half-orm-dev 0.17.0a15

half_orm development Framework.

half_orm_dev

WARNING! half_orm_dev is still in alpha development phase!

Git-centric patch management and database versioning for halfORM projects

Modern development workflow for PostgreSQL databases with automatic code generation, semantic versioning, and production-ready deployment system.

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⚠️ Breaking Changes (v0.16.0)

This version introduces major architectural changes that completely transform how you use half_orm_dev.

What Changed

1. Complete Command Reorganization

• OLD: half_orm patch new, half_orm patch apply, half_orm release new
• NEW: half_orm dev patch new, half_orm dev patch close, half_orm dev release new
• All commands now under half_orm dev namespace for better organization

2. New Branch Strategy

• OLD: Various branch naming conventions
• NEW: Strict ho-prod, ho-patch/*, ho-release/* hierarchy
• Previous branch structures are not compatible

3. Unified Promotion Command

• OLD: half_orm release promote-to-rc, half_orm release promote-to-prod
• NEW: half_orm dev release promote rc, half_orm dev release promote prod
• Single promote command with explicit target argument

4. Different Release File Organization

• OLD: CHANGELOG.py-based versioning
• NEW: releases/*.txt files with explicit patch lists
• Structure: X.Y.Z-candidates.txt → X.Y.Z-stage.txt → X.Y.Z-rc1.txt | X.Y.Z-hotfix1.txt → X.Y.Z.txt

5. Test Organization and Validation

• NEW: Systematic test validation before ANY integration
• NEW: Temporary validation branches (temp-valid-X.Y.Z) for safe testing
• Tests must pass before patches are added to releases

What Stayed the Same

• ✅ Business Logic Code: Your database schemas, models, and application code remain unchanged
• ✅ Database Structure: PostgreSQL schemas and data are not affected
• ✅ halfORM Integration: Code generation and ORM features work identically
• ✅ Semantic Versioning: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH logic is preserved
• ✅ SQL Patch Files: Format and execution order unchanged

Migration Guide

If migrating from previous versions:

1. Backup your repository before upgrading
2. Update all scripts to use half_orm dev prefix
3. Reorganize branches to match new ho-prod/ho-patch/* structure
4. Convert release files from CHANGELOG.py to releases/*.txt format
5. Update CI/CD pipelines with new command syntax

For new projects: Just follow the Quick Start guide below!

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📖 Description

half_orm_dev provides a complete development lifecycle for database-driven applications:

• Git-centric workflow: Patches stored in Git branches and release files
• Semantic versioning: Automatic version calculation (patch/minor/major)
• Code generation: Python classes auto-generated from schema changes
• Safe deployments: Automatic backups, rollback support, validation
• Team collaboration: Distributed locks, branch notifications, conflict prevention
• Test-driven development: Systematic validation before any integration

Perfect for teams managing evolving PostgreSQL schemas with Python applications.

✨ Features

🔧 Development

• Patch-based development: Isolated branches for each database change
• Automatic code generation: halfORM Python classes created from schema
• Complete testing: Apply patches with full release context
• Conflict detection: Distributed locks prevent concurrent modifications

🧪 Test-Driven Development & Validation

Systematic Testing Before Integration

half_orm_dev enforces a test-first approach that guarantees code quality:

1. Validation on Temporary Branches

# When adding a patch to a release, tests run FIRST
half_orm dev patch add 456-user-auth

# What happens behind the scenes:
# 1. Creates temp-valid-1.3.6 branch
# 2. Merges ALL release patches + new patch
# 3. Runs pytest tests/
# 4. If merge and tests PASS → adds patch id to 1.3.6-stage.txt and commits to ho-prod
# 5. If anything FAILS → nothing committed (temp branch is deleted)

2. No Integration Without Tests

• ❌ BLOCKED: Patches cannot be added to releases if anything fails
• ✅ SAFE: Only validated code reaches stage/rc/production
• 🔒 GUARANTEED: Every release is testable before deployment

3. Business Logic Testing (TDD Best Practice)

# Your business logic is fully testable
# Example: tests/test_user_authentication.py

def test_user_creation():
    """Test user creation through halfORM models."""
    user = User(
        username='john',
        email='[e-mail]'
    ).ho_insert()

    assert user.id is not None
    assert user.username == 'john'

def test_invalid_email_rejected():
    """Test validation prevents invalid emails."""
    with pytest.raises(ValidationError):
        User(username='john', email='invalid').ho_insert()

4. Full Release Context Testing

# Test your patch with ALL previous patches
half_orm dev patch apply

# What happens:
# 1. Restores DB to production state
# 2. Applies all RC patches (if any)
# 3. Applies all stage patches
# 4. Applies YOUR patch in correct order
# 5. Generates code
# → Your tests run in realistic production-like environment

