Managing App Versioning and Changelogs- 6


 When you release a new version of your Android app, there are a few important details that need to be updated: the version number, version code, and changelog. These are all critical for tracking releases and communicating new features or fixes to your users. Managing these elements manually can be time-consuming and error-prone, especially as your app evolves. But with Fastlane, you can automate versioning and changelog management, saving you time and avoiding mistakes.

In this section, we’ll explore how to automate app versioning and changelog management using Fastlane.

Step 1: Automating Versioning with increment_version_code

Every time you upload a new version of your app to the Play Store, you need to increase the version code. This is required by Google Play to differentiate between different versions of your app. If you don’t increment the version code correctly, your app upload will fail.

Fastlane makes this simple by automating the version code increment with the increment_version_code action.

Here’s how you can use it in your Fastfile:

platform :android do
  desc "Increment version code, build, and upload"
  lane :release do
    increment_version_code # Automatically increments version code
    gradle(task: "assembleRelease") # Build the app
    upload_to_play_store # Upload to the Play Store
  end
end
  • increment_version_code: This action increments the versionCode in your build.gradle file. You don’t need to worry about manually updating the version code each time; Fastlane will do it for you.

Step 2: Managing Version Name with increment_version_name

In addition to the versionCode, you also need to update the versionName, which is the user-facing version of the app. This version name is what users see in the Play Store.

You can automate this as well using the increment_version_name action. Here’s an example of how you can use it:

platform :android do
  desc "Increment version name, version code, and upload"
  lane :release do
    increment_version_name # Automatically increments version name
    increment_version_code # Automatically increments version code
    gradle(task: "assembleRelease") # Build the app
    upload_to_play_store # Upload to the Play Store
  end
end

By default, Fastlane will increment the version name by appending the next minor version (e.g., 1.0.0 to 1.0.1), but you can also configure it to increment the major or patch versions as needed.

Step 3: Automating Changelog Creation with changelog_from_git_commits

When you release a new version of your app, a changelog is important to communicate what’s new or fixed in that version. Manually writing changelogs can be tedious and easily forgotten, but with Fastlane, you can automate this process.

The changelog_from_git_commits action generates a changelog by looking at the Git commit history. This way, you can automatically generate a changelog based on what changes have been made since the last release.

Here’s how you can configure it:

platform :android do
  desc "Generate changelog and upload the app"
  lane :release do
    changelog = changelog_from_git_commits(
      path: ".", # Path to your project directory (typically the root)
      since_commit: last_git_commit, # Optional: You can specify the last commit to generate the changelog from
    )
    
    increment_version_code # Increment version code
    increment_version_name # Increment version name
    gradle(task: "assembleRelease") # Build the app
    
    upload_to_play_store(
      changelog: changelog # Upload the changelog to Play Store
    )
  end
end
  • changelog_from_git_commits: This action creates a changelog from your Git commit history, which can be used to describe the changes made since the last release. You can customize this action further to filter specific commits or format the changelog the way you like.
  • upload_to_play_store(changelog: changelog): This sends the changelog along with the app to the Google Play Store. When you upload a new version, the Play Store will display the changelog so users can see what’s new.

This allows you to automatically include a detailed changelog based on your commits without having to manually write each one.

Step 4: Customizing Changelogs (Optional)

You can customize the changelog in several ways. For example, you might want to format it or include additional details, such as changes in the app’s features, bug fixes, or performance improvements.

If you want more control over the format of the changelog, you can write your own custom logic or use Git tags for better release management. Here’s how to get a changelog from a specific Git tag:

changelog = changelog_from_git_commits(
  path: ".",
  since_tag: "v1.0.0" # Get changelog from the v1.0.0 tag
)

This will allow you to generate a changelog between two versions based on the Git tags.

Step 5: Versioning and Changelog Best Practices

Here are a few best practices to keep in mind when managing your app’s versioning and changelogs:

  1. Consistent Versioning: Always increment the version code and version name with each release. Following semantic versioning (e.g., 1.0.0, 1.1.0, 1.1.1) can help keep things organized and clear for your users.
  2. Meaningful Commit Messages: The changelog is generated from your commit messages, so be sure to write clear and meaningful messages when making changes. This will ensure that your changelog is useful and informative.
  3. Tag Releases in Git: Tagging your releases in Git (e.g., v1.0.0, v1.1.0) can help organize your changelog better, especially if you're working in a team or on a larger project.
  4. Automatic Updates: By automating versioning and changelog generation, you minimize human error and ensure that you never forget to update important fields when releasing new versions.

Step 6: Run the Automation

Once everything is set up, you can trigger the release lane with:

fastlane release

This will:

  1. Increment the version code and version name.
  2. Generate the changelog based on the commit history.
  3. Build the app using Gradle.
  4. Upload the app and changelog to the Play Store.

Wrapping Up

With Fastlane, managing your app’s versioning and changelogs becomes a breeze. Whether you’re incrementing version numbers, generating a changelog from Git commits, or automatically uploading everything to the Play Store, Fastlane takes care of it for you.

By automating these processes, you’ll save time, reduce errors, and ensure consistency in your releases. No more worrying about forgetting to update the version code or missing important changes in your changelog — Fastlane handles it all!

Next Parts:
Introduction to Fastlane in Android-1
Setting Up Fastlane in an Android Project- 2
Automating Build and Release Process in Fastlane - 3
Play Store Uploads with Fastlane Supply - 4
Automating Screenshot Generation with Screengrab- 5
Integrating Fastlane with CI/CD Pipelines- 7

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