10.1 Release Checklist

Timeline (tentative)

• YYYY-MM-DD 🚀 Release Kick-off ⚽ (default branch merged to stable)
• YYYY-MM-DD 🛠️ 1st release candidate **10.0.90** on <https://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/octave/>
• YYYY-MM-DD 🏁 Final Release 🎉 **10.1.0** on <https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/octave/>

Please use <strike> </strike> to mark items below as done.

🚀 Kick-off ⚽

---

⚙️ Update stable and default branch to new version numbers

Completion Date:

• Merge default onto stable to become the current stable release (see

 instructions in `etc/HACKING.md`).

• Bump version numbers in `configure.ac` on stable branch (see

 `etc/HACKING.md`).

• Bump version numbers in `configure.ac` on default branch (see

 `etc/HACKING.md`).

• Create new `etc/NEWS.VERSION+1.md` file on default branch by copying

 `etc/NEWS.VERSION.md` and then removing text so that it is a template file
 with headings only.

⚙️ Update gnulib to latest version

Completion Date:

• • Must occur first** as it could resolve existing, or create new, bug reports.

You should run `./bootstrap` in the source tree after updating to the new gnulib version.

📢 Call for bug reports

Completion Date:

• Put out a general call for reports on [Octave Discourse](https://octave.discourse.group/) for all outstanding, but unreported, known bugs.
• Create Savannah `Release` tag `VERSION.0.90` on bug tracker for 1st release

 candidate.

• Mark items that should be fixed for the release with this tag.
• Update Savannah `Planned Release` and `Fixed Release` tags by adding

 `VERSION.1.0 (current stable)` and `VERSION+1.1.0 (current default)`.

• Review bug overview at <https://octave.space/savannah/>.

📢 Update GUI translation files

Completion Date:

• Call for updates ([Octave Discourse](https://octave.discourse.group/)) that

 might change GUI strings.

• String freeze date:
• Update language translation files (`*.ts`). See instructions in

 `libgui/languages/build_ts/README.md`.

• Create bug report on Savannah as a centralized location for uploading files

 and tracking status of translations.

• Call for translations of GUI strings on [Octave Discourse Maintainers](https://octave.discourse.group/c/maintainers/7), CC-ing the translators (see [list of translators](https://hg.savannah.gnu.org/hgweb/octave/file/tip/libgui/languages/translators)).
• Collect translation files on Savannah bug report and push to Mercurial.

⚖️ GPL License activities

Completion Date:

• Update copyright statements for all source controlled files.

   Command to update copyright notifications

   `hg locate | xargs sed -i 's/Copyright (C) \([0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]\)-2023 The Octave Project Developers/Copyright (C) \1-2024 The Octave Project Developers/; s/Copyright (C) 2023 The Octave Project Developers/Copyright (C) 2023-2024 The Octave Project Developers/'`

   Command to check results before checking in

   `hg diff | grep ^[-+][^-+] | sed 's/[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]-/YYYY-/' | sort -u`

• Update dates in any other locations (`CITATION`, MXE `README.html` file).
• Add any new contributors to `doc/interpreter/contributors.in` who wish to be

 mentioned (don't add them without permission).

✅ Style-check code base

Completion Date:

This will produce lots of whitespace changes, but no behavior changes. **Must occur after patches have been added**, since whitespace changes can prevent patches from applying.

• [m-file style check](https://wiki.octave.org/Octave_style_guide)
• [C++ style check](https://wiki.octave.org/C%2B%2B_style_guide)

📖 Review documentation

Completion Date:

• Grammar check documentation (See `doc/interpreter/doccheck/README`).
• Spell check documentation (`make spellcheck`).
• Verify no functions missing from manual

 (`make doc/interpreter/undocumented_list`).

• Verify deprecated functions removed from manual (`*.txi`) and from "see also"

 links.

• Verify all formats (Info, HTML, PDF) build correctly.
• Review `etc/NEWS.VERSION.md` for any features which should be announced.
• Review `__unimplemented__.m` for the latest changes to

 [Octave Forge](https://wiki.octave.org/Octave_Forge) packages and new Matlab
 functions.

• Update `installer-files/README.html` in MXE Octave with version highlights.

🔃 Repeat until all bugs are resolved

---

Completion Date of first iteration:

⚠️ Current state at Savannah

Bug overview at <https://octave.space/savannah/>.

