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How to make new xPack MinGW-w64 GCC releases

GitHub package.json version NPM Version license GitHub issues GitHub pulls

This page is designed for maintainers of the xPack MinGW-w64 GCC project and provides documentation on how to create new releases.

Prerequisites​

The build scripts run on GNU/Linux and macOS. The Windows binaries are compiled on x64 GNU/Linux, using mingw-w64.

For details on installing the prerequisites, please read the Build Prerequisites page.

Get project sources​

The project is hosted on GitHub:

To clone the stable branch (xpack), run the following commands in a terminal (on Windows use the Git Bash console):

rm -rf ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git && \
git clone https://github.com/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git \
  ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git

For development purposes, clone the xpack-development branch:

rm -rf ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git && \
mkdir -p ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools && \
git clone \
  --branch xpack-development \
  https://github.com/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git \
  ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git

Or, if the repo was already cloned:

git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git pull

Get the writable helper sources​

The project has a dependency to a common helper, that is normally installed as a read-only dependency; for development purposes, to be able to make changes to the scripts located inside the helper, clone the xpack-development branch and link it to the user global xPacks store:

rm -rf ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git && \
mkdir -p ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools && \
git clone \
  --branch xpack-development \
  https://github.com/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git \
  ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git && \
xpm link -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git

Or, if the repo was already cloned:

git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git pull
xpm link -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git

Other repositories in use are:

  • none

Release schedule​

This distribution generally follows the official GCC release timeline.

For each major version there are 2 releases, like 14.1 in the first part of the year (tentatively April-May) and 14.2 in the second part (tentatively in August-September).

Previous versions are maintained for 3 more years, and, around midyear, GNU releases updates for the previous 3 versions, (like 13.3, 12.4, 11.5).

Prepare the new releases​

Before starting the build, perform some checks and tweaks.

Download the build scripts​

The build scripts are available in the build-assets/scripts folder of the xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack Git repo.

To download them on a new machine, clone the xpack-development branch, as seen above.

Check Git​

In the xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack Git repo:

  • switch to the xpack-development branch
  • pull new changes
  • if necessary, merge the xpack branch
  • if necessary, merge the website branch
caution

This is really important, otherwise the next steps will build again the previous release!

The xpack branch should be unchanged since the previous release and will be updated when the new release is out.

Update helper & other dependencies​

Check the latest versions at https://github.com/xpack-dev-tools/ and update the dependencies in build-assets/package.json.

Check the latest upstream release​

The current release must be announced in the GCC Timeline page. Compare the latest GCC release with the current xPack release.

If necessary, update the triplet, otherwise increase the fourth number, as below.

The actual version is in the gcc.git/gcc/BASE-VER file.

Increase the version and update it in the top package.json​

  • determine the version (like 14.2.0-1.1)
  • update the version in top package.json
  • use the new version, suffixed by .pre, like 14.2.0-1.1.pre.

Increase the version and update VERSION​

Determine the version (like 14.2.0-1) and update the build-assets/scripts/VERSION file; the format is 14.2.0-1. The fourth number is the xPack release number of this version. A fifth number will be added to the version in package.json when the package is published to the npm server.

Update the websiteConfig in website/package.json (if necessary)​

  • update the release specific properties (if any)

Generate the top commons​

Run the top generate-top-commons npm script to update the build-assets/package.json and the GitHub workflow files.

(cd ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git; npm run generate-top-commons)

Commit the top changes​

  • stage GitHub workflows and package.json files (top and from build-assets)
  • commit with the message re-generate top commons to bump deps

Update the website commons​

Run the generate-website-commons npm script from website/package.json.

Commit the website changes​

  • stage website and top README.md
  • commit with the message website: re-generate commons

Start the local web server​

Execute the npm script clean then start in the website sub-project, or run the following in a terminal:

(cd ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git/website; npm run clean; npm run start)

Navigate to the Maintainer Info page, the Update the version specific code section.

