infra: #197/#240 create release using workflows

[thompson-tomo]

Avoids #197 and #240 being an issue going forward and resolves if maintainer steps below are done.

This introduces github workflow for managing releases. This workflow is triggered when a tag is added to a commit and performs the following:

• Set npm package version based on tag value
• Create npm package
• Uploads npm package to npm
• Create github release with npm package attached and auto generated release notes

Required steps by maintainers to enable closure of the 2 issues:

• Add 2.2.1 tag to commit bb82960 -> Needed for version mismatch between npmjs and github #240
• Setup trusted publishers https://docs.npmjs.com/trusted-publishers/
• Go to github tags and starting from 1.0.0 create a release for each tag by clicking the following option:

followed by the create release notes option:

-> Needed for #197

[thompson-tomo]

@PeterDaveHello / @AndrewSouthpaw / @thlorenz thoughts on automating the release process including release note generation?

Note the manual steps to generate old release notes described in description.

[PeterDaveHello]

I'm not sure if this is a good idea, as based on my limited experience with Node.js app development, it doesn't appear to be a common practice.

[thompson-tomo]

For me it is better and more efficient to use a clear placeholder value rather than having to either manually maintain the version value or adding more advanced ci pipelines given low volume of releases. Note this value is used purely for informational purposes as the git tag value is used to ensure they are aligned.

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

This PR introduces automated release management through GitHub workflows to prevent manual release inconsistencies. The workflow triggers on version tags and automates npm package publishing and GitHub release creation.

Key changes:

• Sets package.json version to development placeholder to be updated by workflow
• Adds GitHub workflow that publishes to npm and creates releases on tag push
• Requires maintainer setup of npm trusted publishers and retroactive release creation

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 3 changed files in this pull request and generated 3 comments.

File	Description
package.json	Version changed to development placeholder for workflow automation
.github/workflows/release.yml	New workflow automating npm publish and GitHub release on version tags

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[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 3 changed files in this pull request and generated 3 comments.

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