-## Prepare release branch for use
-
-In release 1.31.0 Simantics started using uses the wonderful tool from Obeo ([https://github.com/mbarbero/fr.obeo.releng.targetplatform](https://github.com/mbarbero/fr.obeo.releng.targetplatform)) to generate `.target` files from `.tpd` files which allow much simpler specification of the target contents and also composition of .tpd files via inclusion.
-
-In the following steps, it is recommended to ensure every `.target` file is up-to-date by regenerating them from `.tpd` files. While doing so, take care to use up-to-date online contents to perform the generation.
-
-### Prepare `.tpd` files
-
-1. Retrieve release branch of the platform repository
-
- git clone ssh://<user>@www.simantics.org:29418/simantics/platform.git
- cd platform
- git branch release/x.y.z[.w] remotes/origin/release/x.y.z[.w]
- git checkout release/x.y.z[.w]
-
-2. Edit all target platform files in `releng/org.simantics.sdk.build.targetdefinition/`, i.e.
- * `org.simantics.sdk.build.targetdefinition.tpd`
- * `simantics.tpd`
-
- Replace the following rows in both mentioned files:
-
- ~~~
- location "http://www.simantics.org/download/master/external-components/maven" {
- location "http://www.simantics.org/download/master/external-components/manual" {
- include "http://www.simantics.org/download/master/org.simantics.sdk.build.targetdefinition.tpd"
- location "http://www.simantics.org/download/master/sdk" {
- ~~~
-
- with
-
- ~~~
- location "http://www.simantics.org/download/master/release/x.y.z[.w]/maven" {
- location "http://www.simantics.org/download/master/release/x.y.z[.w]/manual" {
- include "http://www.simantics.org/download/release/x.y.z[.w]/org.simantics.sdk.build.targetdefinition.tpd"
- location "http://www.simantics.org/download/release/x.y.z[.w]/sdk" {
- ~~~
-
-3. Edit version number of `org.simantics.sdk` feature in `features/org.simantics.sdk.feature/feature.xml` to `x.y.z[.w]`.
- ~~~
- <feature
- id="org.simantics.sdk"
- label="Simantics SDK"
- version="x.y.z"
- provider-name="VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland">
- ~~~
-
- An example of these changes can be seen in [gitweb](https://www.simantics.org:8088/r/gitweb?p=simantics/platform.git;a=commit;h=bab5c9bd68277c76dc5c20bc7a60a9896cbd1540).
-
-4. Ensure that Redmine has a release engineering issue for the branched release, such as [Simantics 1.30.0 release engineering](https://www.simantics.org/redmine/issues/7263). Make a copy of the previous release issue to create the new one. Include link to original issue while copying.
-
-5. Commit the changes made
-
- git commit -a
-
- with the commit message
-
- Configured release/x.y.z[.w] branch for SDK builds.
-
- refs #xxxx
-
- where `#xxxx` is the number of the x.y.z[.w] release engineering issue and push them to remote
-
- git push origin release/x.y.z[.w]
-
-6. If you are branching from `master`, bump the revision of master right now to start the next release cycle in master.
- An example of these changes can be seen in [gitweb](https://www.simantics.org:8088/r/gitweb?p=simantics/platform.git;a=commitdiff;h=ae93c9930c6345c32219e6845b9e72e9d9d2d28c).
-
- Commit the changes with the following commit message
-
- Bumped master target and org.simantics.sdk feature versions to x.y.z[.w].
-
- refs #yyyy
-
- where `#yyyy` is the number of the next release's release engineering issue.
-
-### Initialize release branch distribution web site
-
-* Run [SDK/Deploy External Components to Web](https://www.simantics.org/jenkins/job/SDK/job/Deploy%20External%20Components%20to%20Web/) build with parameters:
- * **GERRIT_REFNAME:** `release/x.y.z[.w]`
- * **PUBLISH_ARTIFACTS:** `true`
-* Run the [SDK/Simantics SDK](https://www.simantics.org/jenkins/job/SDK/job/Simantics%20SDK/) build with parameters:
- * **GERRIT_REFNAME:** `release/x.y.z[.w]`
- * **PUBLISH_ARTIFACTS:** `true`
-
-Running these two builds will ensure that both the external components required to build the SDK and the Simantics SDK for the new release branch are published online at `http://www.simantics.org/download/release/x.y.z[.w]/`.
-
-After this, whenever changes are pushed/merged to `release/x.y.z[.w]` branch in Gerrit, new **SDK/Simantics SDK** builds are triggered automatically and they will publish the results at the same location online.