5. Workflow Integration

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Development Cycle with Test Validation                            │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 1. Create patch                                                   │
│ 2. Write tests FIRST (TDD)                                        │
│ 3. Implement feature                                              │
│ 4. Run tests locally: pytest                                      │
│ 5. Add to release → AUTOMATIC VALIDATION                          │
│    ├─ temp-valid branch created                                   │
│    | ├─ All patches merged                                        │
│    | └─ pytest runs automatically                                 │
│    └─ Only commits if everything is OK                            │
│ 6. Promote to RC → Tests validated again, code merged on ho-prod  │
│ 7. Deploy to prod → Tested code only                              │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Benefits:

• ✅ Catch Integration Issues Early: Test interactions between patches
• ✅ Prevent Regressions: Existing tests protect against breaking changes
• ✅ Document Behavior: Tests serve as executable specifications
• ✅ Safe Refactoring: Change implementation with confidence
• ✅ Team Collaboration: Clear expectations for code quality

📦 Release Management

• Semantic versioning: patch/minor/major increments
• Release candidates: RC validation before production
• Sequential promotion: stage → rc → production workflow
• Branch cleanup: Automatic deletion after RC promotion
• Test validation: Automated testing at every promotion step

🚀 Production

• Safe upgrades: Automatic database backups before changes
• Incremental deployment: Apply releases sequentially
• Dry-run mode: Preview changes before applying
• Version tracking: Complete release history in database
• Rollback support: Automatic rollback on failures

👥 Team Collaboration

• Distributed locks: Prevent concurrent ho-prod modifications
• Branch notifications: Alert developers when rebase needed
• Multiple stages: Parallel development of different releases
• Git-based coordination: No external tools required

🚀 Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• PostgreSQL 12+
• Git
• halfORM (pip install halfORM)

Install

pip install half_orm_dev

Verify Installation

half_orm dev --help

📖 Quick Start

Initialize New Project

# Create project with database
half_orm dev init myproject --database mydb

# Navigate to project
cd myproject

Clone Existing Project

# Clone from Git
half_orm dev clone https://github.com/user/project.git

# Navigate to project
cd project

First Patch (TDD Development)

# First, create a release integration branch
half_orm dev release new minor  # Creates ho-release/0.1.0

# Now create patch (automatically added to candidates)
half_orm dev patch new 1-users
# → Auto-added to 0.1.0-candidates.txt

# Add schema changes
echo "CREATE TABLE users (id uuid PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(), username TEXT NOT NULL);" > Patches/1-users/01_users.sql

# Apply patch - this generates Python code AND test directory structure
half_orm dev patch apply
# → Restores database
# → Applies SQL patches
# → Generates Python classes (mydb/public/user.py)
# → Creates test directory structure (tests/public/user/)

# Now write business logic tests (TDD approach)
# IMPORTANT: Test business logic, NOT ORM operations like ho_insert()
cat > tests/public/user/test_user_business_logic.py << 'EOF'
from mydb.public.user import User

def test_user_creation_with_valid_data():
    """Test creating a user with valid business logic."""
    # Assuming you implement a create() business method
    user = User.create(username='alice')
    assert user['username'] == 'alice'
    assert user['id'] is not None

def test_user_creation_rejects_empty_username():
    """Test business validation."""
    # Should raise an error if you implement validation
    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
        User.create(username='')
EOF

# Implement business logic in your User class
cat >> mydb/public/user.py << 'EOF'

@classmethod
def create(cls, username: str):
    """Business logic for creating a user."""
    if not username or not username.strip():
        raise ValueError("Username cannot be empty")
    return cls(username=username).ho_insert()
EOF

# Run tests
pytest

# Commit your work
git add .
git commit -m "Add users table with business logic and tests"

# Close patch - integrate to release (automatic validation runs here!)
half_orm dev patch close 1-users
# → Moved from candidates to stage
# → Tests validated automatically

💻 Development Workflow

Vision: Git-Flow Release Management

The workflow follows a Git-Flow approach with dedicated integration branches (ho-release/X.Y.Z) that serve as test sandboxes before production.

