not obvious how to add a download file for a new release

[Martin Pool]

https://edge.launchpad.net/bzr/+download

I can add a file to any existing release. But to add a new file, I'll commonly want to add a new release, and that function is not reachable from this page. (And it's not very obvious how to reach it at all -- I go to the homepage, find the series, click the series, then can add a release.)

[Selene ToyKeeper (toykeeper)]

I would find it convenient if, on a project's download page, there was an 'addrelease' link for each release series. For example, on this page...

  https://launchpad.net/bzr/+download

The layout is something like...

  Release series "1.6"
  [_] bzr-1.6b1.tar.gz (md5, sig)

  Release series "1.5"
  [_] bzr-1.5.tar.gz (md5, sig)

  [Delete Files]

A user with write access has a checkbox next to each file, and a "delete files" button at the bottom. But there is no "add file" function here. The user must instead navigate to the appropriate release series and then follow the "Register a release" link. It would be simpler to put a "Register a release" link under each release series.

The new layout would be more like...

  Release series "1.6" (clickable, goes to https://launchpad.net/bzr/1.6)
  [_] bzr-1.6b1.tar.gz (md5, sig)
  [Register a release] (goes to https://launchpad.net/bzr/1.6/+addrelease)

  Release series "1.5" (clickable, goes to https://launchpad.net/bzr/1.5)
  [_] bzr-1.5.tar.gz (md5, sig)
  [Register a release] (goes to https://launchpad.net/bzr/1.5/+addrelease)

  [Delete Files]

I think this would be more intuitive, especially for relatively simple projects which release everything under a single series like 'trunk' or 'stable'.

[Curtis Hovey (sinzui)]

I think we want the owner/driver/release manager using the series page to do the job of managing a release. We have changed both the downloads page and series page on edge recently. ON the +downloads page, the series and releases are linked, so you can create a release from the series page and add a release file from the release. Do you want additional links from the +downloads page that directly calls (+) Create a release or (+) Add download file?.

[Martin Pool (mbp)]

2009/6/21 Curtis Hovey <email address hidden>:
> I think we want the owner/driver/release manager using the series page
> to do the job of managing a release. We have changed both the downloads
> page and series page on edge recently. ON the +downloads page, the
> series and releases are linked, so you can create a release from the
> series page and add a release file from the release. Do you want
> additional links from the +downloads page that directly calls (+) Create
> a release or (+) Add download file?.

As a general principle when you're looking at a set of Xs there should
be a way to add another X.

I can see on the downloads page there are now links to add files,
though they're slightly strangely grouped by series.

After clicking around a bit I can say it does look a lot better in the
current version. There is a list of series on the project home page
and from the series you can create a release and then I presume add
downloads.

It may be unobvious to some new users that releases are subservient to
series and to help with that you could have a top-level "make a
release" that then asks "what series is this in?"

Possibly the https://edge.launchpad.net/bzr/+series series timeline
page should also allow adding a series or milestone or release but
that may be a separate bug.

--
Martin <http://launchpad.net/~mbp/>

[Rob Speer (rspeer)]

I find myself unable to add a download for ConceptNet (http://launchpad.net/ConceptNet) in any reasonable way. I have a series ("trunk") and I have even created milestones (though they do not make any sense in terms of the way we actually release our code), but the download page is still blank with no links on it.

Creating a release makes it possible to add a download, but only by creating other workflow problems (reported at https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad-registry/+bug/400840).

I need a way of adding a download that:
* is always accessible from the download page
* does not impose an unrealistic workflow on my group

[Rob Speer (rspeer)]

Okay, I understand why at least one step such as creating a release is necessary. Perhaps this process can be streamlined.

A "create a release" button on the Downloads page would be very useful for simplifying this process.

[EmmaJane (emmajane)]

Having just launched my first (own) project on Launchpad I can add the following comments to this bug:

1. it seems unreasonable to have to manually create a tarball when the branch is already uploaded.
2. There are three places where required fields are not clearly indicated: description of the tarball, name of the release and date of the release.
3. the steps to creating a "download" button are completely undocumented on help.launchpad.net (or at least are not obviously available from the front page). "Uploading code to launchpad" leads to https://help.launchpad.net/Code/UploadingABranch which does not explain how to upload a tarball.
3b. https://help.launchpad.net/Code/FindingAndDownloading doesn't even reference that this option is available.
4. even if I do have to manually upload a file, it is not intuitive to have to do this from the series "trunk" and not from the actual branch. Adding a link from the individual branch which allows the same functionality as the series version of the page would help.

[Fabio Varesano (fabio-varesano)]

Beginner in Launchpad.. spent 30 minutes to find how to add a download file!
Just add a link on the download file box when there is no download file available.

Personally I would add also a download tab next to the other ones (a la Google Code).