# Publishing Packages

## Introduction

This guide details the process of publishing `plugin-types` and `plugins-styles` packages, which are essential for plugin development. Below is a walkthrough for publishing these packages and managing releases.

## Publishing Libraries

Publishing packages enables the distribution of types and styles libraries. Currently, all packages share the same version, meaning some releases might not contain updates but will still increment the version. Follow the steps below for the automated publishing processes.

### Previewing a Release

To generate a preview of the release to check if everything is as expected, run the following command:

```shell
npm run release
```

### Generating a Real Release

To create an actual release, disable the dry-run option:

```shell
npm run release -- --dry-run false
```

This command will:

- Update the `CHANGELOG.md`
- Update libraries `package.json` file version
- Generate a commit
- Create a new git tag
- Publish to NPM with the `latest` tag

Ensure everything is correct before proceeding with the git push. Once verified, execute the following commands:

```shell
git push
git push origin v0.0.0
```

Replace v0.0.0 with the new version number.

For detailed information, refer to the [Nx Release Documentation](https://nx.dev/recipes/nx-release/get-started-with-nx-release).

### Creating a Preview Version

To generate a preview version and avoid publishing it as the latest release, use:

```shell
npm run release -- --dry-run false --latest false --preid next
```

For example, if the current version is `0.8.0` and you select the `prepatch` option as a version specifier, it will generate the version `0.8.1-next.0` and publish it with the next tag on npm.

### Help

To see more options, run:

```shell
npm run release -- --help
```

## Important Reminders

Ensure to update the [penpot-plugin-starter-template](https://github.com/penpot/penpot-plugin-starter-template) with every release to provide developers with the latest configuration and features.

## Relevant Files and Scripts

- **CSS Build Script**: `./tools/scripts/build-css.mjs`
- **Types Build Script**: `./tools/scripts/build-types.mjs`
- **Release Script**: `./tools/scripts/publish.ts`
- **Publish config**: `./nx.json`