Preserve existing release dates and preamble in changelog generation script; fix typos in changelog entries.

Author: enricobattocchi

.github/scripts/generate-changelog.sh

@@ -8,19 +8,46 @@
 #
 # Optional environment variables:
 #   PREVIOUS_TAG  - Tag to compare from (defaults to latest tag on branch).
-#   RELEASE_DATE  - Release date in YYYY-MM-DD format (defaults to today).
+#   RELEASE_DATE  - Release date in YYYY-MM-DD format (defaults to existing value in changelog, then calculated).
 #   CHANGELOG_FILE - Path to the changelog file (defaults to changelog.md).
 
 set -euo pipefail
 
 VERSION="${VERSION:?VERSION is required}"
 CHANGELOG_FILE="${CHANGELOG_FILE:-changelog.md}"
 
-# Calculate release date using the same logic as the Grunt task:
-#   - Patch releases (x.y.z where z > 0): today's date.
-#   - Minor/major releases: next Tuesday ~2 weeks out (today + 2 + 14 - dayOfWeek).
-#   - Beta releases: add an extra 7 days (~3 weeks out).
-if [ -z "${RELEASE_DATE:-}" ]; then
+# If the version section already exists in the changelog file, extract its release
+# date and any copy between the release date line and the first #### heading
+# (the "preamble"). These are preserved as-is when regenerating.
+EXISTING_RELEASE_DATE=""
+EXISTING_PREAMBLE=""
+if [ -f "$CHANGELOG_FILE" ]; then
+	# Extract the section for the requested version (between its ## header and the next ## header or footer).
+	VERSION_SECTION=$(sed -n "/^## ${VERSION}\$/,/^## [0-9]/{ /^## ${VERSION}\$/d; /^## [0-9]/d; p; }" "$CHANGELOG_FILE" \
+		| sed '/^### Earlier versions/,$ d' || true)
+
+	if [ -n "$VERSION_SECTION" ]; then
+		# Extract the existing release date.
+		EXISTING_RELEASE_DATE=$(echo "$VERSION_SECTION" | grep -oP '(?<=Release date: ).*' | head -1 || true)
+
+		# Extract preamble: lines after the release date line and before the first #### heading.
+		EXISTING_PREAMBLE=$(echo "$VERSION_SECTION" \
+			| sed -n '/^Release date:/,/^####/{/^Release date:/d; /^####/d; p;}' \
+			| sed -e '/./,$!d' -e :a -e '/^\n*$/{$d;N;ba;}' || true)
+	fi
+fi
+
+# Use the provided RELEASE_DATE env var if set, otherwise preserve the existing
+# release date from the changelog, otherwise calculate a new one.
+if [ -n "${RELEASE_DATE:-}" ]; then
+	: # RELEASE_DATE already set via environment.
+elif [ -n "$EXISTING_RELEASE_DATE" ]; then
+	RELEASE_DATE="$EXISTING_RELEASE_DATE"
+else
+	# Calculate release date using the same logic as the Grunt task:
+	#   - Patch releases (x.y.z where z > 0): today's date.
+	#   - Minor/major releases: next Tuesday ~2 weeks out (today + 2 + 14 - dayOfWeek).
+	#   - Beta releases: add an extra 7 days (~3 weeks out).
 	BASE_VERSION=$(echo "$VERSION" | cut -d'-' -f1)
 	PATCH=$(echo "$BASE_VERSION" | awk -F. '{ print ($3 != "" ? $3 : 0) }')
 	SUFFIX=$(echo "$VERSION" | grep -oP '(?<=-).*' || true)
@@ -120,6 +147,13 @@ SECTION="## $VERSION
 Release date: $RELEASE_DATE
 "
 
+# Insert preserved preamble (copy between release date and first #### heading).
+if [ -n "$EXISTING_PREAMBLE" ]; then
+	SECTION+="
+$EXISTING_PREAMBLE
+"
+fi
+
 if [ -n "$ENHANCEMENTS" ]; then
 	SECTION+="
 #### Enhancements

changelog.md

@@ -22,19 +22,19 @@ Release date: 2026-03-09
 * Fixes a bug where the block editor button were not styled if the admin bar links where not present.
 * Fixes a bug where Rewrite & Republish copies could remain orphaned, blocking editors from creating a new Rewrite & Republish copy for the original post.
 * Fixes a bug where cloning an attachment did not copy its caption and description as expected. Props to @masteradhoc.
-* Fixes a bug where notices would not be appearing in the block editor, throwing console errors, with some locales.
+* Fixes a bug where notices were not appearing in the block editor, throwing console errors, with some locales.
 * Fixes a bug where translations where missing in the buttons and the notices in the Block Editor. Props to @petitphp.
-* Fixes a bug where using regular expressions in "Do not copy these fields" would not work as expected. Props to @ikuno9233.
+* Fixes a bug where using regular expressions in "Do not copy these fields" were not working as expected. Props to @ikuno9233.
 
 #### Other
 
 * Improves security of the Bulk Clone action and the republishing of a copy.
 * Adds `duplicate_post_before_republish` and `duplicate_post_after_republish` action hooks fired before and after republishing. Props to @piscis.
 * Deprecates the `dp_duplicate_post` and `dp_duplicate_page` hooks and introduces a new unified `duplicate_post_after_duplicated` action hook that replaces them. The new hook includes the post type as a fourth parameter for flexible filtering.
 * Sets the minimum supported WordPress version to 6.8.
+* Verified compatibility with PHP up to version 8.5.
 * Sets the WordPress tested up to version to 6.9.
 * Drops compatibility with PHP < 7.4.
-* Verified compatibility with PHP up to version 8.5.
 * Fixes the Developer Guide link that was leading to a non-existent page. Props to @masteradhoc.
 * Fixes the documentation link to use a shortlink. Props to @masteradhoc.
 * Improves how the translations are loaded by relying on the WordPress mechanism for that. Props to @swissspidy.