surface release notes: a what's-new popup after an update #105

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opened 2026-08-16 15:52:36 +00:00 by nalum · 0 comments

nalum commented

2026-08-16 15:52:36 +00:00

Owner

Show a "What's new" popup the first time the app opens after an update, carrying that version's release notes.

Design

The server serves the notes. The web canon forbids external requests and the forge is not something every phone should talk to. A new SystemService/ReleaseNotes RPC (all signed-in roles — release notes are household news, not admin business) returns the running server version plus the release entry (title, body, url) for a requested version — empty means the server's own. The server derives the per-tag endpoint from the existing update feed (releases/latest → releases/tags/<tag>), with the same timeout, body cap and URL sanitising as CheckForUpdate, and caches per tag in memory: releases are immutable.
Web: after sign-in, compare the server version against the last-seen version in the namespaced device prefs (eagraiclainne.prefs.<uid>). Different → open a Sheet with the notes ("shown-once content opens in a Sheet", per the canon). A brand-new profile/device records the version silently — a first visit is not an update. The seen-mark is written only after the sheet actually shows, so an unreachable feed retries next open instead of losing the notes.
Android: same dance against BuildConfig version name and a device pref, fetching the notes for the APK's own version through the new RPC, shown as a bottom sheet.
Notes render as plain pre-wrapped text first; the pipeline's notes are line-oriented. Fancier markdown can come later if the notes ever need it.

Definition of done

Deploying a new server version greets each member once with that version's notes on the web; installing a new APK does the same on Android.
The RPC has its PermissionMatrix entry; make check passes; verified against the live deploy.

After an update, nothing tells the family what changed — the server quietly becomes a new version under the web app, and a new APK just opens onto the same screens. The release notes exist (the release pipeline publishes them on the forge), but nobody sees them unless an admin goes looking. Show a "What's new" popup the first time the app opens after an update, carrying that version's release notes. ### Design - **The server serves the notes.** The web canon forbids external requests and the forge is not something every phone should talk to. A new `SystemService/ReleaseNotes` RPC (all signed-in roles — release notes are household news, not admin business) returns the running server version plus the release entry (title, body, url) for a requested version — empty means the server's own. The server derives the per-tag endpoint from the existing update feed (`releases/latest` → `releases/tags/<tag>`), with the same timeout, body cap and URL sanitising as `CheckForUpdate`, and caches per tag in memory: releases are immutable. - **Web**: after sign-in, compare the server version against the last-seen version in the namespaced device prefs (`eagraiclainne.prefs.<uid>`). Different → open a Sheet with the notes ("shown-once content opens in a Sheet", per the canon). A brand-new profile/device records the version silently — a first visit is not an update. The seen-mark is written only after the sheet actually shows, so an unreachable feed retries next open instead of losing the notes. - **Android**: same dance against `BuildConfig` version name and a device pref, fetching the notes for the APK's own version through the new RPC, shown as a bottom sheet. - Notes render as plain pre-wrapped text first; the pipeline's notes are line-oriented. Fancier markdown can come later if the notes ever need it. ### Definition of done - Deploying a new server version greets each member once with that version's notes on the web; installing a new APK does the same on Android. - The RPC has its `PermissionMatrix` entry; `make check` passes; verified against the live deploy.

nalum added this to the Nudges, Parity & Repeats milestone

2026-08-16 15:52:36 +00:00

nalum added reference v1.5.0

2026-08-16 15:52:36 +00:00

nalum added the

enhancement

android

web

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2026-08-16 15:52:36 +00:00

nalum referenced this issue from a commit

2026-08-16 16:01:27 +00:00