Update the version specific code​

  • open the build-assets/scripts/versioning.sh file
  • add a new if with the new version before the existing code

Fix possible open issues​

Check GitHub issues and pull requests:

and fix them; assign them to a milestone (like 14.2.0-1).

Update CHANGELOG.md​

  • open the CHANGELOG.md file
  • check if all previous fixed issues are in
  • check the latest commits xpm run git-log; if necessary, copy/paste lines, group by dates and edit them using the below regular expressions
  • to turn the dates into headings, change from: 


    ([0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]-[0-9][0-9]-[0-9][0-9]) [*]
    to: 


    ## $1

    *
  • to remove the rest of the dates, change from: 
    ^[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]-[0-9][0-9]-[0-9][0-9] [*]
    to: 
    *
  • add a new entry like * v14.2.0-1 prepared
  • commit with the message prepare v14.2.0-1

Push the changes to the xpack-development branch​

Be sure that the latest commit that updates VERSION is pushed to the xpack-development branch!

caution

This is really important, otherwise the next steps will build again the previous release!

Run the development builds​

The builds currently run on 5 dedicated machines (x64 GNU/Linux, x64 macOS, arm64 macOS, arm64 GNU/Linux, arm GNU/Linux).

Before the real build, run test/development builds on all platforms.

Visual Studio Code extension​

All actions are defined as xpm/xPack actions and can be conveniently triggered via the VS Code graphical interface, using the xPack C/C++ Managed Build Tools extension.

Patches​

For macOS builds, this project uses the same patches as gcc-xpack.

Restart the docker daemons​

If, for any reasons, the docker builds need to be canceled, it is very likely that some processes will continue to run in the background.

To completely terminate them, and ensure that docker runs from a clean slate, restart the docker daemons on all GNU/Linux machines:

sudo systemctl restart docker

Check if both projects are pushed​

Check if both the current project and the helper are on the xpack-development branch and the latest commits are pushed to GitHub.

caution

This is particularly crucial for extensive projects; otherwise, the build may proceed with the previous version.

Build the x64 macOS binaries​

For x64 macOS, first run the build on the development machine (wksi, a recent macOS):

export XBB_ENVIRONMENT_SKIP_CHECKS="y"
rm -f ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets/package-lock.json
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git pull

xpm run install -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git pull
xpm link -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git

xpm run link-deps -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

xpm run deep-clean --config darwin-x64  -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm install --config darwin-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run build-development --config darwin-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

For a debug build:

xpm run build-development-debug --config darwin-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

The build takes 81 minutes (1h21m) to complete.

When functional, push the xpack-development branch to GitHub.

Run the native build on the production machine (xbbmi, an older macOS); start a VS Code remote session, or connect with a terminal:

caffeinate ssh xbbmi

To check the available space:

xpm run check-space -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

To free the space used by all previous builds of all xpack-dev-tools packages:

xpm run clear-all-projects-builds -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

To update the build scripts and build the development binaries:

rm -f ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets/package-lock.json && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git pull && \
xpm run install -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git pull && \
xpm link -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git && \
xpm run link-deps -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
\
xpm run deep-clean --config darwin-x64  -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm install --config darwin-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run build-development --config darwin-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

About 63 minutes (1h03m) later, the output of the build script is a compressed archive and its SHA signature, created in the build-assets/build/darwin-x64/deploy folder:

  • xpack-mingw-w64-gcc-14.2.0-1-darwin-x64.tar.gz
  • xpack-mingw-w64-gcc-14.2.0-1-darwin-x64.tar.gz.sha

To update the build scripts and build the release binaries:

rm -f ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/package-lock.json && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git pull && \
xpm run install -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
\
xpm run deep-clean --config darwin-x64  -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm install --config darwin-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run build --config darwin-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

Build the arm64 macOS binaries​

Run the native build on the production machine (xbbma, an older macOS); start a VS Code remote session, or connect with a terminal:

caffeinate ssh xbbma

To check the available space:

xpm run check-space -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

To free the space used by all previous builds of all xpack-dev-tools packages:

xpm run clear-all-projects-builds -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