Motivation:

• Patches are visible and testable on ho-release/X.Y.Z before production
• ho-prod remains stable and contains only validated versions (RC or production)
• Workflow compatible with GitLab/GitHub (milestones, merge requests, issues)
• No need to create RC just to make a patch accessible

Complete Cycle: Patch → Release → Deploy

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ DEVELOPMENT (ho-release/X.Y.Z branch)                           │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 1. release new <level>     Create ho-release/X.Y.Z              │
│ 2. patch new <id>          Create patch (auto in candidates)    │
│ 3. patch apply             Apply & test changes                 │
│ 4. patch close <id>        Merge into ho-release (TESTS!)       │
│                                                                 │
│ RELEASE PROMOTION                                               │
│ 5. release promote rc      Create RC (tags ho-release branch)   │
│ 6. release promote prod    Merge to ho-prod + deploy            │
│                                                                 │
│ PRODUCTION DEPLOYMENT                                           │
│ 7. update                  Check available releases             │
│ 8. upgrade                 Apply on production servers          │
│                                                                 │
│ HOTFIX WORKFLOW (urgent fixes)                                  │
│ 9. release hotfix          Reopen production version            │
│ 10. patch new/close        Same workflow on hotfix branch       │
│ 11. release promote hotfix Deploy as vX.Y.Z-hotfixN             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Workflow Details

Concepts: Release Files and Patch States

Release Files:

releases/
├── 0.17.0-candidates.txt   # Patches in development
├── 0.17.0-stage.txt        # Integrated patches (awaiting RC)
├── 0.17.0-rc1.txt          # First Release Candidate
├── 0.17.0-rc2.txt          # Second RC (with fixes)
├── 0.17.0.txt              # Production version
├── 0.17.0-hotfix1.txt      # Urgent production fix
└── 0.18.0-candidates.txt   # Next release in progress

Patch States:

1. Candidate: Assigned to release, in development (in -candidates.txt)
2. Staged: Integrated in ho-release/X.Y.Z, awaiting promotion (in -stage.txt)
3. Released: Included in deployed production version (in X.Y.Z.txt)

Analogy with GitLab/GitHub:

half-orm state	File	GitLab/GitHub
release new	Creates -candidates.txt and -stage.txt	Create milestone
patch new (on ho-release)	Adds to -candidates.txt	Create issue assigned to milestone
Candidate	-candidates.txt	Open issue assigned to milestone
patch close	Moves to -stage.txt	Merge MR and close issue
Stage	-stage.txt	Closed issue in milestone
release promote rc	Renames to -rcN.txt	Create pre-release
RC	-rcN.txt	GitHub pre-release
release promote prod	Renames to X.Y.Z.txt	Create stable release
Production	X.Y.Z.txt	Stable release

Step 1: Create a New Release

half_orm dev release new minor
# → Detects current production version (e.g., 0.16.0)
# → Calculates next minor version: 0.17.0
# → Creates branch ho-release/0.17.0 from ho-prod
# → Creates releases/0.17.0-candidates.txt (empty)
# → Creates releases/0.17.0-stage.txt (empty)
# → Commits and pushes to reserve version globally
# → Automatically switches to ho-release/0.17.0

Output:

✅ Release created successfully!

  Version:          0.17.0
  Release branch:   ho-release/0.17.0
  Candidates file:  releases/0.17.0-candidates.txt
  Stage file:       releases/0.17.0-stage.txt

📝 Next steps:
  1. Create patches: half_orm dev patch new <patch_id>
  2. Close patches: half_orm dev patch close <patch_id>
  3. Promote to RC: half_orm dev release promote rc

ℹ️  Patches will be merged into ho-release/0.17.0 for integration testing

Step 2: Create a Candidate Patch

Prerequisites: Must be on ho-release/0.17.0 branch

git checkout ho-release/0.17.0
half_orm dev patch new 6-feature-x
# → Auto-detects version 0.17.0 from current branch
# → Creates ho-patch/6-feature-x from ho-release/0.17.0
# → Adds 6-feature-x to 0.17.0-candidates.txt
# → Switches to ho-patch/6-feature-x

Output:

✓ Created patch branch: ho-patch/6-feature-x
✓ Created patch directory: Patches/6-feature-x/
✓ Added to candidates: releases/0.17.0-candidates.txt
✓ Switched to branch: ho-patch/6-feature-x

📝 Next steps:
  1. Add SQL/Python files to Patches/6-feature-x/
  2. Run: half_orm dev patch apply
  3. Test your changes
  4. Run: half_orm dev patch close 6-feature-x

Step 3: Develop and Test (TDD Approach)

# Apply patch (on ho-patch/* branch)
half_orm dev patch apply
# → Restores database from production state
# → Applies all release patches + current patch
# → Generates Python code
# → Ready for testing

# FIRST: Write tests
cat > tests/public/users/test_users_feature.py << 'EOF'
def test_feature():
    # Your test here
    assert True
EOF

# Run tests
pytest

# Commit your work
git add .
git commit -m "Implement feature with tests"

Step 4: Close Patch (Integrate to Release)

half_orm dev patch close 6-feature-x
# Complete workflow:
# → Detects version from 0.17.0-candidates.txt
# → Validates ho-patch/6-feature-x exists
# → Creates temporary validation branch
# → Merges ho-patch/6-feature-x into temp branch
# → Restores database and applies all patches
# → Runs tests (pytest)
# → If PASS: Merges into ho-release/0.17.0
# → Moves 6-feature-x from candidates.txt to stage.txt
# → Deletes branch ho-patch/6-feature-x
# → Commits and pushes changes
# → Notifies other candidate patches to sync

Output:

✓ Patch closed successfully!

