Git Diff Patch Notes

Git Diff Patch Notes Generator

Overview

This skill helps generate release patch notes by extracting commits between two git tags or refs, automatically excluding any frontend changes (such as updates to TSX/TS components under src/frontend/ or any widget frontend/ subdirectories), and updating the corresponding GitHub release.

[!IMPORTANT] Always use the pre-authenticated gh CLI for all GitHub interactions (such as retrieving release details or publishing/editing release notes). Do not attempt to use browser tools or standard HTTP request tools to access github.com directly, as network request permissions may be restricted.

Dependencies

None.

Quick Start

To generate and publish patch notes between two versions:

1. Identify the starting tag (e.g., v1.2.59) and ending tag (e.g., v1.2.60).
2. Run the GeneratePatchNotes.ps1 PowerShell script located in src/.releases/ to extract and filter the relevant commits:

   pwsh src/.releases/GeneratePatchNotes.ps1 -FromRef v1.2.59 -ToRef v1.2.60 -Output src/.releases/non_fe_commits.json
   

3. Draft a beautiful release notes list focusing entirely on backend C#, assembly, and framework core changes.
4. Save the drafted notes to src/.releases/weekly-notes-YYYY-MM-DD.md.
5. Update the corresponding GitHub release with the notes:

   gh release edit v1.2.60 --notes-file src/.releases/weekly-notes-YYYY-MM-DD.md
   

Utility Scripts

GeneratePatchNotes.ps1

Lists and filters commits in a range.

Usage:

pwsh src/.releases/GeneratePatchNotes.ps1 `
  -FromRef <FROM_REF> `
  -ToRef <TO_REF> `
  -RepoPath <PATH_TO_REPO> `
  -Output <OUTPUT_FILE_PATH>

Parameters:

• -FromRef (Required): Starting tag or commit.
• -ToRef (Required): Ending tag or commit.
• -RepoPath (Optional): Path to the git repository directory. Defaults to the repository root where the script is located.
• -Output (Required): Path to the output JSON file.

Workflow

1. Extract Commits: Locate the target repository and identify the tag range. Run the GeneratePatchNotes.ps1 script to output the non-frontend commits to a temporary JSON file.
2. Review Output: Read the generated JSON file. Each commit object includes the hash, author, subject, body, and changed files list.
3. Draft Patch Notes:
   • Organize the changes into categories such as Features & Enhancements, Bug Fixes, Performance, and Miscellaneous.
   • CRITICAL: Do NOT include any styling, layout, components, or other frontend-only changes (anything under paths containing frontend/) in the patch notes. If a commit touched both backend and frontend, only mention the backend effects.
   • Link back to PRs or issues if mentioned in the commit message (e.g., #4500).
   • Save the drafted notes to src/.releases/weekly-notes-YYYY-MM-DD.md.
4. Update GitHub Release:
   • Run the gh CLI to update the GitHub release notes for the target tag:

     gh release edit <tag> --notes-file src/.releases/weekly-notes-YYYY-MM-DD.md
     

5. Commit & Pull Request: Create a feature branch, commit the markdown notes file, push it, and open a PR into development.

Common Mistakes

• Including FE changes: Double-check the modified files and commit messages to ensure frontend visual updates, styling adjustments, or React-like component edits did not slip into the notes.
• Missing tag path history: If tags are not fetched locally or the repository path is wrong, the script will fail. Make sure the repository path is correct.