release

name	release
description	Release procedure for Fix compiler. Use when: preparing a new version release, bumping compiler version, running release checks, publishing a tagged release. Covers version bumps, doc generation, performance testing, license updates, and git tagging.

Fix Compiler Release Procedure

When to Use

• Preparing a new version release of the Fix compiler
• Running pre-release checks (tests, performance, documentation)
• Publishing a tagged release to the repository

Prerequisites

• cargo-about installed (cargo install cargo-about)
• The fix command must be buildable with cargo build --release

Procedure

Step 1: Set Compiler Version in Cargo.toml

Edit Cargo.toml at the project root. Update the version field under [package]:

[package]
version = "X.Y.Z"

Important: For pre-release versions (alpha/beta), do NOT put the pre-release suffix in Cargo.toml. The semver crate's VersionReq::STAR (*) does not match pre-release versions, which would cause all projects with fix-version = "*" to fail. For example, for a v1.3.0-beta.2 release, keep version = "1.3.0" in Cargo.toml. The pre-release designation is only in the git tag.

Step 2: Sync std-doc Version

The std-doc version must match the compiler version in Cargo.toml (i.e., without any pre-release suffix). Update these two files:

1. std_doc/fixproj.toml — Update the version field:

   [general]
   name = "std-doc"
   version = "X.Y.Z"
   

2. std_doc/Std.md — Update the version in the header line:

   Defined in std-doc@X.Y.Z
   

   Note: This file is regenerated by test_generate_documents in Step 6, so updating fixproj.toml is sufficient if you run that test. But verify the output matches after generation.

Step 3: Verify WRITE_LOG is Disabled

Check src/tool/log_file.rs and confirm:

pub const WRITE_LOG: bool = false;

This must be false for release builds. If it is true, change it to false. Releasing with WRITE_LOG = true would cause the compiler to write debug logs during normal use.

Step 4: Run Full Test Suite

fix clean && cargo test --release

• fix clean removes the .fixlang/ build artifact directory
• cargo test --release runs all unit and integration tests in release mode
• All tests must pass before proceeding

Step 5: Run Speed Test

Run the speedtest to check for performance regressions:

cd benchmark/speedtest
fix run

Compare the output against previous entries in benchmark/speedtest/log.csv. Look for significant regressions in execution time or resource usage.

Optionally, record the result in log.csv with the current commit hash for future comparison.

Step 6: Generate Documentation

Run the test_generate_documents integration test:

cargo test --release test_generate_documents

This test:

• Installs the fix command
• Runs fix docs -m Std -o . in the std_doc/ directory
• Regenerates std_doc/Std.md with current API documentation

This test must pass. If it fails, stop the release process and fix the issue before proceeding.

After running, verify that std_doc/Std.md has been updated with the correct version and content.

Step 7: Update Open Source License Page

Use cargo-about to regenerate the third-party licenses HTML:

cargo about generate third-party-licenses/about.hbs > third-party-licenses/third-party-licenses.html

Review the generated third-party-licenses/third-party-licenses.html for completeness. The accepted licenses are configured in about.toml.

Step 8: Update CHANGELOG.md (for stable releases)

If this is a stable release (not alpha/beta), update CHANGELOG.md:

1. Replace the [Unreleased] header with the version and release date:

   ## [X.Y.Z] - YYYY-MM-DD
   

2. Add a new empty [Unreleased] section above it for future changes.

Step 9: Review Changes

Before committing, show the diff for the user to review:

git diff

Present the diff to the user and wait for approval before proceeding to commit, tag, and push.

Step 10: Commit, Tag, and Push

1. Commit all changes:

   git add -A
   git commit -m "Release vX.Y.Z"
   

2. Create a tag with the v prefix:

   git tag vX.Y.Z
   

3. Push the commit and tag:

   git push
   git push --tags
   

Checklist Summary

• Cargo.toml version updated
• std_doc/fixproj.toml version updated
• std_doc/Std.md version matches (or regenerated)
• WRITE_LOG is false in src/tool/log_file.rs
• fix clean && cargo test --release passes
• Speedtest (fix run in benchmark/speedtest/) shows no significant regression
• test_generate_documents passed
• third-party-licenses/third-party-licenses.html regenerated
• CHANGELOG.md updated (stable releases only)
• Diff reviewed and approved by user
• Changes committed, tagged as vX.Y.Z, and pushed to main