  Stage file:      releases/0.17.0-stage.txt
  Patch added:     6-feature-x
  Tests passed:    ✓
  Notified:        2 active branch(es)

📝 Next steps:
  • Other developers: git pull && git merge ho-release/0.17.0
  • Continue development: half_orm dev patch new <next_patch_id>
  • Promote to RC: half_orm dev release promote rc

Important: patch close replaces the old patch add command. The semantics are different:

• OLD: patch add = "I add my validated patch to release" (from ho-prod)
• NEW: patch close = "I close my work, it's integrated in release" (merge into ho-release)

Step 5: Synchronize with Other Integrated Patches

When another patch is integrated in the release, candidate patches must update:

git fetch origin
git merge origin/ho-release/0.17.0

Step 6: Promote to RC

Sequentiality Rule: Only the smallest version in preparation can be promoted to RC. This guarantees sequential release order.

Example: If releases 0.17.1, 0.18.0 and 1.0.0 are in preparation, only 0.17.1 can be promoted to RC.

half_orm dev release promote rc
# Complete workflow:
# → Auto-detects smallest version with -stage.txt
# → Verifies it's sequential (follows last prod/RC)
# → Automatically switches to ho-release/X.Y.Z
# → Finds next RC number (rc1, rc2, etc.)
# → Creates tag vX.Y.Z-rc1 on ho-release/X.Y.Z (NOT on ho-prod!)
# → Renames releases/X.Y.Z-stage.txt to releases/X.Y.Z-rc1.txt (git mv)
# → Recreates releases/X.Y.Z-stage.txt (empty) for next patches
# → Commits and pushes

Output:

✓ Success!

  Version:  0.17.0
  Tag:      v0.17.0-rc1
  Branch:   ho-release/0.17.0

📝 Next steps:
  • Test RC thoroughly
  • Deploy to production: half_orm dev release promote prod

Important Notes:

• Tag is created on ho-release/0.17.0, NOT on ho-prod
• Command auto-detects which version to promote (smallest)
• Cannot "skip" a version: if 0.17.0 isn't in prod, can't promote 0.18.0

Step 7: Promote to Production

Sequentiality Rule: Only the smallest version in preparation (with a stage file) can be promoted to production.

half_orm dev release promote prod
# Complete workflow:
# → Auto-detects smallest version with -stage.txt file
# → Verifies strict sequentiality (0.17.0 must follow last prod)
# → Automatically switches to ho-prod
# → Merges ho-release/0.17.0 into ho-prod (integrates patch code)
# → Restores database and applies all patches from stage
# → Generates model/schema-0.17.0.sql and metadata-0.17.0.sql
# → Updates symlink model/schema.sql → schema-0.17.0.sql
# → Renames 0.17.0-stage.txt to releases/0.17.0.txt (final list)
# → Deletes releases/0.17.0-candidates.txt
# → Preserves releases/0.17.0-rc*.txt for history (if any)
# → Creates tag v0.17.0 on ho-prod
# → Deletes branch ho-release/0.17.0 (mission complete)
# → Commits and pushes

Output:

✓ Success!

  Version:          0.17.0
  Tag:              v0.17.0
  Branches deleted: ho-release/0.17.0

📝 Next steps:
  • Deploy to production servers
  • Start next cycle: half_orm dev release new minor

Important Notes:

• This is when patch code is actually merged into ho-prod, not before
• Command auto-detects smallest version with stage file
• Always uses stage file: RC files are preserved for history but not used for promotion
• RC is optional: Can promote directly from stage to production without creating RC
• Sequentiality is strictly enforced: impossible to promote 0.18.0 if 0.17.0 isn't already in prod

Step 8/9: Production Upgrade

# On production server (automatically pulls from origin)
# Check available releases
half_orm dev update

# Apply upgrade (with automatic backup and git pull)
half_orm dev upgrade

Hotfix Workflow (Urgent Production Fixes)

Scenario: Critical bug discovered in production (v0.17.0) while new release (v0.18.0) is already in development. Production needs fixing immediately without waiting for v0.18.0.

