Phase 2 Complete: Simplified Commands & Deprecation Wrappers

Status: ✅ Complete
Date: 2025-01-27
Phase: 2 of 3 (from RELEASE_WORKFLOW_IMPROVEMENTS.md)

Overview

Phase 2 focused on creating simplified command interfaces and backward-compatible deprecation wrappers for the new modular release automation system.

What Was Accomplished

1. Simplified Commands Created

scripts/release (200 lines)

• Main release orchestrator replacing gem-publish.sh
• Implements complete 10-step release workflow
• Options:
  • Version type: patch, minor, major
  • --dry-run: Preview without changes
  • --skip-tests: Skip test execution
  • --skip-publish: Skip RubyGems publishing
  • --no-github-release: Skip GitHub release creation
  • --non-interactive: No confirmations
  • --help: Display usage

Example Usage:

# Full patch release
./scripts/release patch

# Dry run preview
./scripts/release patch --dry-run

# Build and test only (no publish)
./scripts/release patch --skip-publish --no-github-release

scripts/build (80 lines)

• Simple gem builder replacing build.sh
• Focused on gem building only
• Options:
  • --dry-run: Preview build steps
  • --help: Display usage

Example Usage:

# Build gem
./scripts/build

# Preview build
./scripts/build --dry-run

2. Deprecation Wrappers

Created backward-compatible wrappers that:

1. Display deprecation warning for 3 seconds
2. Redirect to new commands
3. Pass through all arguments
4. Exit with same codes

Files:

• scripts/gem-publish.sh → redirects to scripts/release
• scripts/release.sh → redirects to scripts/release
• scripts/build.sh → redirects to scripts/build

Original scripts backed up:

• scripts/gem-publish.sh.legacy (700+ lines)
• scripts/release.sh.legacy (290+ lines)
• scripts/build.sh.legacy (180+ lines)

3. VS Code Tasks Updated

Updated .vscode/tasks.json with 8 tasks migrated to new commands:

System Requirements

Bash Version Requirement

The release automation system requires Bash 4.0+ for associative array support (used in changelog generation).

macOS Note: macOS ships with Bash 3.2. Install modern bash via:

brew install bash

The changelog library (scripts/lib/changelog.sh) includes version detection that provides helpful error messages if Bash 3.x is detected.

Running with Bash 5:

# Use full path
/opt/homebrew/bin/bash ./scripts/release patch --dry-run

# Or add to PATH in ~/.zshrc
export PATH="/opt/homebrew/bin:$PATH"

Migration Guide for Developers

For Daily Development

Old Way:

./scripts/gem-publish.sh patch --dry-run
./scripts/build.sh

New Way:

./scripts/release patch --dry-run
./scripts/build

For CI/CD Pipelines

Update automation scripts from:

- name: Release
  run: ./scripts/gem-publish.sh patch

To:

- name: Release
  run: /opt/homebrew/bin/bash ./scripts/release patch

For VS Code Users

Simply use the updated tasks! Run tasks via:

1. Cmd+Shift+P → Tasks: Run Task
2. Select from the task menu (e.g., “🚀 Release: Patch”)

Testing Summary

Successful Tests

✅ Build Command: ./scripts/build --dry-run

• Environment validated
• Version retrieved
• Gem build completed

✅ Release Help: ./scripts/release --help

• Full help output displayed
• All options documented
• Examples shown

✅ Release Dry Run: /opt/homebrew/bin/bash ./scripts/release patch --dry-run --non-interactive

• Environment validated
• Version calculated (0.6.0 → 0.6.1)
• Changelog generation initiated
• Requires Bash 5+

✅ Deprecation Wrappers: Tested redirect behavior

• Warning displayed for 3 seconds
• Redirected to new commands
• Arguments passed through correctly

Known Issues

⚠️ macOS Default Bash: System bash (3.2) doesn’t support associative arrays

• Solution: Use brew install bash and run with /opt/homebrew/bin/bash
• Detection: Automatic error message with installation instructions

Files Changed

New Files (8)

scripts/release                    # Main release command
scripts/build                      # Gem build command
scripts/gem-publish.sh.legacy      # Backup of original
scripts/release.sh.legacy          # Backup of original
scripts/build.sh.legacy            # Backup of original
scripts/gem-publish.sh             # Deprecation wrapper
scripts/release.sh                 # Deprecation wrapper (modified)
scripts/build.sh                   # Deprecation wrapper (modified)

Modified Files (2)

.vscode/tasks.json                 # Updated 8 tasks to use new commands
scripts/lib/changelog.sh           # Added Bash version detection

Metrics

Code Simplification

• Old System: 3 monolithic scripts, 1,170+ lines total
• New Commands: 2 focused commands, 280 lines total
• Reduction: 76% fewer lines in user-facing commands

Complexity Reduction

• Old: Duplicated logic across 3 scripts
• New: Shared libraries with single responsibility
• Maintainability: Each library has focused test suite

User Experience

• Command Clarity: Simple names (release, build)
• Help System: Built-in --help with examples
• Backward Compatible: Old scripts still work (with warnings)

Next Steps (Phase 3)

See docs/RELEASE_WORKFLOW_IMPROVEMENTS.md for Phase 3 plans:

1. Documentation Updates
   • Update CONTRIBUTING.md with new commands
   • Update README.md examples
   • Add troubleshooting for Bash version issues
2. Testing Enhancements
   • Integration tests for full release workflow
   • Cross-platform testing (Linux CI)
   • Performance benchmarks
3. CI/CD Integration
   • Update GitHub Actions workflows
   • Add automated release triggers
   • Implement version bump detection

Lessons Learned

1. Bash Version Compatibility: macOS default bash (3.2) is ancient
   • Solution: Version detection with helpful error messages
   • Future: Consider rewriting in a more portable language for critical features
2. Deprecation Strategy Works: Wrappers provide smooth transition
   • Users get warning but scripts don’t break
   • Time to update without pressure
3. VS Code Integration Critical: Tasks are daily developer interface
   • Updated tasks ensure seamless adoption
   • Developers use new commands without thinking about it
4. Testing Reveals Real-World Issues: Dry-run testing caught compatibility issues
   • Always test on actual macOS (not just Linux CI)
   • Document system requirements clearly

Success Criteria

✅ All Phase 2 objectives met:

• Create simplified release command
• Create simplified build command
• Add deprecation wrappers for backward compatibility
• Update VS Code tasks
• Test commands in dry-run mode
• Document Bash version requirements
• Commit all changes with descriptive message

Conclusion

Phase 2 successfully delivers user-friendly commands while maintaining backward compatibility. The new release and build commands provide a clean, intuitive interface to the modular library system created in Phase 1.

The deprecation wrappers ensure existing scripts and workflows continue to work, giving developers time to migrate at their own pace. VS Code task updates mean most developers will use the new commands without manual intervention.

Ready for Phase 3: Documentation updates and expanded testing.

Date Completed: 2025-01-27
Total Time: Phase 1 + Phase 2 development
Lines of Code: +4,436 insertions, -1,213 deletions (25 files changed)
Commits: 1 comprehensive commit for both phases