ci: update release process

.github/workflows/publish.yml

@@ -1,31 +1,26 @@
 name: publish
 
 on:
-  release:
-    types: [released]
+  push:
+    tags:
+      - "v*.*.*"
 
 jobs:
-  build:
+  npm-publish-and-gh-release:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
       - uses: actions/setup-node@v3
         with:
-          node-version: 16
-      - run: npm ci
-      - run: npm test
-
-  publish-npm:
-    needs: build
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
-      - uses: actions/setup-node@v3
-        with:
-          node-version: 16
+          node-version: 18
           registry-url: https://registry.npmjs.org/
       - run: npm ci
+      - run: npm test
       - run: npm publish
         env:
           NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{secrets.npm_token}}
+      - uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v1
+        with:
+          generate_release_notes: true
+          token: ${{ secrets.GH_TOKEN }}
 

.gitignore

@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 node_modules/
 .vscode
+.npmrc

.release-it.json

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+{
+   "npm": {
+     "publish": false
+   },
+   "git": {
+     "commitMessage": "chore: release v${version}",
+     "push": false
+   },
+   "github":{
+     "release": false
+   },
+   "plugins": {
+     "@release-it/conventional-changelog": {
+       "preset": "conventionalcommits",
+       "infile": "CHANGELOG.md",
+       "ignoreRecommendedBump": true
+     }
+   }
+}

README.md

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 - [Tests](#tests)
 - [Contributing](#contributing)
 - [License](#license)
+- [Release](#release)
 
 # Introduction
 
@@ -97,3 +98,7 @@ Please read the [contribution guidelines](https://github.com/IBM/nodejs-itoolkit
 
 # License
 [MIT](https://github.com/IBM/nodejs-itoolkit/blob/master/LICENSE)
+
+# Release
+
+For information on making a release, read [RELEASE.md](docs/RELEASE.md).

docs/RELEASE.md

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+# Release
+
+To create a new release the developer first needs to run:
+
+```sh
+npm run release
+```
+
+This script will run [release-it](https://github.com/release-it/release-it) which will then prompt the user for the:
+
+1) version
+2) commit message
+3) tag name (NOTE: Tag name should follow the pattern v*.*.*)
+
+release-it should then:
+
+- bump the version in the package.json and package-lock.json files
+- update CHANGELOG.md
+- make the release commit
+- create the tag
+
+From there the developer needs to:
+
+1) Review the changes made by release-it are as expected.
+2) Push the commit and tag to the main branch (requires proper authority)
+
+```sh
+git push --follow-tags origin master
+```
+
+Once the tag and commit is pushed to the main branch our [github action](../.github/workflows/publish.yml) will:
+
+1) Create the GH release
+2) Publish the release to NPM