Auto-release on merge + Inno installer

name: Merge CI auto-release Inno overview: Extend novolis-apps merge CI so a successful build on main automatically creates a GitHub Release, publishes a self-contained Manuscript Studio win-x64 payload, and ships both a portable zip and an Inno Setup installer—mirroring the novolis-avalonia live studio pattern but triggered from merge instead of manual release publish. todos:

• id: version-json

content: Add build/version.json and governance version import in Directory.Build.props status: completed

• id: inno-package-ref

content: Add Novolis.Avalonia.Packaging.Inno PackageReference to ManuscriptStudio.csproj + Directory.Packages.props status: completed

• id: merge-release-job

content: "Extend merge.yml with windows release job: publish, zip, Inno ISCC, gh release upload" status: completed

• id: local-script-docs

content: Add scripts/build-installer.ps1 and update README + getting-started for releases status: completed isProject: false

Current state

• merge.yml runs only Linux CI via dotnet-pull-request.yml (build solution, no tests).
• No build/version.json, no release workflow, no Inno packaging.
• Reference implementation: novolis-avalonia/.github/workflows/release.yml + Novolis.Avalonia.Packaging.Inno (published as Novolis.Avalonia.Packaging.Inno on GPR).

Target flow

flowchart LR
  pushMain[push to main] --> ciJob[ci ubuntu build]
  ciJob -->|success| releaseJob[release windows]
  releaseJob --> publish[dotnet publish win-x64]
  publish --> zip[zip portable payload]
  publish --> innoGen[MSBuild NovolisGenerateInnoScript]
  innoGen --> iscc[ISCC compile]
  releaseJob --> ghRelease[gh release create vY.M.m.B]
  ghRelease --> upload[upload zip + setup exe]

Each merge to main (non-doc paths, per existing paths-ignore) produces:

Version: YEAR.MAJOR.MINOR.BUILD from build/version.json + github.run_number (same as other Novolis repos via read-version).

Release tag: v{package-version} (e.g. v2026.1.0.42).

1. Versioning scaffold

Add build/version.json:

{
  "year": 2026,
  "major": 1,
  "minor": 0,
  "dotnetBaseline": "net10.0",
  "publicPackage": false
}

Update Directory.Build.props to import governance version targets when present (CI clones novolis-governance sibling — same pattern as dotnet-build):

<Import Project="../novolis-governance/build/Novolis.Version.targets"
        Condition="Exists('../novolis-governance/build/Novolis.Version.targets')" />

No new in-repo packaging library — apps repo stays app-only.

2. Inno packaging (NuGet-only)

Add to Directory.Packages.props:

<PackageVersion Include="Novolis.Avalonia.Packaging.Inno" Version="2026.1.*" />

Add to ManuscriptStudio.csproj as a private build dependency (targets only):

<PackageReference Include="Novolis.Avalonia.Packaging.Inno">
  <PrivateAssets>all</PrivateAssets>
  <IncludeAssets>runtime; build; native; contentfiles; analyzers; buildtransitive</IncludeAssets>
</PackageReference>

CI will invoke NovolisGenerateInnoScript on the app project with Manuscript Studio properties:

Publish: dotnet publish src/ManuscriptStudio/ManuscriptStudio.csproj -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained true with -p:PackageVersion=…, -p:AssemblyVersion=…, -p:FileVersion=…, -p:InformationalVersion=….

3. Extend merge workflow

Update merge.yml:

Keep existing `ci` job (unchanged Linux build).

Add `release` job:

• needs: ci
• runs-on: windows-latest
• permissions: contents: write, packages: read
• if: success() (implicit via needs)
• Steps (mirror avalonia release job structure):

1. actions/checkout@v4
2. Clone novolis-governance if missing (for version targets / consistency)
3. setup-dotnet + authenticate-github-packages
4. read-version action → package-version, assembly/file versions
5. dotnet publish → artifacts/manuscript-studio/app
6. Zip publish dir → artifacts/manuscript-studio/ManuscriptStudio-{version}-win-x64.zip
7. dotnet msbuild -t:NovolisGenerateInnoScript with Inno properties above
8. choco install innosetup + locate ISCC.exe
9. ISCC manuscript-studio.iss
10. Create/upload GitHub Release:

• If gh release view v{version} exists → gh release upload … --clobber
• Else → gh release create v{version} --title "Manuscript Studio {version}" --generate-notes then upload both assets

Add workflow_dispatch on merge workflow (optional skip_release input) so you can rebuild/release manually without a new commit.

4. Optional `release.yml` (manual republish)

Add release.yml with workflow_dispatch only that calls the same Windows release steps for a chosen tag/version — useful if Inno compile fails and you need to re-run without a new merge. Not required for merge auto-release but low cost.

5. Local build script + docs

Add scripts/build-installer.ps1 mirroring CI (publish → generate .iss → optional local ISCC if installed).

Update:

• docs/getting-started.md — download installer from GitHub Releases; portable zip option
• README.md — release cadence (every merge to main)

6. Verify

• dotnet build Novolis.Apps.slnx -c Release (restore pulls Novolis.Avalonia.Packaging.Inno from GPR)
• pwsh scripts/build-installer.ps1 locally (if Inno installed)
• verify-nuget-only.ps1 — only new PackageReference to GPR package (no ProjectReference hacks)
• After merge: confirm GitHub Release on novolis-apps has zip + setup exe

Notes / constraints

• NuGet-only: Inno via Novolis.Avalonia.Packaging.Inno package, not a sibling ProjectReference into novolis-avalonia.
• No NuGet publish: apps remain IsPackable=false; release job only ships GitHub Release assets.
• Doc-only merges: existing paths-ignore on merge workflow means no CI and no release when only docs/md change (unchanged behavior).
• Per-user install: generated Inno script uses PrivilegesRequired=lowest and %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Novolis\Manuscript Studio (from packaging targets).