To update the build scripts and build the development binaries:

rm -f ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets/package-lock.json && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git pull && \
xpm run install -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git pull && \
xpm link -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git && \
xpm run link-deps -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
\
xpm run deep-clean --config darwin-arm64  -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm install --config darwin-arm64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run build-development --config darwin-arm64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

About 36 minutes later, the output of the build script is a compressed archive and its SHA signature, created in the build-assets/build/darwin-arm64/deploy folder:

  • xpack-mingw-w64-gcc-14.2.0-1-darwin-arm64.tar.gz
  • xpack-mingw-w64-gcc-14.2.0-1-darwin-arm64.tar.gz.sha

To update the build scripts and build the release binaries:

rm -f ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/package-lock.json && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git pull && \
xpm run install -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
\
xpm run deep-clean --config darwin-arm64  -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm install --config darwin-arm64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run build --config darwin-arm64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

Build the x64 GNU/Linux binaries​

Run the docker build on the production machine (xbbli); start a VS Code remote session, or connect with a terminal:

caffeinate ssh xbbli

To check the available space:

xpm run check-space -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

To free the space used by all previous builds of all xpack-dev-tools packages:

xpm run clear-all-projects-builds -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

To update the build scripts and build the development binaries:

rm -f ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets/package-lock.json && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git pull && \
xpm run install -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git pull && \
xpm link -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git && \
xpm run link-deps -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
\
xpm run deep-clean --config linux-x64  -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-prepare --config linux-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-link-deps --config linux-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-build-development --config linux-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

About 43 minutes later, the output of the build script is a compressed archive and its SHA signature, created in the build-assets/build/linux-x64/deploy folder:

  • xpack-mingw-w64-gcc-14.2.0-1-linux-x64.tar.gz
  • xpack-mingw-w64-gcc-14.2.0-1-linux-x64.tar.gz.sha

To update the build scripts and build the release binaries:

rm -f ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/package-lock.json && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git pull && \
xpm run install -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
\
xpm run deep-clean --config linux-x64  -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-prepare --config linux-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-build-development --config linux-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

Build the x64 Windows binaries​

Run the docker build on the production machine (xbbli); start a VS Code remote session, or connect with a terminal:

caffeinate ssh xbbli

To check the available space:

xpm run check-space -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

To free the space used by all previous builds of all xpack-dev-tools packages:

xpm run clear-all-projects-builds -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

To update the build scripts and build the development binaries:

rm -f ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets/package-lock.json && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git pull && \
xpm run install -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git pull && \
xpm link -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git && \
xpm run link-deps -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
\
xpm run deep-clean --config win32-x64  -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-prepare --config win32-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-link-deps --config win32-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-build-development --config win32-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

About 137 minutes (2h17m) later, the output of the build script is a compressed archive and its SHA signature, created in the build-assets/build/win32-x64/deploy folder:

  • xpack-mingw-w64-gcc-14.2.0-1-win32-x64.zip
  • xpack-mingw-w64-gcc-14.2.0-1-win32-x64.zip.sha

To update the build scripts and build the release binaries:

rm -f ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/package-lock.json && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git pull && \
xpm run install -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
\
xpm run deep-clean --config win32-x64  -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-prepare --config win32-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-build-development --config win32-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

Build the arm64 GNU/Linux binaries​

Run the docker build on the production machine (xbbla); start a VS Code remote session, or connect with a terminal:

caffeinate ssh xbbla

To check the available space:

xpm run check-space -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

To free the space used by all previous builds of all xpack-dev-tools packages:

xpm run clear-all-projects-builds -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

To update the build scripts and build the development binaries:

rm -f ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets/package-lock.json && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git pull && \
xpm run install -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git pull && \
xpm link -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git && \
xpm run link-deps -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
\
xpm run deep-clean --config linux-arm64  -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-prepare --config linux-arm64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-link-deps --config linux-arm64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-build-development --config linux-arm64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

About 255 minutes (4h15m) later, or 64 minutes (1h04m) on ampere, the output of the build script is a compressed archive and its SHA signature, created in the build-assets/build/linux-arm64/deploy folder:

