Branch Support

Introduction

Everybody knows (I hope) that branches are supported in continuum, but it can be a "big" work to create a new branch, modify all versions in each POM and add the branch in continuum.
To skip the manual branch creation process, we can automate it by some plugins and new continuum features.

Branch Creation

We have two way to create a branch, a maven plugin or a "wizard" in Continuum. Like the release manager, that is used by the release plugin and continuum, we can implement these two ways and users will choose the one they want to use.

Release Plugin

The release manager contains already lot of code for POMs analyze/modification and the branch creation is similar to a tag creation.
So the branch creation will be add to it and the related goals will be add to the release plugin

Continuum Web

A wizard will be add to the Continuum web interface like it's done for the release process

Branch set up in Continuum

Even it it's already possible to add a branch in continuum, we need to simplify this process for project that are already in continuum.

Continuum Plugin

This plugin will be a Maven plugin and will connect to continuum via XML-RPC (secured). With this plugin, it will be possible to add a project from a trunk or branch. It will take a pom in arguments.

Continuum Web

At the end of the Continuum branch creation wizard, the user will can choose if he want to add the branch creted in continuum or not.
If he choose "yes", all projects in this branch will be added in a new project group. With that, it will be easy to remove the branch from Continuum when the development on this branch will be done.

Planning

Continuum 1.1 alpha-2/alpha-3: Release Plugin and Continuum Plugin
Continuum 1.1: Continuum Web