Step 1: Reopen Production Version

half_orm dev release hotfix
# Workflow:
# → Detects production version from model/schema.sql (e.g., 0.17.0)
# → Verifies tag v0.17.0 exists
# → Reopens branch ho-release/0.17.0 from tag v0.17.0
# → Automatically switches to ho-release/0.17.0

Output:

✓ Reopened ho-release/0.17.0 from v0.17.0
✓ Ready for hotfix patches

📝 Next steps:
  1. half_orm dev patch new <patch_id>
  2. half_orm dev patch close <patch_id>
  3. half_orm dev release promote hotfix

Important Note: This is a break from sequential workflow as we now have two active release branches simultaneously (ho-release/0.17.0 and ho-release/0.18.0).

Step 2: Create and Integrate Hotfix Patch

The workflow is identical to normal workflow:

# On ho-release/0.17.0
half_orm dev patch new 999-critical-security-fix
# ... develop ...
half_orm dev patch apply
# ... test ...
half_orm dev patch close 999-critical-security-fix

Step 3: Promote Hotfix to Production

Important: Cannot use promote prod as tag v0.17.0 already exists!

git checkout ho-prod
half_orm dev release promote hotfix
# Hotfix-specific workflow:
# → Detects hotfix context (tag vX.Y.Z already exists)
# → Finds next hotfix number (hotfix1, hotfix2, etc.)
# → Merges ho-release/0.17.0 into ho-prod
# → Generates model/schema-0.17.0-hotfix1.sql and metadata-0.17.0-hotfix1.sql
# → Updates symlink model/schema.sql → schema-0.17.0-hotfix1.sql
# → Creates releases/0.17.0-hotfix1.txt with patch list
# → Creates tag v0.17.0-hotfix1 on ho-prod
# → Deletes branch ho-release/0.17.0
# → Commits and pushes

Output:

✓ Hotfix deployed!

  Version:  0.17.0-hotfix1
  Tag:      v0.17.0-hotfix1
  Patches:  999-critical-security-fix

📝 Next steps:
  • Deploy to production servers immediately
  • Sync other releases: git checkout ho-release/0.18.0 && git merge ho-prod

Step 4: Sync Other In-Progress Releases

If a release is in development (e.g., 0.18.0), it must integrate the hotfix:

git checkout ho-release/0.18.0
git merge ho-prod
# Resolve any conflicts
git push origin ho-release/0.18.0

This guarantees the bugfix won't be lost in the next release.

📖 Command Reference

NOTE: use half_orm dev command --help for detailed help on each command

Init & Clone

# Create new project
half_orm dev init <package_name> --database <db_name>

# Clone existing project (automatically pulls from origin)
half_orm dev clone <git_origin>

Patch Commands

# Create new patch (must be on ho-release/* branch)
half_orm dev patch new <patch_id> [-d "description"]

# Apply current patch (from ho-patch/* branch)
half_orm dev patch apply

# Close patch - integrate to release (AUTOMATIC VALIDATION!)
half_orm dev patch close <patch_id>

Release Commands

# Prepare next release (patch/minor/major)
# Creates ho-release/X.Y.Z branch + candidates.txt + stage.txt
half_orm dev release new patch
half_orm dev release new minor
half_orm dev release new major

# Promote stage to RC (automatically pushes)
# Tags ho-release/X.Y.Z, renames stage → rc
half_orm dev release promote rc

# Promote RC to production (automatically pushes)
# Merges ho-release/X.Y.Z → ho-prod, creates tag
half_orm dev release promote prod

# Reopen production version for hotfix
half_orm dev release hotfix

# Promote hotfix to production
half_orm dev release promote hotfix

Production Commands

# Fetch available releases (automatically pulls from origin)
half_orm dev update

# Apply releases to production (automatically pulls from origin)
half_orm dev upgrade [--to-release X.Y.Z]

# Dry run (simulate upgrade)
half_orm dev upgrade --dry-run

🎯 Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Planned Development with Integration Branch

# Start by creating release integration branch
half_orm dev release new minor  # Creates ho-release/0.17.0

# Now on ho-release/0.17.0, create patch
half_orm dev patch new 123-add-users
# → Auto-added to 0.17.0-candidates.txt

# Add SQL/Python files
echo "CREATE TABLE users (id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, username TEXT);" > Patches/123-add-users/01_users.sql

# Write tests
cat > tests/public/test_public_users.py << 'EOF'
def test_user_creation():
    user = User(username='alice').ho_insert()
    assert user['username'] == 'alice'
EOF

