release-notes-generator

# Release Notes Generator Expert assistance for generating comprehensive release notes and changelogs in Confluence. ## When to Use This Skill - Creating release notes for a new version - Generating changelogs - Documenting version updates - Preparing release announcements - User mentions: release notes, changelog, version, release ## What Are Release Notes? **Release notes** communicate changes in a software release to users and stakeholders. ### Audience - **End Users**: What's new and what to expect - **Developers**: Technical changes and API updates - **Product Managers**: Feature completeness and roadmap alignment - **Support Teams**: Known issues and workarounds ### Key Components 1. **Version and date** 2. **Summary** of changes 3. **New features** 4. **Improvements** 5. **Bug fixes** 6. **Breaking changes** 7. **Deprecations** 8. **Known issues** 9. **Upgrade instructions** ## Release Notes Structure ### Standard Template ```markdown # Version X.Y.Z - Release Date ## Highlights Brief overview of the most important changes in this release. ## What's New ### Major Features - **Feature Name**: Description of what it does and why it matters ### Minor Features - **Feature Name**: Brief description ## Improvements ### Performance - List of performance improvements ### User Experience - UI/UX enhancements ### Developer Experience - API improvements - Tooling updates ## Bug Fixes - **[PROJ-123]**: Fixed issue where... - **[PROJ-456]**: Resolved bug with... ## Breaking Changes ⚠️ **Important**: These changes may require action. - **Change description**: What changed and what you need to do ## Deprecations ⚠️ **Notice**: These features will be removed in future versions. - **Feature/API**: Deprecated in favor of... Will be removed in version... ## Security Updates 🔒 Security fixes included in this release. - **[PROJ-789]**: Security vulnerability in... (CVE-YYYY-XXXX) ## Known Issues - **Issue description**: Workaround if available ## Upgrade Guide ### Prerequisites - Requirements for upgrading ### Steps 1. Step 1 2. Step 2 3. Step 3 ### Migration Notes - Database migrations - Config changes - Breaking API changes ## Technical Details ### Dependencies Updated - Library X: v1.0 → v2.0 - Framework Y: v3.0 → v3.1 ### API Changes - New endpoints - Modified endpoints - Removed endpoints ## Contributors Thanks to everyone who contributed to this release! - @user1 - @user2 - @user3 ``` ## Types of Release Notes ### Major Release (X.0.0) ```markdown # Version 2.0.0 - February 1, 2024 ## 🎉 Major Release: Complete Platform Redesign This is our biggest update ever! Version 2.0 brings a completely redesigned interface, powerful new features, and significant performance improvements. ## 🌟 Highlights - **New Dashboard**: Completely redesigned for better insights - **Real-time Collaboration**: Work together with your team - **50% Faster**: Improved performance across the board - **Dark Mode**: Easy on the eyes ## ✨ What's New ### Dashboard Redesign The new dashboard provides at-a-glance insights into your projects with customizable widgets and real-time updates. **Key features**: - Drag-and-drop widget arrangement - Custom dashboard creation - Real-time data updates - Mobile responsive design ### Real-time Collaboration Work with your team in real-time with live cursors, presence indicators, and instant updates. ### API v2 Complete API redesign with: - RESTful design principles - GraphQL support - Improved documentation - Better error messages ## 🚀 Improvements ### Performance - Dashboard loads 50% faster - Search improved from 2s → 200ms - Reduced memory usage by 40% - Better caching strategy ### User Experience - Streamlined navigation - Improved mobile experience - Better accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA compliant) - Keyboard shortcuts ## 🐛 Bug Fixes - Fixed dashboard refresh issues - Resolved search indexing problems - Fixed export truncation - Corrected timezone display issues ## ⚠️ Breaking Changes ### API Changes The API has been completely redesigned. The old v1 API will continue to work until June 1, 2024. **Required actions**: 1. Update to API v2 endpoints 2. Update authentication to OAuth 2.0 3. Review and update error handling See [API Migration Guide] for details. ### Configuration Format Configuration format has changed from XML to YAML. **Migration**: Run `migrate-config` tool to convert existing configs. ### Database Schema Database schema has been updated. **Migration**: Automatic on first startup (backup recommended). ## 📋 Upgrade Guide [Detailed upgrade instructions] ## 🙏 Contributors Thanks to our 42 contributors! ``` ### Minor Release (x.Y.0) ```markdown # Version 1.5.0 - January 15, 2024 ## New Features ### Export to PDF Export your reports to PDF format with customizable templates. ### Advanced Filters New filtering options in search: - Date ranges - Custom fields - Multiple criteria ## Improvements - Faster page loads (20% improvement) - Better error messages - Improved mobile UI ## Bug Fixes - **[PROJ-234]**: Fixed export timeout for large datasets - **[PROJ-456]**: Resolved calendar sync issues - **[PROJ-789]**: Fixed permission check bug ## Known Issues - PDF export may be slow for very large reports (>1000 pages) ``` ### Patch Release (x.y.Z) ```markdown # Version 1.4.3 - January 5, 2024 ## Bug Fixes - **[PROJ-901]**: Fixed critical bug in authentication flow - **[PROJ-902]**: Resolved data loss issue in export - **[PROJ-903]**: Fixed memory leak in background jobs ## Security Updates - Updated dependencies to address CVE-2024-1234 - Improved session timeout handling This is a recommended security update for all users. ``` ## Generating from Jira Issues ### Using JQL to Find Issues ```jql fixVersion = "2.0.0" ORDER