Changelog Validation

What is this validation?

This validation ensures that a valid CHANGELOG.md file is included in the package's root folder. This file contains information about every new feature and bug fix in reverse chronological order from the latest update to when the package was first published. For more information visit keepachangelog.com.

The changelog has the following basic structure:

• ## [X.Y.Z] - YYYY-MM-DD entries in descending order (most recent first). The # [X.Y.Z] part states the full version of the package, for example # [1.2.3]
• Under ## headers, ### <type> headers are listed in this order: Added, Changed, Deprecated, Removed, Fixed, Security.

Note: Published Asset Store packages do not allow for the [Unreleased] entry that is usually allowed within changelogs

Why do we need this validation?

A changelog makes it easier for users and contributors to see precisely what notable changes have been made between each release of a package.

Errors

No changelog found

No valid changelog was found for the package. This means that there was no reachable changelogUrl field found in the package.json AND that no valid CHANGELOG.md file was found in the root of the package. Please add either a valid and reachable changelogUrl to the package.json file, and/or a valid CHANGELOG.md file to the root of your package.

Changelog invalid capitalization

The changelog file provided in the package did not have the proper capitalization. As a part of Unity standards, the changelog within Asset Store packages must be named CHANGELOG.md. In order to resolve this error; rename the file to have proper capitalization.

Invalid or missing file extension

Unity changelogs are required to be named CHANGELOG.md. This error indicates that the changelog file extension found within the package is either missing or invalid. To resolve this error, ensure that the changelog is named CHANGELOG.md and run the validation again.

Changelog contains unreleased entry

All Asset Store packages are that are published qualify as a released version of that package and therfor have no use for an [Unreleased] entry in the changelog. In order to resolve this error; either remove this entry or move it's contents into an entry that follows valid semantic versioning.

Package version is not in changelog

The version found in the package's manifest (package.json) does not appear anywhere in the changelog. Whenever a new version of a package is published, it is important to keep a changelog of the updates. To resolve this error; add a new entry into the changelog with the package's current version.

Changelog entry is missing date

Every changelog entry is required to have the date at which that update was published. This error means that an entry in the package's CHANGELOG.md is missing a date. To resolve this error; add the missing date to the changelog.

Changelog entry date format is invalid

The date in one of the changelog entries does not follow the proper YYYY-MM-DD format or is malformed. To resolve this error; ensure that every date associated with each changelog entry follows this format.

Package version is not first entry in changelog

The package entry found for the version in the package manifest (package.json) is not the first entry in the changelog. Since the CHANGELOG.md file follows reverse chronological order, the latest version should be the first entry in the changelog. To resolve this error; make sure that the latest package version is the first entry in the changelog.

Changelog header order is incorrect

The headers underneath each changelog entry should be listed in the following order: Added, Changed, Deprecated, Removed, Fixed, Security. This error indicates that the order in which they appear is not as stated. To resolve this error; fix the order in which the headers appear to match that which is standard.

Repeated headers in changelog entry

An entry in the CHANGELOG.md file has repeating headers (e.g ### Added appears twice). To resolve this error; consolidate the two/more headers into one header, then run the validation again.

Empty header or whitespace

One of the entries or headers in the CHANGELOG.md file is blank or contains nothing but whitespace. To resolve this error either remove the empty header/entry or add a title to it, then run the validation again.

Warnings

Changelog URL not reachable

This warning will be thrown when there is a changelogUrl field set in the package.json, but it is not reachable throught the browser. Ensure that the url is correct and that you are connected to the internet before running the validation again.

Changelog entry date format is deprecated

Changelog entry dates should follow YYYY-MM-DD. This warning will be thrown if any changelog entry uses deprecated dates such as YYYY-MM-D, YYYY-M-DD, or YYYY-M-D. To remove this warning, simply adhere to the standard YYYY-MM-DD format within all changelog entries.

Unexpected header entry

An unexpected header appears underneath one or more of the entries in the CHANGELOG.md file. The expected headers are as follows (case-sensitive): Added, Changed, Deprecated, Removed, Fixed, Security. While users are allowed to use any headers they want, it is strongly encouraged to use the headers listed above. To remove the warning; simply adhear to the recommended headers.