implementing release pipeline and docs

[bpod]

This pull request introduces significant updates to the CI/CD workflows, release process, and project documentation to streamline development and automate releases. Key changes include improvements to the CI pipeline, new workflows for release management and npm publishing, and updated documentation for contributors and maintainers.

CI/CD Workflow Enhancements:

• CI Workflow (.github/workflows/ci.yml):

  • Added paths-ignore to skip CI runs for non-code changes (**.md, LICENSE, .gitignore).
  • Introduced semantic versioning validation for package.json in pull requests.
  • Added a new job to ensure CHANGELOG.md is updated when package.json version changes.

• NPM Publish Workflow (.github/workflows/npm-publish.yml):

  • Changed trigger from release: created to release: published and upgraded Node.js version from 18 to 20.
  • Added steps to verify package.json version matches the release tag and to comment on the release with publishing details.

Release Automation:

• Create Release Workflow (.github/workflows/create-release.yml):

  • Automatically creates GitHub releases for merged pull requests with release/ prefixes, extracting version and release notes from package.json and CHANGELOG.md.

• Release Management Workflow (.github/workflows/release.yml):

  • Enables maintainers to trigger releases manually via workflow dispatch, supporting patch, minor, and major versions, with optional pre-release labels.

Documentation Updates:

• README.md:

  • Added links to the new RELEASING.md and CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidance on the release process and development standards. [1] [2]

• RELEASING.md:

  • Introduced a comprehensive guide for the automated release process, including semantic versioning guidelines and troubleshooting steps.

[Copilot]

Pull Request Overview

This pull request streamlines the release process by updating CI/CD workflows, automating release creation/publishing, and improving developer documentation.

• Updated CI pipeline to ignore non-code changes and enforce semantic versioning.
• Introduced new workflows for release management, npm publishing, and GitHub release creation.
• Enhanced documentation with detailed release and contribution guides.

Reviewed Changes

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 6 changed files in this pull request and generated 2 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
RELEASING.md	Added comprehensive release process documentation.
README.md	Updated links to release and contributing guidelines.
.github/workflows/release.yml	Implemented a workflow for manual release management with version bump logic.
.github/workflows/npm-publish.yml	Updated npm publish workflow to trigger on release published and Node.js v20.
.github/workflows/create-release.yml	Added automation to create GitHub releases from merged release PRs.
.github/workflows/ci.yml	Enhanced CI with paths-ignore and a new check to verify CHANGELOG.md updates.

[codecov]

Codecov Report

All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests ✅

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[Copilot]

Pull Request Overview

This pull request automates the release process by introducing updated CI/CD workflows and improved documentation. Key changes include:

• Enhanced CI pipeline with CHANGELOG.md update checks and semantic versioning validation.
• New workflows for release management, GitHub release creation, and npm publishing.
• Updated documentation in README.md and RELEASING.md for contributors and maintainers.

Reviewed Changes

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 6 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
RELEASING.md	New comprehensive guide outlining the automated release process
README.md	Added links to the release process and contributing guidelines
.github/workflows/release.yml	New workflow for release management with workflow_dispatch inputs
.github/workflows/npm-publish.yml	Updated Node.js version and event type for npm publishing
.github/workflows/create-release.yml	Workflow that automates GitHub release creation
.github/workflows/ci.yml	Enhanced CI checks including semantic versioning and CHANGELOG updates