Steps for preparing a new GenomeTools release
---------------------------------------------

1. make sure the generated documentation is up-to-date:

     $  make docs

2. update changelog

   The changelog (`CHANGELOG` in the project root directory) is where all
   user-relevant changes are listed. It should be updated in the style of the
   previous posts to ensure the changes are easily visible to upgrading users.

2. update website (optional, only if documentation changed)

     $ make installwww

    A user account on the server is required, as well as permissions to write to
    the web server directory. Adjust the Makefile settings SERVER (for user
    account to use in the 'installwww' target) and WWWBASEDIR if required. This
    step needs rsync to work.

3. tag release

    ($ git checkout master)
     $ git tag vX.X.X

   Then push the `master` branch to the GitHub server. This will trigger the
   automated workflow which will build the binary artifacts and attach them to
   the release, which will then be published on GitHub. 
   The release will initially not have a descriptive text. It is recommended to
   reproduce the changelog contents on the release description as Markdown and
   also include a summary announcement (i.e. "this release introduces features X
   and Y" or "this is a bugfix release fixing issues with X").

4. bump version in repository

   Increase version number to the next minor or patch level version in the
   `VERSION` file in the project root directory. Also, create a new `CHANGELOG`
   entry with the new version number and commit the change with the commit
   message 'version bump'. Then, push the change into the `master` branch.
