[Bug 1721838] [NEW] dch --release does not defaulted to previous released distribution

[Chad Smith]

Public bug reported:

On Xenial, trying to release a package targeted for zesty:

$ dpkg-query -W devscripts
devscripts	2.16.2ubuntu3


info dch says:
       --release, -r
              Finalize the changelog for  a  release.   Update  the  changelog
              timestamp.  If  the distribution is set to UNRELEASED, change it
              to the  distribution  from  the  previous  changelog  entry  (or
              another  distribution as specified by --distribution).


Yet on Ubuntu Xenial if I dch --release on a product where
debian/changelog contains changelogs referencing zesty, my resulting
debian/changelog diff still is set to xenial


$ head -n 10 debian/changelog 
curtin (0.1.0~bzr532-0ubuntu1~17.04.1ubuntu1) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium

  * test dch --release

 -- Chad Smith <chad.smith at canonical.com>  Fri, 06 Oct 2017 11:44:36
-0600

curtin (0.1.0~bzr532-0ubuntu1~17.04.1) zesty; urgency=medium

  * New upstream snapshot. (LP: #1721808)
    - vmtest: fix artful networking


$ dch --release

$ bzr diff
=== modified file 'debian/changelog'
--- debian/changelog	2017-10-06 17:45:19 +0000
+++ debian/changelog	2017-10-06 17:55:43 +0000
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
-curtin (0.1.0~bzr532-0ubuntu1~17.04.1ubuntu1) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
+curtin (0.1.0~bzr532-0ubuntu1~17.04.1ubuntu1) xenial; urgency=medium
 
   * something
 
- -- Chad Smith <chad.smith at canonical.com>  Fri, 06 Oct 2017 11:44:36 -0600
+ -- Chad Smith <chad.smith at canonical.com>  Fri, 06 Oct 2017 11:55:37 -0600
 
 curtin (0.1.0~bzr532-0ubuntu1~17.04.1) zesty; urgency=medium
 


curtin (0.1.0~bzr532-0ubuntu1~17.04.1ubuntu1) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium

  * something

 -- Chad Smith <chad.smith at canonical.com>  Fri, 06 Oct 2017 11:44:36
-0600

curtin (0.1.0~bzr532-0ubuntu1~17.04.1) zesty; urgency=medium

  * New upstream snapshot. (LP: #1721808)
    - vmtest: fix artful networking

** Affects: devscripts (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1721838

Title:
  dch --release does not defaulted to previous released distribution

Status in devscripts package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  On Xenial, trying to release a package targeted for zesty:

  $ dpkg-query -W devscripts
  devscripts	2.16.2ubuntu3


  info dch says:
         --release, -r
                Finalize the changelog for  a  release.   Update  the  changelog
                timestamp.  If  the distribution is set to UNRELEASED, change it
                to the  distribution  from  the  previous  changelog  entry  (or
                another  distribution as specified by --distribution).


  Yet on Ubuntu Xenial if I dch --release on a product where
  debian/changelog contains changelogs referencing zesty, my resulting
  debian/changelog diff still is set to xenial


  $ head -n 10 debian/changelog 
  curtin (0.1.0~bzr532-0ubuntu1~17.04.1ubuntu1) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium

    * test dch --release

   -- Chad Smith <chad.smith at canonical.com>  Fri, 06 Oct 2017 11:44:36
  -0600

  curtin (0.1.0~bzr532-0ubuntu1~17.04.1) zesty; urgency=medium

    * New upstream snapshot. (LP: #1721808)
      - vmtest: fix artful networking

  
  $ dch --release

  $ bzr diff
  === modified file 'debian/changelog'
  --- debian/changelog	2017-10-06 17:45:19 +0000
  +++ debian/changelog	2017-10-06 17:55:43 +0000
  @@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
  -curtin (0.1.0~bzr532-0ubuntu1~17.04.1ubuntu1) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
  +curtin (0.1.0~bzr532-0ubuntu1~17.04.1ubuntu1) xenial; urgency=medium
   
     * something
   
  - -- Chad Smith <chad.smith at canonical.com>  Fri, 06 Oct 2017 11:44:36 -0600
  + -- Chad Smith <chad.smith at canonical.com>  Fri, 06 Oct 2017 11:55:37 -0600
   
   curtin (0.1.0~bzr532-0ubuntu1~17.04.1) zesty; urgency=medium
   

  
  curtin (0.1.0~bzr532-0ubuntu1~17.04.1ubuntu1) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium

    * something

   -- Chad Smith <chad.smith at canonical.com>  Fri, 06 Oct 2017 11:44:36
  -0600

  curtin (0.1.0~bzr532-0ubuntu1~17.04.1) zesty; urgency=medium

    * New upstream snapshot. (LP: #1721808)
      - vmtest: fix artful networking

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