GitLab tutorial¶

Create a new project in Gitlab¶

We recommend that the project is created from the biogitflow template or you can follow the procedure below.

Add the new projet¶

Select Projects in the upper left menu

Click on
Link your project to a group (if needed)

Give a name and a description to your new project
Check that the Visibility Level is set to Private
Select the option Initialize repository with a README

Add the templates for the issues and merge requests¶

Clone the new project:

git clone git@gitlab.com:biogitflow/biogitflow-demo.git
cd biogitflow-demo

Create the hidden folder .gitlab:

mkdir .gitlab

Copy the content of the directory biogitflow templates such that the .gitlab folder contains the following folders:

issue_templates
merge_request_templates

Push the templates on the main branch on the remote repository:

git add .gitlab
git commit -m "[ADD] templates for issues and merge requests"
git push origin main

Create the branches¶

Click in the Repository menu in the left panel, in order to create the release, hotfix and devel branches from the main branch
- Click on the New branch button:
- in the form, fill Branch name = devel and Create from = main
- Iterate the same procedure twice to create:
the release branch

the hotfix branch

Set the default branch¶

Click in the Settings menu in the left panel, select the Repository sub-menu, then click on the Default Branch button to expand the section:

Select Default branch = devel in the scrolling menu and click on the Save changes button:

Set the protected branches¶

Click in the Settings menu in the left panel, select the Repository sub-menu, then click on the Protected Branches button to expand the section:

Protect the release branch such that only the users with the Maintainers role can push and merge:
- In the form select Branch = release, Allowed to merge = Maintainers and Allowed to push = Maintainers, then click on the Protect button:

_images/gitlab_protect_branch_release.png

Check that main, hotfix and release branches are protected

Set the protected tags¶

The use of the tags is reserved to the user with the Maintainer role.

Click in the Settings menu in the left panel, select the Repository sub-menu, then click on the Protected Tags button to expand the section:

In the fields Tag, add * and then click on Create wildcard *

_images/gitlab_wildcard_protected_tags.png

Check that the field Allowed to create is set to Maintainers and then click on the Protect button:

Add a set of labels for the issues¶

Click in the Issues menu in the left panel, select the Labels sub-menu
It is possible that some labels already exist if the project has been created inside a group for which some labels have been already set (using the Promote to Group Label functionality for example)
If there is no label, then click on Generate a default set of labels:

Create the labels need by biogitflow documentation that are not in the default set:

Create the new labels for the Validation of a new release by the end-users:

Create the new label for the Deployment in the production environment:
Check that all the labels required by biogitflow documentation are available:

Add members to the project¶

Click in the Settings menu in the left panel, select the Members sub-menu
- by default, all the members of the group have access to the new project
- if needed, add additional members with their specific role

Configure GitLab-CI¶

If you use GitLab-CI to deploy the pipeline, some configuration may be required. In our infrastructure, we have to apply the settings described below.

Disable the Shared runners¶

For each pipeline GitLab repository, the sys admin has to setup a runner (which is implemented using rootless podman container). It is important to check that the Shared runners are disabled. In order to check the runner configuration: