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Release Notes Notification

Overview​

Release notes inform users about relevant changes after a software update. Users are notified with a dialog on the dashboard when they log in after a release update.

Unlike typical changelogs, release notes do not list all technical changes. They only include information that is relevant to users:

  • UI changes that affect how the application is operated
  • Changes to existing tools or features
  • Changes that affect school or lesson planning
  • Changes that require user action to avoid problems or data loss
  • Bug fixes that affect important functionality

Where Users See Release Notes​

Process​

1. Coordination​

Coordinate the release notes scope and timing with the release management responsible for the current release cycle.

2. Write Release Notes on GitHub​

Release notes are created in the GitHub repository: → hpi-schul-cloud/RELEASE-NOTES/releases

Steps:

  1. Click "Draft a new release"
  2. Fill in the required fields:
    • Choose a tag: The current release number (e.g. 28.7.0 — see the organization page for the correct number)
    • Release title: A user-facing title describing the release
    • Description: Write the release notes content in Markdown (see the template in the repository)
  3. Save regularly with "Save draft"
  4. Once reviewed and approved → Publish release

3. Transfer Release Notes into the Application​

For release notes to appear to users in the application, they must be fetched per instance via the SuperHero Dashboard (SHD).

This step should be coordinated with release management beforehand.

Steps:

  1. Log in to the SHD of the target instance
  2. Fetch the release notes -> Go to "Allg. Verwaltung" → Click "Releases fetchen"

4. Instance-Specific Adjustments​

In the following cases, release notes must be individually adjusted and fetched per instance:

  • Links to the help section are included (URLs differ per instance)
  • Instance-specific features are described
  • An instance requires separate communication or additional information for its users

How to Handle Instance-Specific Changes​

  1. Adapt content for the specific instance in GitHub

    • Adjust help links to match the instance URL pattern: 
      https://[cloud-url]/help/confluence/[page-id]
      Example for Brandenburg: 
      https://brandenburg.cloud/help/confluence/12345678
    • The number at the end is the Confluence Page-ID

  2. Save and publish the adapted release on GitHub

  3. Fetch into the instance via the SHD (log in → fetch release)

  4. Repeat steps 1–3 for each instance that needs adjustments

Sensitive Information

Release notes on GitHub are publicly accessible. If instance-specific notes contain sensitive information, remove that content from GitHub after fetching into the application. Save changes with "Update Release".