use towncrier to handle changelog entries

.github/pull_request_template.md

@@ -12,11 +12,89 @@ This PR addresses ...
 ## Tasks
 - [ ] **request a review from someone specific**, to avoid making the maintainers review every PR
 - [ ] add a build milestone, i.e. `Build 11.3` (use the [latest build](https://github.com/spacetelescope/jwst/milestones) if not sure)
-- [ ] Does this PR change user-facing code / API?
-  - [ ] add an entry to `CHANGES.rst` within the relevant release section (otherwise add the `no-changelog-entry-needed` label to this PR)
+- [ ] Does this PR change user-facing code / API? (if not, label with `no-changelog-entry-needed`)
+  - [ ] write news fragment(s) in `changes/`: `echo "changed something" > changes/<PR#>.<changetype>.rst` (see below for change types) 
   - [ ] update or add relevant tests
   - [ ] update relevant docstrings and / or `docs/` page
   - [ ] [start a regression test](https://github.com/spacetelescope/RegressionTests/actions/workflows/jwst.yml) and include a link to the running job ([click here for instructions](https://github.com/spacetelescope/RegressionTests/blob/main/docs/running_regression_tests.md))
     - [ ] Do truth files need to be updated ("okified")?
       - [ ] **after the reviewer has approved these changes**, run `okify_regtests` to update the truth files
 - [ ] if a JIRA ticket exists, [make sure it is resolved properly](https://github.com/spacetelescope/jwst/wiki/How-to-resolve-JIRA-issues)
+
+<details><summary>news fragment change types...</summary>
+
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.general.rst``: infrastructure or miscellaneous change
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.docs.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.stpipe.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.datamodels.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.scripts.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.fits_generator.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.set_telescope_pointing.rst``
+
+    ## stage 1
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.group_scale.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.dq_init.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.emicorr.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.saturation.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.ipc.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.firstframe.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.lastframe.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.reset.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.superbias.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.refpix.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.linearity.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.rscd.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.persistence.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.dark_current.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.charge_migration.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.jump.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.ramp_fitting.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.gain_scale.rst``
+
+    ## stage 2
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.assign_wcs.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.msaflagopen.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.nsclean.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.imprint.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.background.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.extract_2d.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.master_background.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.wavecorr.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.srctype.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.straylight.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.wfss_contam.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.flatfield.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.fringe.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.pathloss.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.barshadow.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.photom.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.pixel_replace.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.resample_spec.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.residual_fringe.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.cube_build.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.extract_1d.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.resample.rst``
+
+    ## stage 3
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.assign_mtwcs.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.mrs_imatch.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.tweakreg.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.skymatch.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.exp_to_source.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.outlier_detection.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.tso_photometry.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.stack_refs.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.align_refs.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.klip.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.spectral_leak.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.source_catalog.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.combine_1d.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.ami.rst``
+
+    ## other
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.wfs_combine.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.white_light.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.cube_skymatch.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.engdb_tools.rst``
+    - ``changes/<PR#>.guider_cds.rst``
+</details>

.github/workflows/changelog.yml

@@ -1,16 +1,31 @@
-name: Ensure changelog
+name: changelog
 
 on:
   pull_request:
-    types: [labeled, unlabeled, opened, synchronize, reopened]
+    types:
+      - labeled
+      - unlabeled
+      - opened
+      - synchronize
+      - reopened
+
+concurrency:
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
 
 jobs:
-  ensure_changelog:
-    name: Verify that a changelog entry exists for this pull request
+  check:
+    if: ${{ !contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'no-changelog-entry-needed') }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
+      - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version: 3
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
-          submodules: true
-      - run: grep -P '\[[^\]]*#${{github.event.number}}[,\]]' CHANGES.rst
-        if: ${{ !contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'no-changelog-entry-needed') }}
+          fetch-depth: 0
+      - run: pip install .
+      - run: pip install towncrier
+      - run: towncrier check
+      - run: towncrier build --draft | grep -P '#${{ github.event.number }}'
+

.readthedocs.yaml

@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ build:
       - git fetch --all --tags || true
     pre_install:
       - git update-index --assume-unchanged docs/rtd_environment.yaml docs/conf.py
+    post_install:
+      - towncrier build --keep
 
 conda:
   environment: docs/rtd_environment.yaml

CHANGES.rst

@@ -416,7 +416,6 @@ tweakreg
 - Step now uses `ModelLibrary` to handle accessing models consistently
   whether they are in memory or on disk. [#8683]
 
-
 1.15.1 (2024-07-08)
 ===================
 

changes/8671.docs.rst

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+use ``towncrier`` to handle change log entries

docs/rtd_environment.yaml

@@ -7,3 +7,4 @@ dependencies:
  - pip
  - graphviz
  - sphinx_rtd_theme>1.2.0
+ - towncrier