-
-This means that one does not have to do any tricks after this to build and publish the SDK as a P2 repository online. It is an automated process that is performed by the [SDK/Simantics SDK](https://www.simantics.org/jenkins/job/SDK/job/Simantics%20SDK/) Jenkins job.
-
-### Update `.target` files
-
-Lastly, we want to change the `.target` files to point to the correct P2 repository locations. This happens by opening the previously edited `.tpd` files in Obeo's editor and regenerating the `.target` files by pressing Alt+R.
-
-Push the changed files to remote again with commit message:
-
- Configured release/x.y.z[.w] branch .target files.
-
- refs #xxxx
+Instead of doing this clone+branch+push sequence for every SDK repository separately, please use the included `release-helper.sh` shell script to perform this mechanical work.
+The script supports many useful basic git commands which all perform the requested operation on all the release train repositories.
+The operations can be seen from the help text printed by the script when given no arguments:
+
+```
+Usage: release-helper.sh <version> <branch-name> <user-name> <command> [<command-arguments>]
+
+Commands:
+ clone The first thing that needs to be done before anything else
+ Clones all platform repositories under directory <version>
+
+Inspection commands:
+ diff [args] Run git diff [args] for each platform repository
+ log [args] Run git log [args] for each platform repository
+ status [args] Run git status [args] for each platform repository
+ list-tags Run git tag -l for each repository
+
+Action:
+ add
+ branch Run git branch <branch-name> for each platform repository
+ checkout Run git checkout <branch-name> for each repository
+ commit
+ fetch Run git fetch --all for each repository
+ pull Run git pull --all for each repository
+ push Run git push origin <branch> for each repository
+ push-tags Run git push --tags for each repository
+ remove-tag Run git tag -d v<branch> for each repository
+ reset [args] Run git reset [args] for each repository
+ tag Run git checkout <branch> and
+ git tag -a v<branch> -m "Simantics <branch> simultaneous release"
+ for each repository
+
+Compound release commands:
+ prepare-release-branch <from-branch>
+ <from-branch> the name of the branch that the codebase is currently on
+
+Top-level release commands:
+ bump-master-version <from-version> <to-version>
+ <from-version> the version string to replace
+ <to-version> the replacing new version string
+
+ branch-release <from-branch>
+ <from-branch> the branch to create the service branch from
+ e.g. master or release/x.y.z
+```
+
+Begin by cloning all the repositories for working on
+
+ user=<your-git-username>
+ version=x.y.z
+ branch=release/x.y.z
+ ./release-helper.sh $version $branch $user clone
+
+This will create a directory called `x.y.z` under the current working directory and clone all the repositories under it.
+The first `version` argument is only used for the base working directory `x.y.z`.
+The second `branch` argument tells what branch to specify to some of the available actions, e.g. `branch`, `checkout`, etc.
+
+Creating the release branch from master and pushing the new branches to remote happens as follows:
+
+ # When the commit messages appear, add references to created
+ # Gitlab release engineering issues by adding this to the commit message:
+ #
+ # gitlab #xxxx
+ #
+ # where xxxx is the release engineering issue for the respective project
+ ./release-helper.sh $version $branch $user branch-release master
+ ./release-helper.sh $version $branch $user push
+
+If you're creating a service release `x.y.w` from `x.y.z` where `w > z`, do this:
+
+ fromBranch=release/x.y.z
+ branch=release/x.y.w
+ ./release-helper.sh $version $branch $user branch-release $fromBranch
+ ./release-helper.sh $version $branch $user push
+
+If you branched a new release from `master`, you should also bump the revision of the master branch right now to start the next release cycle in master.
+An example of these changes can be seen in [gitweb](https://gerrit.simantics.org/r/gitweb?p=simantics%2Fplatform.git;a=commit;h=564ac84a2949b19ce5c1c7c838b575527ec42b09) or in [review 1362](https://gerrit.simantics.org/r/#/c/1362).
+The changes include:
+ * Simantics Desktop splash screen update (version number)
+ * Simantics target platform name to state correct development version
+ * org.simantics.sdk feature version bump
+ * org.simantics.sdk.repository project version bump
+
+Perform and push the changes *in master* by running:
+
+ branch=master
+ ./release-helper.sh $version $branch $user checkout
+ ./release-helper.sh $version $branch $user bump-master-version x.y.z X.Y.Z
+ ./release-helper.sh $version $branch $user push
+
+where `x.y.z` is the old version number of master and `X.Y.Z` is the new version number.