where 2 release jobs run with that argument (mimicking how Core, Contrib, and k8s all release at the same time in this repo)? I want to make sure they don't clash

[Enzujp]

@TylerHelmuth I'm a little confused as to how I'm to go about this, please explain a little further.

[TylerHelmuth]

Can you update your release workflow with a second release job like

  goreleaser-2:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout
        uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0

      - name: Set up Go
        uses: actions/setup-go@v4


      - name: Run GoReleaser
        uses: goreleaser/goreleaser-action@v5
        with: 
          distribution: goreleaser
          version: latest
          workdir: distributions/otelcol-contrib
          args: release --clean --release-header-tmpl=../release.md
        env:
          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

[Enzujp]

Done @TylerHelmuth. Here's the link to the test : https://github.com/Enzujp/sample-releases/actions/runs/8711833942/job/23896805424

[TylerHelmuth]

Awesome, let's implement this option

[Enzujp]

@TylerHelmuth Got it. I only need include this in the release section right? Like this

- uses: goreleaser/goreleaser-action@7ec5c2b0c6cdda6e8bbb49444bc797dd33d74dd8 # v5.0.0
       
 with:
          distribution: goreleaser-pro
          version: latest
          workdir: distributions/${{ inputs.distribution }}
          args: continue --merge --timeout 2h --release-header-tmpl=../release.md
        env:
          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          COSIGN_YES: true
          GORELEASER_KEY: ${{ secrets.GORELEASER_KEY }}

[TylerHelmuth]

Correct, and add the template file. It should live in .github and be named something like release-template.yaml

[Enzujp]

@TylerHelmuth , release-template.md it has to be a markdown file. I'll do that.