# Apply and test
half_orm dev patch apply
pytest  # Tests should pass

# Commit your work
git add .
git commit -m "Implement users table with tests"

# Close patch - integrate to release (tests validated automatically!)
half_orm dev patch close 123-add-users
# → Moved from candidates to stage
# → Tests run automatically before integration

Pattern 2: Team Collaboration on Same Release

# Integration Manager: Create release
half_orm dev release new minor  # Creates ho-release/0.17.0

# Developer A: Working on feature
git checkout ho-release/0.17.0
half_orm dev patch new 456-dashboard
# → Added to 0.17.0-candidates.txt
# ... develop and test ...
half_orm dev patch close 456-dashboard
# → Moved to 0.17.0-stage.txt

# Developer B: Must sync with A's changes first
git checkout ho-release/0.17.0
git pull origin ho-release/0.17.0  # Get A's integrated changes

# Then create patch
half_orm dev patch new 789-reports
# → Added to 0.17.0-candidates.txt
# ... develop and test ...
git merge origin/ho-release/0.17.0  # Sync again before closing
half_orm dev patch close 789-reports
# → Tests run with 456 + 789 together!

# All patches validated together in stage

Pattern 3: Parallel Development of Different Releases

# Parallel development of different versions
# 1. Create multiple release branches
half_orm dev release new minor  # Creates 0.18.0
half_orm dev release new patch  # Creates 0.17.1

# 2. Add patches to specific versions
git checkout ho-release/0.17.1
half_orm dev patch new 123-hotfix
half_orm dev patch close 123-hotfix

git checkout ho-release/0.18.0
half_orm dev patch new 456-feature
half_orm dev patch close 456-feature

# 3. Sequential promotion (must promote 0.17.1 before 0.18.0)
half_orm dev release promote rc   # Auto-promotes 0.17.1 (smallest)
# ... validate ...
half_orm dev release promote prod  # 0.17.1 to production
# Now can promote 0.18.0
half_orm dev release promote rc   # Auto-promotes 0.18.0

Pattern 4: Incremental RC (Fix Issues)

# RC1 has issues discovered in testing
half_orm dev release promote rc  # Creates 0.17.0-rc1
# → stage.txt renamed to rc1.txt
# → new empty stage.txt created

# Found bug in testing, create fix patch
git checkout ho-release/0.17.0  # Back to integration branch
half_orm dev patch new 999-rc1-fix
# → Added to 0.17.0-candidates.txt
half_orm dev patch apply
# ... fix and test ...

# Close patch - adds to NEW stage
half_orm dev patch close 999-rc1-fix
# → Moved to 0.17.0-stage.txt (the new empty one)
# → Validated automatically

# Promote again (creates rc2, automatically pushes)
half_orm dev release promote rc  # Creates 0.17.0-rc2
# → stage.txt renamed to rc2.txt
# → new empty stage.txt created

# Repeat until RC passes all validation

Pattern 5: Hotfix on Production

# Bug discovered in production (v0.17.0)
# New release (v0.18.0) already in development

# Reopen production version
half_orm dev release hotfix
# → Reopens ho-release/0.17.0 from tag v0.17.0
# → Creates 0.17.0-candidates.txt and 0.17.0-stage.txt

# Same workflow as normal patch
half_orm dev patch new 999-critical-fix
# → Added to 0.17.0-candidates.txt (with # HOTFIX marker)
half_orm dev patch apply
# ... fix and test ...
half_orm dev patch close 999-critical-fix
# → Moved to 0.17.0-stage.txt

# Promote as hotfix
git checkout ho-prod
half_orm dev release promote hotfix
# → Creates v0.17.0-hotfix1 tag
# → Creates 0.17.0-hotfix1.txt file
# → Merges into ho-prod

# Sync other in-progress releases
git checkout ho-release/0.18.0
git merge ho-prod  # Integrate the hotfix

Pattern 6: Production Deployment

# On production server (commands automatically pull from origin)

# Check available releases
half_orm dev update

# Simulate upgrade
half_orm dev upgrade --dry-run

# Apply upgrade (creates backup automatically, pulls from origin)
half_orm dev upgrade

# Or apply specific version
half_orm dev upgrade --to-release 1.4.0

🏗️ Architecture

Branch Strategy

ho-prod (main production)
│
├── ho-release/0.17.0 (integration branch, deleted after prod promotion)
│   ├── ho-patch/6-feature-x    (temporary, deleted after close)
│   ├── ho-patch/7-bugfix-y     (temporary, deleted after close)
│   └── ho-patch/8-auth-z       (temporary, deleted after close)
│
└── ho-release/0.18.0 (next version in parallel)
    └── ho-patch/10-new-api     (temporary, deleted after close)

