Release And Packaging

ProtoML releases are more than a single npm publish. The repository already supports collecting CLI binaries, CHM help, and checksums into a release-style dist/ directory.

What a release set contains

Standalone Windows and Linux executables
The compiled protoml-help.chm file
A SHA256SUMS.txt file for integrity checks

Build the web and CHM artifacts when needed

npm run build:web
npm run build:chm:project
npm run build:chm

The web build produces the browser-side parser bundle used by the independent viewer in web/index.html.

Executable packaging

npm run build:exe

This produces standalone binaries from the Node-based CLI using the package configuration in package.json.

Release preparation workflow

npm run bump

The bump workflow updates the build number, rebuilds the executables, compiles the CHM, copies the CHM into dist/, and regenerates the checksum file.

Checksums

SHA256SUMS.txt contains the generated release checksums and now also records the UTC timestamp when the checksum file was generated.

What to verify before publishing

The CLI binaries actually start on the target platforms
The CHM help opens on Windows
The web bundle and independent viewer still render correctly
The checksum file matches the final release artifacts
The version and build number are consistent across outputs

Why this guide matters

As ProtoML grows, release quality becomes a workflow of its own. Packaging, checksums, offline help, and platform-specific binaries all need to stay in sync.