Release a version

Approving a change writes a new version of your application. It does not put it in front of anybody. Releasing is the separate step that makes a version live, and you do it on Releases, which is in the menu once you are inside an application.

The screen has three parts, in this order: What's next, one card about production and the one thing to do next; More, which holds platform updates, test copies and the rest, and only shows what applies; and History, every release newest first.

You can also release a change from its own page: once it is approved, the change's page shows it on its way to live, with the same button.

What's next

The card at the top says what production is doing, in one word:

Under it is what is next, with its steps (Built, Released, Live), each said in words as well as a mark:

• 0.5.0 is being built. Approving a change starts its build. The button reads Release 0.5.0 when it's built: press it now and the release starts by itself as soon as the build lands.
• 0.5.0 is ready. It is built. You have two buttons, See it running first and Release to production, and one of them is the main one, with why in a line. See it running first is the main one when the version changes who can see or do what, changes data you already have, or adds code of its own. Otherwise it is Release to production. Both are always there; the choice is yours.
• Releasing 0.5.0 to production. Each step shows on the card as it happens, and the change's own page says Live ✓ when it is done. You don't need to stay on the page.
• The build of 0.5.0 did not pass. It can't be released until a build passes. Our team can see why.

If there is nothing new to release, the card says why instead of showing a button, for example "Production is already running 0.5.0".

Release a version to production

1. Open Releases, or the change's own page.
2. Press Release to production (or Release 0.5.0 when it's built while it is still building).
3. If you signed in more than five minutes ago, you are asked to confirm it's you, with your passkey or your authenticator app, on the same page. The release then goes ahead. Nothing is typed.

The button releases the version it names. If a newer version was approved meanwhile, nothing is released and the screen says so, so you can look at the newer one first.

Only an owner or an admin can release to production. Editors can release into a test copy. See Try a version in a test copy.

See it running first

See it running first puts the version on a test copy of its own, named after it (0-5-0-preview for 0.5.0), with made-up data. There is nothing to name or type. Pressed again, it shows the same copy. The copy is under More, with its address once it is running.

A version's test copy closes 7 days after that version is released to production, or when you close it yourself from its card. One with nothing running closes straight away; one that is running is taken down by Divvent, and the card says when it is due.

What's in a version

Each version says What's in 0.5.0 on the What's next card, on the change's page and in History. It is made from the changes you approved, in their own words: what the version adds, what is worth knowing (who can newly see or do something, and whether going back would mean restoring data), and anything you would do yourself. A platform update says, in plain words, that it changes how the application is built and not what it does.

Once a version is live, an owner or an admin can send What's new to the account's owners and admins by email. It is sent once per version, and only when you press it.

Notifications

The bell at the top of every page shows how many notifications you haven't read. When a version has been built and is ready to release, the account's owners and admins, and whoever asked for the change in it, are told once. Each notification links to where to act. Press Mark as read on one, or Mark all as read.

You are also told when a change or a release is waiting for your OK, when a release goes live, and when one fails or is held, with the reason.

Notifications on your devices

You can have notifications sent to your phone or computer as well as the bell. On the notifications page, or in Notification settings, tick Send notifications to this device and allow notifications when your browser asks. Do this on each device you want them on.

On an iPhone or iPad, add Divvent to your Home Screen first: in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen, and open Divvent from there. Then turn notifications on.

A notification on your device says only your application's name and what kind of thing happened, such as "A release is live". The details are in Divvent, behind your sign-in. Tapping it opens the page it is about.

Notification settings lists every device notifications are on, with when each was last notified. Turn off stops them on one device, and Turn off everywhere stops them on all of them. Under What to send to your devices, untick the kinds you don't want sent. Everything still appears in the bell.

What happens during a release

A release is careful, and most of it happens before anybody sees the new version:

• It is checked before it goes live. Where the new version changes data you already have, Divvent first makes a restore point of your data, so it can be put back. The new version is then set up beside the one running, where nobody can reach it. Any changes to how your data is stored are made, and the new version's pages and records are checked. Only if all of that passes does production switch over, all at once.
• It is watched after. For five minutes after the switch, Divvent keeps checking that the application is answering. If it stops answering, the release is marked as failed.

While a release is running, the production card says In progress and you can't start another one there. A release that is still waiting to start has Withdraw beside it in the history; withdrawing it means nothing was released.

A release that did not finish

If a release fails, the production card says Failed, when it happened and why, in the words the release recorded. It also says which version production is still running. The Needs you page shows it too, as "A release did not finish", with See what failed.

What to do depends on the reason:

• If the version itself is at fault, fix it with a new change, and release that.
• If it failed for a reason that has passed, the button reads Try releasing 0.5.0 again.
• If the new version went live and then stopped answering, you can go back to the version before. See Roll back a release.

Handing the application to its first administrator

The first time a version is released, the card may say who the application was handed to, for example "Handed to jo@example.com". That person becomes the first administrator inside your application, and can then invite everybody else from there.

They are sent a link by email. An owner of your account can also press Show the link to see it once, to pass on another way. It is then taken out of the record, and this page won't show it again, so copy it when you see it. The link works once. If it has expired, release again and a fresh one is made. Everybody else on your account is told that a link exists and who has it, but never shown it.

Once somebody has signed in to the application, the card says nothing more about the handover.

If nobody can get in at all, an owner can hand the application to a new owner. That is covered in Your users' sign-in.

History

History lists every release, rollback, promotion and platform update for this application, newest first. Each line says what it was, for example "Release 0.5.0 to production" or "Roll back production to 0.4.0", with one word for how it went (Done, In progress, Failed, Scheduled, Waiting for you) and when it was asked for. A failed line keeps its reason.

At the bottom are the two ways back, and how long each lasts:

• You can go back to an earlier version, and put the data back too if you choose, for 30 days after a release. See Roll back a release.
• A nightly backup of everything the application holds is kept for a year by default. It is slower to restore, and it goes back furthest. See Backups and restoring your data.

Platform updates, which are Divvent's own and not changes of yours, are explained in Platform updates.