Branch types:

• ho-prod: Main production branch (source of truth, stable)
• ho-release/X.Y.Z: Integration branch for version X.Y.Z (temporary, deleted after prod promotion)
• ho-patch/*: Patch development branches created from ho-release/* (temporary, deleted after close)

Branch Lifecycle:

1. release new creates ho-release/X.Y.Z from ho-prod
2. patch new creates ho-patch/ID from ho-release/X.Y.Z
3. patch close merges ho-patch/ID into ho-release/X.Y.Z and deletes ho-patch/ID
4. release promote prod merges ho-release/X.Y.Z into ho-prod and deletes ho-release/X.Y.Z

Exception - Hotfix Branches:

• release hotfix reopens ho-release/X.Y.Z from existing tag vX.Y.Z
• Multiple ho-release/* branches can exist temporarily (prod version + dev version)
• After promote hotfix, the hotfix branch is deleted

Release Files

releases/
├── 0.17.0-candidates.txt  (patches in development, mutable)
├── 0.17.0-stage.txt       (integrated patches, mutable)
├── 0.17.0-rc1.txt         (first RC, immutable)
├── 0.17.0-rc2.txt         (fixes from rc1, immutable)
├── 0.17.0.txt             (production, immutable)
├── 0.17.0-hotfix1.txt     (hotfix on production, immutable)
├── 0.18.0-candidates.txt  (next version candidates)
└── 0.18.0-stage.txt       (next version stage)

File lifecycle (normal workflow):

patch new → X.Y.Z-candidates.txt (patch added automatically)
                    ↓
patch close → X.Y.Z-stage.txt (moved from candidates)
                    ↓
                    ├─→ promote rc → X.Y.Z-rc1.txt (OPTIONAL: renamed from stage, new empty stage created)
                    │                    ↓
                    │             promote rc → X.Y.Z-rc2.txt (if fixes needed, stage renamed again)
                    │
                    └─→ promote prod → X.Y.Z.txt (ALWAYS renames stage file, preserves RC for history)

Key point: promote prod always uses and renames the stage file, regardless of whether RCs exist. RC files are kept for history only.

File lifecycle (hotfix workflow):

release hotfix → Reopens X.Y.Z-candidates.txt and X.Y.Z-stage.txt
                    ↓
patch close → X.Y.Z-stage.txt (adds hotfix patches)
                    ↓
promote hotfix → X.Y.Z-hotfixN.txt (new file, candidates/stage deleted)

File content format:

• Each line contains a patch ID
• Lines starting with # are comments (e.g., # HOTFIX marker for candidates)
• Empty lines are ignored

Patch Directory Structure

Patches/
└── 123-feature-name/
    ├── README.md           (auto-generated description)
    ├── 01_schema.sql       (schema changes)
    ├── 02_data.sql         (data migrations)
    └── 03_indexes.sql      (performance optimizations)

Execution order: Lexicographic (01, 02, 03...)

Semantic Versioning

MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
  │     │     │
  │     │     └── Bug fixes, minor changes (1.3.5 → 1.3.6)
  │     └──────── New features, backward compatible (1.3.5 → 1.4.0)
  └────────────── Breaking changes (1.3.5 → 2.0.0)

Workflow Rules

1. Sequential releases: Must promote 0.17.0 before 0.17.1 or 0.18.0
2. Auto-detection: Commands automatically detect smallest version to promote
3. Patch origin: Must create patches from ho-release/* branch, not ho-prod
4. Patch lifecycle: new → candidates → close → stage → rc → prod
5. Branch cleanup:
   • patch close deletes ho-patch/* branch
   • promote prod deletes ho-release/* branch
6. Database restore: patch apply always restores from production state
7. Immutable releases: RC and production files never modified
8. Automatic Git operations: Push/pull handled by commands automatically
9. ⚠️ SYSTEMATIC TEST VALIDATION: Tests run before integration (in patch close)
10. Hotfix exception: Can reopen production version while other releases in progress
11. # HOTFIX marker: Candidates file marked with # HOTFIX comment for hotfix releases

🔧 Troubleshooting

Error: "Must be on ho-release/* branch"

# Solution: Create release or switch to release branch
half_orm dev release new minor
# or
git checkout ho-release/0.17.0

Error: "Must be on ho-patch/* branch"

# Solution: Create or switch to patch branch
# First ensure you're on ho-release/*
git checkout ho-release/0.17.0
half_orm dev patch new <patch_id>
# or
git checkout ho-patch/<patch_id>