  • xpack-mingw-w64-gcc-14.2.0-1-linux-arm64.tar.gz
  • xpack-mingw-w64-gcc-14.2.0-1-linux-arm64.tar.gz.sha

To update the build scripts and build the release binaries:

rm -f ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/package-lock.json && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git pull && \
xpm run install -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
\
xpm run deep-clean --config linux-arm64  -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-prepare --config linux-arm64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-build-development --config linux-arm64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

Build the arm GNU/Linux (32-bit) binaries​

Run the docker build on the production machine (xbbla32); start a VS Code remote session, or connect with a terminal:

caffeinate ssh xbbla32

To check the available space:

xpm run check-space -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

To free the space used by all previous builds of all xpack-dev-tools packages:

xpm run clear-all-projects-builds -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

To update the build scripts and build the development binaries:

rm -f ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets/package-lock.json && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git pull && \
xpm run install -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git pull && \
xpm link -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git && \
xpm run link-deps -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
\
xpm run deep-clean --config linux-arm  -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-prepare --config linux-arm -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-link-deps --config linux-arm -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-build-development --config linux-arm -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

About 219 minutes (3h39m) later, the output of the build script is a compressed archive and its SHA signature, created in the build-assets/build/linux-arm/deploy folder:

  • xpack-mingw-w64-gcc-14.2.0-1-linux-arm.tar.gz
  • xpack-mingw-w64-gcc-14.2.0-1-linux-arm.tar.gz.sha

To update the build scripts and build the release binaries:

rm -f ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/package-lock.json && \
git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git pull && \
xpm run install -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
\
xpm run deep-clean --config linux-arm  -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-prepare --config linux-arm -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets && \
xpm run docker-build-development --config linux-arm -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

Update the durations of the development builds​

In website/docs/_shared/_development-durations.mdx, update the durations of the builds.

Commit with the message website: update development durations.

Update the trees in the Install Guide page​

Copy the trees displayed at the end of the test builds and paste to Folder hierarchy section in the web file:

  • website/docs/_shared/_folders-hierarchies-linux.mdx
  • website/docs/_shared/_folders-hierarchies-macos.mdx
  • website/docs/_shared/_folders-hierarchies-windows.mdx

If present, replace the actual version (like 14.2.0) with the following expression:

${customField('upstreamVersion')}
tip

macOS does not have a tree command; either compile it from sources, or install it via HomeBrew, and make a link to /usr/local/bin.

Commit with the message website: update folder hierarchies.

Copy/paste the full list of links displayed at the end of the build, in sequence, for each platform (Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux), and check the differences compared to the repository.

Commit if necessary with the message package.json: update executables links.

How to build a debug version​

In some cases it is necessary to run a debug session with the binaries.

For these cases, the build script accepts the --debug options.

There are also xpm actions that use this option (build-development-debug and docker-build-development-debug).

Files cache​

The XBB build scripts use a local cache such that files are downloaded only during the first run, later runs being able to use the cached files.

However, occasionally some servers may not be available, and the builds may fail.

The workaround is to manually download the files from alternate locations (like https://github.com/xpack-dev-tools/files-cache/tree/master/libs), place them in the XBB cache (Work/cache) and restart the build.

Run the production builds​

The automation is provided by GitHub Actions and three self-hosted runners.

Start the self-hosted runners​

If the runners expired (more than 2 weeks since last use), run the github-runner-configure.sh script to reconfigure them. This scripts is available in the xbb-helper and requires GITHUB_API_XPACK_DEV_TOOLS_RUNNERS_TOKEN to be present.

  • on the development machine (wksi) open ssh sessions to the build machines (xbbli, xbbmi, xbbma, xbbla, xbbla32):
caffeinate ssh xbbli
caffeinate ssh xbbmi
caffeinate ssh xbbma
caffeinate ssh xbbla
caffeinate ssh xbbla32

Create a screen session, to provide a persistent standard output for the runners:

screen -S ga

To quit it, use # Ctrl-a Ctrl-d.

