Release Execution

A Snapshot is a collection of build versions (project or package versions) of release content which are sent through the pipeline for execution.  As a release progresses, newer versions of projects are assembled to create new snapshots.  A release may consist of dozens, hundreds or even thousands of snapshots over its lifetime, depending on the release's size and duration.  There are several ways in which snapshots can be created.

  • By a release manager by explicitly identifying the versions of the projects/packages in the release.  See Creating a Snapshot.

  • By associating a project/package build to the release.  As such, once the build completes, the new project version is overlaid on top of the most recent release snapshot to produce a new snapshot.

  • By promoting an existing build to a release.  In this case, a new snapshot is created with the selected project version overlaid.

  • By using Promote to Release step in another release.

  • Using a Project Triggers trigger (Webhook, Poll SCM, or Scheduled Build Trigger) to automatically associate the new build with the release.

  • Using the REST API to submit a build request, and associate it to the release.

All snapshots which reach Completed status are sent to the pipeline for execution, and marked Initiated.  Only one snapshot per release can be created (Pending) at a time.  However, many snapshots can be executing the pipeline for the same release in parallel.

To view the list of snapshots for the release, click on the Execution tab.

Column

Description

Column

Description

Status

The current status of the snapshot:

Completed - The snapshot was successfully assembled, but has not yet been sent to pipeline for execution.

Failed - The snapshot failed to be assembled (which could mean the underlying build failed).

Initiated - The snapshot has been sent to the pipeline for execution.

Pending - The snapshot is in the process of being assembled and set to the pipeline for execution.

Aborted - The snapshot was aborted by a user.

Initiated is the final status of a snapshot, and its execution in the pipeline is tracked through execution in the dashboard.

Only one snapshot for a release is allowed to be Pending at a time.  If there is already a pending snapshot, you will see the following warning, and you must wait for it to be completed, failed, or aborted to create another one.

Snapshot Name

The generated snapshot name based on the Snapshot Name in Release Settings

Description

The description which was given when the snapshot was created.

<Stages>

The remaining columns represent the execution detail of the snapshot in the pipeline.  For each stage of the pipeline, an icon represents its execution status.  If no icon is displayed, the execution has not yet reached that stage.

Successful - The snapshot execution in the pipeline stage has successfully completed.

Aborted - The snapshot execution in the pipeline stage was aborted by a user.

Failed - The snapshot execution in the pipeline stage failed.

Running Gates - The snapshot execution is currently running gates in the pipeline stage.

Gates Failed - The snapshot failed one of the gate conditions.

Gates Complete - The snapshot has completed the gates, but is not running steps yet (e.g. another snapshot is running steps in that stage).

Running Steps - The snapshot execution is currently running steps in the pipeline stage.

Out of Date - The snapshot execution has been superseded by a newer snapshot.

Rejected -  The snapshot execution has been rejected (via an approval gate) by a user.

Created On

The date & time on which the snapshot was created.

Created By

The user who created the snapshot.  The id will be a system id if the snapshot was created due to a project build associated to the release.

To view the details of the projects in the snapshot, click on the link in the Snapshot Name column. Make sure the Content tab is selected on the top right.

Column

Description

Column

Description

Project

The name of the project within the snapshot.

Package

The package name for the project build within the snapshot.  Only applies to partial deployment projects. If All Files is being used, you will see (All Files) for package name.

Status

The status of the individual project version within the snapshot. Statuses are:

Pending - The project is has not yet been processed for the snapshot. There may be number of different outcomes for project, i.e. may be built or just new version may be used.

Failed - The project has failed to build.

Aborted - The build execution was aborted by the user or the snapshot version was aborted by the user while aborting the snapshot. In the case where it is aborted because the snapshot was aborted, the build execution will still be running and could be promoted to the release later.

Submitted - The project is currently being built for the snapshot.

Completed - The project has been built successfully for the snapshot. This will be seen only if build was submitted during create snapshot process.

Existing - There were either no changes detected or user had selected a previous version to use in the snapshot.

Once the all project versions in the snapshot are completed successfully, the snapshot will be Completed, and then sent for pipeline execution (Initiated). If any project versions fails to build, snapshot will be marked as Failed and will not be executed through pipeline.

Version

The version of the project build within the snapshot.

Branch

The Branch from which the project version was built.

Request Error

The error message of the failed build, if the status is Failed.

Built On

The date and time when build was executed.

Built By

The user who initiated build.

To view the commit details of a snapshot version select the drop down arrow on the left side of the row. To view commit details for all snapshot versions, select the Show Revisions checkbox above the table.

Column

Description

Column

Description

File Type

The object type of the file if applicable. 

File Name  (with Path)

The path and name for the specific file.

Sequence

The sequence number of the file within the package if applicable.

Revision

The latest SCM revision for the file or project.

Committed By

The committer username for the SCM revision.

Message

The commit message for the SCM revision.

 

The following macros are not currently supported in the footer:
  • style