Error: "Patch not found in candidates file"

# Solution: Patch must be created from ho-release/* branch
# to be automatically added to candidates
git checkout ho-release/0.17.0
half_orm dev patch new <patch_id>

Error: "Repository is not clean"

# Solution: Commit or stash changes
git status
git add .
git commit -m "Your message"
# or
git stash

Error: "Repository not synced with origin"

# This should not happen - commands handle git operations automatically
# If it does occur:
git pull origin ho-prod

Error: "No stage releases found"

# Solution: Prepare a release first
half_orm dev release new patch

Error: "Active RC exists"

# Cannot promote different version while RC exists
# Solution: Promote current RC to production first
half_orm dev release promote prod

# Then promote your stage
half_orm dev release promote rc

Error: "Tests failed for patch integration"

# Tests ran on temp-valid branch and failed
# Solution: Fix your tests or code
half_orm dev patch apply  # Test locally first
pytest  # Verify tests pass

# Fix issues in your patch
vim Patches/123-feature/01_schema.sql
vim tests/test_feature.py

# Try again
git checkout ho-prod
half_orm dev patch add 123-feature  # Tests will run again

Patch apply failed (SQL error)

# Database automatically rolled back
# Solution: Fix SQL files and re-apply
vim Patches/123-feature/01_schema.sql
half_orm dev patch apply

Lost after conflicts

# View repository state
git status
git log --oneline -10

# View current branch
git branch

# View remote branches
git branch -r

# Return to safe state
git checkout ho-prod
# Commands handle git pull automatically

🎓 Best Practices

Patch Development

✅ DO:

• Write tests FIRST (TDD approach)
• Start with exploratory patches (no release needed initially)
• Use descriptive patch IDs: 123-add-user-authentication
• Test patches thoroughly before adding to release
• Keep patches focused (one feature per patch)
• Commit generated code with meaningful messages
• Create release when patches are ready to integrate
• Run pytest locally before patch add

❌ DON'T:

• Mix multiple features in one patch
• Skip patch apply validation
• Add untested patches to release
• Modify files outside your patch directory
• Worry about git push/pull (commands handle it automatically)
• Skip writing tests (validation will fail anyway)

Release Management

✅ DO:

• Prepare releases when patches are ready to integrate
• Trust the automatic test validation system
• Test RC thoroughly before promoting to production
• Use semantic versioning consistently
• Document breaking changes in commit messages
• Let commands handle git operations automatically
• Review test failures carefully before retrying

❌ DON'T:

• Skip RC validation (always test before prod)
• Promote multiple RCs simultaneously
• Skip backup creation in production
• Force promote without fixing issues
• Manually push/pull (let commands handle it)
• Bypass test validation (it's there for your safety)

Production Deployment

✅ DO:

• Always run update first to check available releases
• Use --dry-run to preview changes
• Verify backups exist before upgrade
• Monitor application after deployment
• Schedule deployments during low-traffic periods
• Trust commands to handle git operations
• Verify all tests passed in RC before promoting

❌ DON'T:

• Deploy without testing in RC first
• Skip backup verification
• Deploy during peak usage hours
• Ignore upgrade warnings
• Apply patches directly without releases
• Manually git pull (commands do it automatically)
• Promote to production if RC tests failed

Testing Best Practices

✅ DO:

• Write tests for all business logic
• Test database constraints and validations
• Use fixtures for common test scenarios
• Test edge cases and error handling
• Keep tests fast and isolated
• Document test intentions clearly
• Run tests locally before pushing

❌ DON'T:

• Skip tests for "simple" changes
• Write tests that depend on execution order
• Ignore test failures
• Write tests without assertions
• Test implementation details instead of behavior

📚 Documentation

• Quick Reference: This README
• Full Documentation: docs/half_orm_dev.md
• Development Methodology: docs/METHODOLOGY.md
• Development Log: docs/dev_log.md
• API Reference: python-docs/

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our contributing guidelines and submit pull requests to our repository.

Development Setup

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/halfORM/half_orm_dev.git
cd half_orm_dev

# Install in development mode
pip install -e .

# Run tests
pytest

📞 Getting Help

# Command help
half_orm dev --help
half_orm dev patch --help
half_orm dev release --help

# Specific command help
half_orm dev patch new --help
half_orm dev release promote --help
half_orm dev update --help
half_orm dev upgrade --help

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Documentation: docs/
• halfORM: halfORM Documentation

📄 License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.

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Version: 0.17.0 halfORM: Compatible with halfORM 0.17.x Python: 3.8+ PostgreSQL: Tested with 13+ (might work with earlier versions)

Made with ❤️ by the halfORM team