v4.0.0

New Features

• Actually removal of features:
  • No longer an escript
  • Functionality that is a duplicate of rebar3 has been removed
  • rebar3 is now able to pass a map of OTP Applications so relx does not need to do a discovery step
  • Releases are no longer discovered unless needed
• Add support for systools checks exref, {exref, [Apps]} and src_tests
  • Neither form of exref will work if using rebar3 as an escript. Install with rebar3 local install in order to use this feature. The default xref analysis done by relx now makes this option less useful but it is kept to allow a user to choose what is best for them.
• Alternative to exref added which is enabled by default, check_for_undefined_functions. check_for_undefined_functions option using xref on release
• Add support for multiple mode types:
  • dev: Same as the old dev_mode option. Creates symlinks for applications and configuration.
  • minimal: Same as prod but does not include ERTS in the release.
  • prod: Strips debug info from beam modules, includes ERTS and excludes src
• Extended start script no longer requires exact version of ERTS but attempts to use the one in the PATH if none is bundled in release
• On OTP-23:
  • extended start script will use erl_call instead of nodetool
  • remote shell will not bind to a listen port making use of epmdless simpler
• include_start_script_for allows setting which type of scripts to include
• flexible release cookie
• preserve order of applications in release config -- Thanks @moiseev for the initial fix and test used for this issue!
• add overlay var for each application in the release
• otp-23 support and new env var ERL_DIST_PORT
• support getting ERL_DIST_PORT from vm.args -erl_epmd_port argument

New Defaults

• extended_start_script is true by
• Automatically includes config/sys.config[.src] and config/vm.args[.src]
  • set {sys_config, false} and {vm_args, false} to force them to be left out
• Release boot script is now always named start.boot
• add check_for_undefined_functions option using xref on release

Bug Fixes

• {include_src, false} properly leaves out src and include of all applications, including OTP system applications
• copy dir in overlay bug
• remove doc and man dir from erts when copying to release
• fix fallback version number that is currently a tuple {plain, "0"}
• boot script name is different after tarring
• how to call an rpc with multiple arguments?
• git describe failure
• correctly delete symlinks on windows (resolves #801)
• Windows: add powershell start script, fix nodetool ping output
• Windows: Fix issue on making junctions on paths with spaces
• otp-23 support fix: don't use undefined for longname remote shell
• use RELX_RPC_TIMEOUT in nodetool for timeout
• fix foreground subcommand with shell/input
• fix heart command setup and the reboot test of it

Backwards Incompatible Changes

Start Script

• eval requires trailing period: bin/<release_script> eval "3."
• rpcterms removed
• rpc takes list of arguments, so to call foo:bar(1,2,3): bin/<release_script> foo bar "[1,2,3]"
• start renamed to daemon
  • attach renamed to daemon_attach
• remote_console has aliases remote and remsh

Release building

• Provider support removed from relx
• No support for goal restrictions like {appname, "> 1.1.1"}