For xbbli & xbbla, which have more memory, start two runners:

~/actions-runners/xpack-dev-tools/1/run.sh &
~/actions-runners/xpack-dev-tools/2/run.sh &

For the macOS x64 runners, be sure the deployment target is defined:

unset WORK_FOLDER_PATH
export XBB_ENVIRONMENT_MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET="10.13"
~/actions-runners/xpack-dev-tools/run.sh &
unset WORK_FOLDER_PATH
export XBB_ENVIRONMENT_MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET="11.0"
~/actions-runners/xpack-dev-tools/run.sh &

On all other machines start the runner with:

~/actions-runners/xpack-dev-tools/run.sh &

To check the status of the runners locally:

ps -a | grep 'Runner.Listener'

To kill them:

killall Runner.Listener

Check the status of the runners​

The status of all self-hosted runners is available at the GitHub Runners page.

Publish the helper​

Publish a new release of the helper on npmjs.

In the npm packages helper, update the dependency to the new helper​

In templates/_xpack-dev-tools/build-assets/package-merge-liquid.json, update the reference to "@xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper":.

Generate the top commons​

Run the top generate-top-commons npm script to update the build-assets/package.json and the GitHub workflow files.

(cd ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git; npm run generate-top-commons)

Commit the top changes​

  • stage GitHub workflows and package.json files (top and from build-assets)
  • commit with the message re-generate top commons to bump deps

Check for disk space​

Check if the build machines have enough free space and eventually do some cleanups:

xpm run check-space -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

This is equivalent to running a df command.

df -gH /

To free the space used by all previous builds of all xpack-dev-tools packages:

xpm run clear-all-projects-builds -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

This is equivalent to running a wide rm to remove the build folders:

rm -rf ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/*/build-assets/build

Commit and push​

  • push the xpack-development branch to GitHub

Check if the helper is pushed and published​

The helper xpack branch must be updated and the npm package published.

Manually trigger the build GitHub Actions​

To trigger the GitHub Actions builds, use the xpm actions:

  • trigger-workflow-build-darwin-x64
  • trigger-workflow-build-darwin-arm64
  • trigger-workflow-build-linux-x64
  • trigger-workflow-build-win32-x64
  • trigger-workflow-build-linux-arm64
  • trigger-workflow-build-linux-arm
xpm run trigger-workflow-build-darwin-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets
xpm run trigger-workflow-build-darwin-arm64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets
xpm run trigger-workflow-build-linux-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets
xpm run trigger-workflow-build-win32-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets
xpm run trigger-workflow-build-linux-arm64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets
xpm run trigger-workflow-build-linux-arm -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

The scripts behind these actions require the GITHUB_API_DISPATCH_TOKEN variable to be present in the environment, and the organization PUBLISH_TOKEN to be visible in the Settings → Action → Secrets page.

These commands use the xpack-development branch of this repo.

Durations & resulting binaries​

The builds take almost 5 hours to complete:

  • darwin-x64: 1h17m (nuc)
  • darwin-arm64: 41m (m1)
  • linux-x64: 52m (amd)
  • win32-x64: 2h45m (amd)
  • linux-arm64: 4h39m (rpi4)
  • linux-arm: 4h2m (rpi4)

The workflow results and logs are available from the GitHub Actions page.

Update the values in website/docs/_shared/_github-actions-durations.mdx with those shown by GitHub Actions.

Commit with the message website: update actions durations.

The resulting binaries are available for testing from pre-releases/test.

Run the tests​

Automated tests​

The automation is provided by GitHub Actions.

To trigger the GitHub Actions tests, run the xpm actions:

  • trigger-workflow-test-prime
  • trigger-workflow-test-docker-linux-x64
  • trigger-workflow-test-docker-linux-arm
xpm run trigger-workflow-test-prime -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets
xpm run trigger-workflow-test-docker-linux-x64 -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets
xpm run trigger-workflow-test-docker-linux-arm -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

The scripts behind these accessible require the GITHUB_API_DISPATCH_TOKEN variable to be present in the environment.

