Release Process

This page describes the steps to Release Katalog. This includes:

• Preparation
• Building the packages
• Communication

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Version Number & date

KDE-aligned versioning policy that works with current major.minor approach.

Core Principles:

1. Single Source of Truth: CMakeLists.txt defines the version
2. Automatic Propagation: Version flows to code via CMake
3. Consistent Naming: Align with KDE practices while keeping the major.minor format (patch number only used in Katalog for Flathub publishing)
4. Automatic Dates: Build-time date generation

Version Format

• CMakeLists.txt: VERSION 2.8
  • Katalog 3: qt_quick/CMakeLists.txt — project(... VERSION 3.0) and KATALOG_VERSION_STRING
  • Katalog 2: qt_widgets/CMakeLists.txt — project(... VERSION 2.13)
  • A pre-release version string contains alpha or beta; it makes Katalog 3 use its own pre-release settings file. The release string must contain neither.
• Tags: v2.8, v2.9
• Display: "Katalog 2.8"

Database Schema Versioning

see SpecVersions

• Schema version = App version when DB changes occur
• Schema version unchanged when no DB changes (like 2.7 staying at 2.6)

Release Check list

Local folder

/Katalog/Release/x.xx

GitHub

Release issue template (Check list)

Name: Release x.xx

Description:

This issue is a check list to help preparing and publishing the Release

Functional updates

• Version number, date (Katalog 3 and Katalog 2 CMakeLists.txt)
• No pre-release marker left: search beta / alpha case-insensitively in version strings and every user-visible text (translated or not), e.g. dialog titles
• Database schema version, if the schema changed (see SpecVersions)
• Clean Application Output: no debug messages, errors, and warnings
• macOS yml if using new KF6 libraries

Language & documentation

• Language updates: no unfinished translation left, .qm files copied to translations/
• Comments, code style, and structure.
• Documentation: English, French and Czech pages, version badges, npm run build without error, copy to /docs
• Flatpak metainfo (packaging/linux/io.github.stephanecouturier.katalog.appdata.xml): new <release> entry with its notes, screenshot URLs still valid on katalog_master
• Release notes: changes affecting existing users (settings file, compatibility of collections with older versions — see SpecVersions)

Packaging

• Linux AppImage locally
• Windows Portable
• Windows AdvancedInstaller
• Merge and push katalog_development to katalog_master (see Merge to katalog_master)
• Linux AppImages with GitHub Actions
• macOS versions with GitHub Actions

Publishing

• Load packages to SourceForge
• Define Default package for Linux, Windows, macOS
• Release publish (sourceforge)
• Release publish (github)
• Flatpak: update tag and commit in packaging/linux/io.github.stephanecouturier.Katalog.yml, then submit the update to Flathub
• Release publish (Facebook)
• Close GitHub issues and milestone
• Inform users who submitted bugs or ideas

Merge to katalog_master

katalog_master only receives releases, so the merge is a fast-forward: master moves to the last commit of katalog_development, with no merge commit. Commit everything on katalog_development first.

git checkout katalog_master
git pull origin katalog_master
git merge --ff-only katalog_development
git push origin katalog_master
git checkout katalog_development

If --ff-only stops with "Not possible to fast-forward", master has a commit that development does not: look at it (git log katalog_development..katalog_master) before going further.

Packages on SourceForge

Despite some features in GitHub to provide downloads, SourceForge is still used as the place for user to download all versions.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/katalogg/files/

Benefits:

• auto selection of latest version based on Operating System
• download tracking and reporting system
• anonymous Help & Requests forum

Default version per OS is set.

Release notes

• on Github
• on SourceForge
• on Facebook

Close issues & close Milestone

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Description & Summaries

This section is the single source of truth for all Katalog descriptions.

Update here first, then propagate to each target location listed below.

Level 1 — One-liner (generic name)

File catalog manager

Target	Location
Katalog.desktop GenericName	packaging/linux/Katalog.desktop
appdata.xml summary	packaging/linux/io.github.stephanecouturier.katalog.appdata.xml

Level 2 — One sentence

Catalog your devices to search, analyze, and backup your files.

Target	Location
Katalog.desktop Comment	packaging/linux/Katalog.desktop
README.md (root)	README.md
CLAUDE.md	CLAUDE.md
SourceForge / Short Summary	https://sourceforge.net/p/katalogg/admin/overview
Katalog / About page	mainj.cpp

Level 3 — Short summary (~3 lines)

Catalog your devices to search, analyze, and backup your files:
- Create catalogs from different sources or devices
- Search and explore files even when the devices are disconnected
- Organize and backup your collection of files, and get statistics

Target	Location
Facebook "Bio"	External
SourceForge / Full Description	External

Level 4 — Normal summary & features (less than 10 lines)

Catalog your devices to search, analyze, and backup your files:
- Create catalogs from different devices, including metadata or checksums
- Search and explore files even when the devices are disconnected
- Search with advanced filters using including metadata or checksums, and find duplicates or differences
- Organize your collection of devices and files, and get statistics
- Backup or Archive files between catalogs
- Multiple language support, OpenSource, Cross-platform (Linux, Windows, macOS)

Target	Location
Flathub description in appdata.xml	packaging/linux/io.github.stephanecouturier.katalog.appdata.xml
SourceForge / Features	External
README.md body	README.md
Flathub Description	External

Level 5 — Addition to Normal summary (~5 lines)

User documentation:
- Get started/Tutorial: https://stephanecouturier.github.io/Katalog/docs/tutorial
- Download (Linux Flathub):  https://flathub.org/en/apps/io.github.stephanecouturier.Katalog
- Download (other versions): https://sourceforge.net/projects/katalogg
- Documentation: https://stephanecouturier.github.io/Katalog/docs/Overview
- Development: https://stephanecouturier.github.io/Katalog/docs/Dev-Overview
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Katalog-107117844916308

Target	Location
SourceForge / Full Description	External
README.md body	README.md

Level 6 — Not used, drafts

For digital archivists, content creators, system administrators, and anyone who needs to organize
and track large collections of files across multiple storage devices.