BY type DESC, priority DESC ``` ### Categorizing Issues **By Issue Type**: - **Epic/Story** → New Features - **Task** → Improvements - **Bug** → Bug Fixes - **Security** → Security Updates **By Labels**: - `breaking-change` → Breaking Changes - `deprecation` → Deprecations - `performance` → Performance section - `ui-ux` → User Experience section ### Example: From Jira Issues **Jira Issues**: ``` PROJ-101: Add dark mode support [Story] PROJ-102: Improve dashboard performance [Task, Label: performance] PROJ-103: Fix login bug with special chars [Bug] PROJ-104: Deprecate /v1/users endpoint [Task, Label: deprecation] ``` **Generated Release Notes**: ```markdown ## What's New ### Dark Mode **[PROJ-101]**: Added system-wide dark mode support. Toggle in Settings > Appearance. ## Improvements ### Performance **[PROJ-102]**: Dashboard now loads 40% faster with optimized queries. ## Bug Fixes - **[PROJ-103]**: Fixed login issues when email contains special characters ## Deprecations ⚠️ **[PROJ-104]**: The `/v1/users` endpoint is deprecated. Use `/v2/users` instead. The old endpoint will be removed in version 3.0. ``` ## Generating from Git Commits ### Commit Message Patterns **Conventional Commits**: ``` feat: add dark mode support fix: resolve login bug with special chars perf: optimize dashboard queries docs: update API documentation chore: update dependencies ``` ### Parsing Commits ```bash # Get commits between tags git log v1.4.0..v1.5.0 --oneline # Filter by type git log v1.4.0..v1.5.0 --grep="^feat:" --oneline git log v1.4.0..v1.5.0 --grep="^fix:" --oneline ``` ### Example: From Git Commits **Git Log**: ``` abc123 feat(auth): add OAuth 2.0 support def456 feat(ui): implement dark mode ghi789 fix(login): handle special characters in email jkl012 perf(dashboard): optimize query performance mno345 docs(api): update API documentation ``` **Generated Release Notes**: ```markdown ## What's New ### Authentication - OAuth 2.0 support for third-party login ### User Interface - Dark mode implementation ## Improvements ### Performance - Optimized dashboard query performance ## Bug Fixes - Fixed login handling for special characters in email addresses ## Documentation - Updated API documentation ``` ## Combining Sources ### Jira + Git Commits + Pull Requests ```markdown # Version 2.1.0 - March 1, 2024 ## What's New ### Multi-language Support **[PROJ-456]** (PR #123): Added support for 10 new languages including Spanish, French, and German. Implementation by @johndoe in PR #123. - Automatic language detection - User preference storage - RTL language support ### Real-time Notifications **[PROJ-789]** (PR #456): Push notifications for important events. Contributed by @janedoe in PR #456. - Browser notifications - Email digests - Mobile push support ## Improvements ### Performance - **[PROJ-234]**: Reduced API response time by 30% (PR #234) - **Commits**: Optimized database indices (commit abc123) - **[PROJ-567]**: Improved caching strategy (PR #345) [...] ``` ## Audience-Specific Formats ### For End Users ```markdown # What's New in Version 2.0 ## 🎨 Beautiful New Design We've completely redesigned the interface to make it easier and more enjoyable to use. ## ⚡ Faster Than Ever Everything is now 50% faster - from loading pages to running reports. ## 🌙 Dark Mode Easy on your eyes with our new dark mode. Enable it in Settings. ## 🤝 Work Together in Real-Time See what your teammates are doing as they work. ## How to Update Click "Update" in the app, or download from [link]. ## Need Help? Check out our [Getting Started Guide] or contact support. ``` ### For Developers ```markdown # Release 2.0.0 - Technical Details ## API Changes ### New Endpoints - `POST /api/v2/users` - Create user (replaces `/api/v1/users`) - `GET /api/v2/notifications` - Get notifications ### Modified Endpoints - `GET /api/v2/projects` - Added `include` parameter - Response format changed to include pagination metadata ### Removed Endpoints - `POST /api/v1/users` - Use v2 endpoint ## Database Migrations ```sql -- Migration 2024_01_01_add_notifications_table CREATE TABLE notifications ( id UUID PRIMARY KEY, user_id UUID NOT NULL, ... ); ``` ## Breaking Changes ### Authentication OAuth 2.0 required. API keys deprecated (removal in 3.0). **Migration**: ```javascript // Old api.setApiKey('your-key'); // New api.setOAuth({ clientId: 'your-client-id', clientSecret: 'your-secret' }); ``` ### Response Format All API responses now include standard metadata: ```json { "data": { ... }, "meta": { "version": "2.0", "timestamp": "2024-01-01T12:00:00Z" } } ``` ## Dependencies ### Updated - React: 17.0 → 18.2 - Node.js: 16.x → 20.x (required) - PostgreSQL: 13.x → 15.x (recommended) ### Added - `@oauth/client` v2.0 ### Removed - `deprecated-library` ## Performance Benchmarks | Metric | v1.0 | v2.0 | Improvement | |--------|------|------|-------------| | Dashboard Load | 2.0s | 1.0s | 50% | | API Response | 200ms | 140ms | 30% | | Memory Usage | 512MB | 307MB | 40% | ``` ## Release Notes Checklist Before publishing: - [ ] **Version number** correct (semver: X.Y.Z) - [ ] **Release date** accurate - [ ] **All issues** from fixVersion included - [ ] **Breaking changes** highlighted - [ ] **Upgrade instructions** clear and complete - [ ] **Known issues** documented - [ ] **Contributors** credited - [ ] **Links** working (docs, issues, PRs) - [ ] **Reviewed** by product and engineering - [ ] **Proofread** for typos and clarity ## Semantic Versioning Guide ### MAJOR version (X.0.0) Breaking changes that require user action: - API breaking changes - Database schema changes - Configuration format changes - Removed features ### MINOR version (x.Y.0) New features, backwards compatible: - New functionality - New API endpoints - Performance improvements