These actions use the xpack-development branch of this repo and the pre-releases/test binaries.

caution

Some of the docker-linux-arm tests have an issue on Debian and the Clean working area step fails.

The tests results are available from the GitHub Actions page.

After running the prime tests, download the test results and compare with previous runs.

More macOS tests​

Since GitHub Actions provides a limited range of versions for the macOS runner, the multi-version macOS tests run on Travis.

To trigger the Travis test, run the trigger-travis-macos xpm action:

xpm run trigger-travis-macos -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

This script requires the TRAVIS_COM_TOKEN variable to be present in the environment.

The test results are available from Travis CI.

Manual tests​

To download the pre-released archive for the specific platform and run the tests, use:

git -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git pull
xpm run install -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets
xpm run test-pre-release -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

For even more tests, on each platform, download the archive from pre-releases/test and check the binaries.

On macOS, remove the com.apple.quarantine flag:

xattr -cr ${HOME}/Downloads/xpack-*

Running the tests with the external binaries​

It is possible to run the tests on a regular machine, using the system binaries.

Clone the project and the helper, and link them:

rm -rf ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/xpacks
mkdir -pv ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/xpacks/@xpack-dev-tools
ln -sv ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper-xpack.git ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/xpacks/@xpack-dev-tools/xbb-helper

To calibrate the tests with the system tools:

bash ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/scripts/test.sh --system --develop

On Ubuntu, to install mingw-gcc, libraries and wine, use:

sudo apt-get install --yes g++-mingw-w64 mingw-w64-tools wine64

On Manjaro, install

sudo pacman --sync mingw-w64-gcc mingw-w64-tools wine

If the 32-bit libraries are not available, skip the tests:

bash ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/scripts/test.sh --system --skip-32

Publish the release​

Create a new GitHub pre-release​

  • in CHANGELOG.md, add the release date and a message like * v14.2.0-1 released
  • commit with the message CHANGELOG update
  • check and possibly update the build-assets/templates/body-github-release-liquid.mdx
  • push the xpack-development branch to GitHub
  • run the trigger-workflow-publish-release xpm action: 
    xpm run trigger-workflow-publish-release -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

The workflow result and logs are available from the GitHub Actions page.

The result is a draft pre-release tagged like v14.2.0-1 (mind the dash in the middle!) and named like xPack MinGW-w64 GCC v14.2.0-1 (mind the dash), with all binaries attached.

  • edit the draft and be sure it is attached to the xpack-development branch (important!)
  • perform the final edits (maintenance vs. new release) and check if everything is fine
  • add entries in the Bug fixes; use the following syntax 
    - [[#N](https://github.com/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack/issues/N)]:
  • keep the pre-release button enabled
  • do not enable Discussions yet
  • click the Publish release button
info

At this moment the system should send an email notification to all clients watching the mingw-w64-gcc-xpack project.

Prepare a new blog post​

  • check and possibly update the website/blog/_templates/blog-post-release-part-[12]-liquid.md
  • run the generate-website-blog-post xpm action; this will add a file in the website/blog folder: 
    xpm run generate-website-blog-post -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets
  • edit the description property in the post front matter
  • select the correct summary (maintenance vs. new release)
  • copy/paste the folders hierarchies from the install guide
  • commit with the message website: blog post release 14.2.0-1 published

Update the web install page​

  • check and possibly update the output of the --version runs in
    • website/docs/install/_project/_automatic-install-quick-test.mdx
    • website/docs/install/_project/_manual-install-quick-test.mdx
  • commit with the message website: update quick tests
  • open the top package.json file
  • check if the links in the bin property cover the actual binaries
  • if necessary, also check on Windows

Update the package.json list of binaries​

  • select the xpack-development branch
  • be sure that the binaries were attached to the pre-release
  • run the update-package-binaries xpm action: 
    xpm run update-package-binaries -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets
  • open the top package.json file
  • check the baseUrl: it should match the file URLs (including the tag/version); no terminating / is required
  • from the release, check the SHA & file names
  • compare the SHA sums with those shown by cat *.sha
  • check the executable names
  • commit all changes with the message package.json: update urls for 14.2.0-1.1 release

