Consider using annotated and/or signed tags

[yarikoptic]

(git)lena:~exppsy/pynwb-upstream/src/pynwb/nwb-schema[tags/2.2.0~42]git
$> git describe
fatal: No annotated tags can describe '3939e3525c89a15ab81f26871db844c0d3f062c2'.
However, there were unannotated tags: try --tags.

$> git describe --tags
2.1.0-4-g3939e35

$> git tag
2.0.1
2.1.0
2.2.0
2.2.1

The problem is that those tags are not "proper" tags (separate git object with description etc) but lightweight tags, so not used by git describe by default. Unfortunately that is how github git tags the releases, since they contain metadata (description etc) separately, not in git.

Optimal IMHO strategy is to

• use git tag -a or even git tag -s locally to create proper annotated git tags
  • I usually copy/paste changelog for the release
• git push --tags (or just git push TAG if only one) to github
• go to releases, click "Edit" on that tag, and "Save" so github picks up the information from git tag annotation.

E.g. here is our releases for datalad created in a similar fashion: https://github.com/datalad/datalad/releases

[t-b]

I'm never using annotated tags myself only lightweight tags. So why is passing --tags to git describe not feasible. Especially if it is the github default?

[yarikoptic]

So why is passing --tags to git describe not feasible.

it is "feasible". It is a matter of using the tool as it was intended/envisioned to make most use of it. Whenever I want to describe I just use git describe first without any options. I think the reason why git describe does not by default (without --tags) use lightweight tags is that then you could use annotated tags for "important" states (releases etc), while lightweight for throw away/intermediate tags (although I must confess I do not use them that often). But I had cases where in some projects git describe --tags would hit some intermediate lightweight tags, not release ones. Then whenever release ones are not annotated as well -- I was doomed to use --match option to restrict to the release ones... so time was wasted. But it could be for other reasons (they are the ones with author info, time/date, etc), see e.g. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4971746/why-should-i-care-about-lightweight-vs-annotated-tags whenever lightweight ones have no metadata attached (so cannot be signed to verify legitimacy etc),

[stephprince]

Annotated, signed git tags were added with the PR mentioned above.