✅ `make check`

• Verify `make check` is passing on all [buildbot combinations of OS and compilers](http://buildbot.octave.org:8010/=/waterfall) and [GitHub CI runners](https://github.com/gnu-octave/octave/actions). Also check [test suite runs on "freshly brewed Octave for Windows"](https://github.com/gnu-octave/octave-buildbot/actions) (Kai's buildbots on octave.space).
• Use software tools to check quality of Octave code.

 * Check for memory leaks by configuring with
   `--enable-address-sanitizer-flags` and compiling with
   `-g -O0 -fno-optimize-sibling-calls` in `CFLAGS`, `CXXFLAGS`, and
   `LDFLAGS`.
 * Check for bad memory accesses by compiling with
   `-g -O0 -fsanitize=undefined -fno-omit-frame-pointer
   -fno-optimize-sibling-calls` in `CFLAGS`, `CXXFLAGS`, and `LDFLAGS`.
 * Update static code analysis results.
     * For `clang`, do `scan-build make -j<N> all` and then `scan-view`.
     * See [PVS static analyzer - 5.0 Release](https://wiki.octave.org/PVS_static_analyzer_-_5.0_Release).
 * Use other tools such as `cppcheck`, etc.

• Start discussion on [Octave Discourse Maintainers](https://octave.discourse.group/c/maintainers/8) about which failing tests that must be fixed and which can be declared **WON'T FIX**.

🛠️ Create new release candidate

• Ensure correct version information (see "Release Numbering" in

 `/etc/HACKING.md`).

• Create `hg tag` in repository with release candidate version number

 (`rc-MAJOR-MINOR-PATCH`).

• Verify `make dist` works.
• Verify `make distcheck` passes.
• Create [Windows Installer](https://wiki.octave.org/Windows_Installer).
• Upload release candidates to <https://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/octave/>.
• Check [Windows Installer](https://wiki.octave.org/Windows_Installer)

 (executable and zip formats) against false positive detection at
 [virustotal.com](https://virustotal.com/).

• Add release candidate version to Savannah bug tracker.
• Announce release candidate to

 [Octave Discourse](https://octave.discourse.group/).

🏁 Final Release 🎉

---

📃 Update version information

Completion Date:

• Ensure correct version information in `configure.ac` (see "Release Numbering"

 in `/etc/HACKING.md`)
 * Set `OCTAVE_RELEASE_DATE` to the current date.
 * Set the year in `OCTAVE_COPYRIGHT` to the current year.

• Create `hg tag` in repository with release candidate version number

 (`release-VERSION-1-0`).

• Update `etc/NEWS.VERSION.md` (final release date in Summary header).
• Update `CITATION` (version, year, URL) if not already done as part of "GPL

 License activities.

• Update `etc/icons/org.octave.Octave.appdata.xml` (version number and release

 date).

• Upload all tarballs to <https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/octave/>.
• Update web site files: `NEWS-VERSION.html`, `index.in`, `news.in`, and

 `download.in`.

• Update <https://wiki.octave.org/Release_History> page.
• Update Savannah bug tracker `Release` field to have new release number.
• Update Savannah bug tracker: **OPEN** bugs marked as **WON'T FIX** should be

 marked as **CONFIRMED** (or more appropriate) for the final release.

• Hide release candidate versions for `Release` field on Savannah.

📢 Announce final release

Completion Date:

• Octave mailing-lists (yes, still) <help@octave.org> and <info-gnu@gnu.org>.
• Octave web site (<https://hg.octave.org/web-octave>)
• Steps documented in this

 [changeset](https://hg.octave.org/web-octave/rev/fe59d0118a2b).

• Upload documentation (manual HTML + PDF `octave.org/doc` and version in

 `octave.org/.htaccess`, Doxygen `octave.org/doxygen`)

• This wiki
• Template:Release = 7.3.0
• Template:Release Date = November 2, 2022
• Template:Release Year = 2022

☑️ Post-Release

Completion Date:

• Remove all deprecated functions scheduled for deletion on default

 branch.  These functions are tagged with `OCTAVE_DEPRECATED` in C++ or are
 m-files located in the directory `scripts/deprecated`.  Check file
 `etc/NEWS.VERSION-2.md` for list of features that have been deprecated.