Publish on the npmjs.com server​

  • select the xpack-development branch
  • check the latest commits xpm run git-log
  • update CHANGELOG.md, add a line like * v14.2.0-1.1 published on npmjs.com
  • commit with the message CHANGELOG: publish npm v14.2.0-1.1
  • npm pack and check the content of the archive, which should list only the package.json, the README.md, LICENSE and CHANGELOG.md; possibly adjust .npmignore
  • configure the version; the first 4 numbers are the same as the GitHub release; the fifth number is the npm specific version: 
    npm version 14.2.0-1.1
  • the commits and the tag should have been pushed by the postversion script; if not, push them with git push origin --tags to GitHub
  • publish and add the test tag: 
    npm publish --tag test
  • when publishing for the first time, use: 
    npm publish --access public

After a few moments the version will be visible at npmjs.com.

Test if the binaries can be installed with xpm​

Run the trigger-workflow-test-xpm xpm action:

xpm run trigger-workflow-test-xpm -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

This will install the package via xpm install on all supported platforms.

The tests results are available from the GitHub Actions page.

Copy the test results​

For the toolchain projects, use the Artifact download UR from the Generate tests report GitHub Action to download the test-report.zip file, unzip it and copy the markdown file to website/docs/tests.

Edit the website/docs/tests/index.md file to add the new page.

Check the Known problems link in the blog post.

Commit with the message website: add tests results.

Tag the npm package as latest​

When the release is considered stable, promote it as latest:

npm dist-tag add @xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc@14.2.0-1.1 latest

Check the result:

npm dist-tag ls @xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc

In case the release proves problematic and needs to be unpublished:

npm unpublish @xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc@14.2.0-1.1

Build the static website locally​

Validate the web site content in a local build via the npm build script:

(cd website; npm run build)

Publish the website​

  • open https://xpack-dev-tools.github.io/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack/docs/maintainer/#publish-the-website in a separate window
  • stop the local web server
  • select the website branch
  • merge xpack-development into website
  • push the website branch to GitHub
    info

    At this moment an automated GitHub Action will generate and publish the website.

  • if already there from a previous run, delete the web-20250207 tag, including from remote
  • add a new tag like web-20250207 and push it to remote
  • checkout the xpack-development branch
  • wait for the publish to complete
  • refresh the web page
  • the new release blog post is in https://xpack-dev-tools.github.io/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack/blog/
  • remember the post URL, since it must be used to update the release page and the X/Twitter announcement

The website branch may be subsequently updated, as long as the version in the top package.json is not changed.

Update the xpack branch​

In this Git repo:

  • select the xpack branch
  • merge xpack-development into xpack
  • push the xpack branch to GitHub
  • checkout the xpack-development branch
note

Avoid further updates to the xpack branch until the next release.

Create the final GitHub release​

  • go to the GitHub Releases page
  • check the download counter, it should match the number of tests
  • add a link to the Web blog [Continue reading »](); use an same blog URL
  • remove the tests only notice
  • disable the Set as a pre-release button
  • enable the Set as the latest release button
  • click the Update Release button

Check SourceForge mirror​

Cleanups​

Remove the pre-release binaries​

Clean the work area​

Run the trigger-workflow-deep-clean xpm action:

xpm run trigger-workflow-deep-clean -C ~/Work/xpack-dev-tools/mingw-w64-gcc-xpack.git/build-assets

This will remove the build folders on all self-hosted runners.

The results are available from the GitHub Actions page.

Close possible open issues​

Check GitHub issues and pull requests:

Close those that were addressed.

Share on Twitter​

  • in a separate browser windows, open X/Twitter
  • using the @xpack_project account
  • paste the release name like xPack MinGW-w64 GCC v14.2.0-1 released
  • paste the link to the blog post release
  • click the Tweet button

Analytics​

Credit to Shields IO for the badges and to Somsubhra/github-release-stats for the individual file counters.