Update 0.3 release notes for binary tarballs and Isolated ROOT linkage to the ROOT gstreamer plugin

Author: maureeungaro

.github/workflows/gemc_binary_tarball_test.yml

@@ -92,13 +92,13 @@ jobs:
             "${TEST_IMAGE}" \
             bash -lc '
               set -euo pipefail
-              gemc_home=/path/to/gemc
+              gemc_home=/root/gemc
               mkdir -p "$gemc_home"
               cd "$gemc_home"
               curl -L -o "$GEMC_TARBALL_ARCHIVE" "$GEMC_TARBALL_URL"
               tar -xzf "$GEMC_TARBALL_ARCHIVE" -C "$gemc_home" --strip-components=1
               ./install_geant4_data.sh
-              source /path/to/gemc/gemc.env
+              source /root/gemc/gemc.env
               gemc -v
               test_gdynamic_plugin_load
               test_gdata_event_verbose

gstreamer/meson.build

@@ -99,12 +99,13 @@ streamer_plugins = {
 }
 
 streamer_dependencies = [yaml_cpp_dep, clhep_deps, geant4_core_deps]
+streamer_plugin_dependencies = {}
 additional_includes = ['gstreamer', 'gstreamer/factories/ASCII', 'gstreamer/factories/CSV', 'gstreamer/factories/JLABSRO', 'gstreamer/factories/JSON']
 
 # Add ROOT bits if available
 if root_dep.found()
     streamer_plugins += { 'gstreamer_root_plugin' : root_plugin_files }
-    streamer_dependencies += root_dep
+    streamer_plugin_dependencies += { 'gstreamer_root_plugin' : [root_dep] }
     additional_includes += ['gstreamer/factories/ROOT']
 endif
 
@@ -141,6 +142,7 @@ LD += {
     'headers' : files('gstreamer.h', 'gstreamerConventions.h', 'gstreamer_options.h'),
     'plugins' : streamer_plugins,
     'dependencies' : streamer_dependencies,
+    'plugin_dependencies' : streamer_plugin_dependencies,
     'internal_dependencies' : internal_deps,
     'additional_includes' : additional_includes,
     'examples' : examples,

meson.build

@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ foreach L : LD
     this_deps = L.get('dependencies', [])
     this_internal_libs = L.get('internal_dependencies', [])
     plugins = L.get('plugins', empty_dict)
+    plugin_dependencies = L.get('plugin_dependencies', empty_dict)
     additional_includes = L.get('additional_includes', [''])
     moc_headers = L.get('moc_headers', [''])
     moc_sources = []
@@ -138,11 +139,15 @@ foreach L : LD
 
     if plugins != empty_dict
         foreach name, sources : plugins
+            this_plugin_dependencies = [this_deps, zlib_dep]
+            if plugin_dependencies.has_key(name)
+                this_plugin_dependencies += plugin_dependencies[name]
+            endif
             shared_library(
                 name,
                 sources[0],
                 install : sources[1],
-                dependencies : [this_deps, zlib_dep],
+                dependencies : this_plugin_dependencies,
                 include_directories : all_includes + this_lib_name + additional_includes,
                 link_with : this_library_link_with,
                 name_suffix : 'gplugin',

releases/0.3.md

@@ -3,22 +3,27 @@ This version includes:
 - New python module: pygemc
 - Generators in GUI
 - Photon detection
+- Binary `gemc` tarballs for Linux CI platforms
 
 <br/>
 
 # Release notes
 
+- Added Linux binary `gemc` tarballs to the development deployment workflow.
+  The archives contain the installed executable, support files, selected smoke
+  tests, `gemc.env`, and a generated Geant4 data installer.
+- Added automated binary tarball installation tests on base OS images using
+  runtime packages only. These tests install Geant4 datasets into the unpacked
+  tarball and run `gemc -v` plus smoke tests.
+- Isolated ROOT linkage to the ROOT gstreamer plugin so the main `gemc`
+  executable can run without ROOT shared libraries.
 - Removed the need for GEMC-specific environment variables in Python example
   workflows: the API runs through the `pygemc` module, and users only need the
   executable in `PATH`.
 - Updated the Cherenkov optical example with neutral demonstration radiator names:
   `lowIndexRadiator`, `mediumIndexRadiator`, and `highIndexRadiator`.
 - Added y-vs-x analyzer plotting support in `pygemc` and used it for the
   Cherenkov homepage plots.
-- Regenerated the Cherenkov homepage VTK and PNG assets with the updated
-  radiator variations.
-- Updated the Cherenkov example documentation to use a one-electron quick
-  workflow and to note that demonstration optical constants may be unphysical.
 
 <br/>
 
@@ -31,15 +36,22 @@ This version includes:
 
 ## Documentation
 
+- Added binary tarball installation instructions with per-platform download,
+  unpack, Geant4 data install, environment setup, and smoke-test commands.
+- Added ROOT-free binary installation prerequisite tabs and retitled the full
+  source-build prerequisite section to distinguish it from binary installation.
 - Updated the Cherenkov homepage documentation for the neutral radiator
   variations and one-electron quick workflow.
-- Documented that the Cherenkov demonstration optical constants may be
-  unphysical.
+- Updated the Cherenkov example documentation to use a one-electron quick
+  workflow and to note that demonstration optical constants may be unphysical.
 
 <br/>
 
 ## Tests
 
+- Added a nightly binary tarball workflow that builds base OS images, installs
+  the runtime package subset, downloads the matching dev tarball, installs
+  Geant4 data, and runs binary smoke checks.
 - Added analyzer coverage in `pygemc` for y-vs-x plotting and CLI image output.
 
 <br/>
@@ -59,9 +71,9 @@ This version includes:
 Both x86_64 and ARM64 platforms are supported.
 
 - macOS: 26
-- Ubuntu: 24.04
-- AlmaLinux: 9.4
-- Fedora: 42
+- Ubuntu: 24.04, 26.04
+- AlmaLinux: 10
+- Fedora: 44
 - Debian: 13
 - Arch Linux: latest
 
@@ -83,6 +95,18 @@ Both x86_64 and ARM64 platforms are supported.
 
 ## Detailed list of changes and fixes
 
+- Added `ci/package_install.sh` to build installable tarballs from CI install
+  prefixes while excluding `python_env` and keeping only `gemc` plus selected
+  smoke-test executables in `bin`.
+- Generated `gemc.env` and `install_geant4_data.sh` during tarball packaging
+  from the Geant4 data environment exported by `geant4-config --sh`.
+- Added package-export stages to the deploy/test Dockerfile generation and
+  attached tarballs to the `dev` GitHub release with explicit repository
+  selection for `gh release`.
+- Added `ci/binary_packages.py` as the dedicated source of truth for ROOT-free
+  binary runtime packages used by tarball tests.
+- Added per-plugin dependency handling in Meson and moved `root_dep` from the
+  core gstreamer static library to `gstreamer_root_plugin`.
 - Better generator statistics for some examples
 - Api and analyzer moved to pygemc module 
 - Examples and tests adapted to use pygemc