New versioning

versioning/README.md

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+# Versioning
+
+## Overview
+This project uses a time-based versioning scheme: `year.month.sequential_number`.
+This scheme makes it easy to identify when a version was released and provides a clear order for releases within a given month.
+
+### Examples
+- `2024.12.01` – First release of December 2024.
+- `2024.12.02` – Second release of December 2024.
+- `2025.01.01` – First release of January 2025.
+
+## Files
+- **`VERSION`**: Contains the current version of the project as plain text.
+- **`bump_version.sh`**: A script to increment the version based on the current date and release sequence.
+- **`README.md`**: Documentation for the versioning process.
+
+## Versioning Rules
+1. The version format is `YYYY.MM.NN`, where:
+   - `YYYY` is the current year.
+   - `MM` is the current month (two digits).
+   - `NN` is the sequential release number within the month (starting at `01`).
+2. On each new merge to the `main` branch:
+   - If the month hasn’t changed, the sequential number (`NN`) is incremented.
+   - If the month has changed, the sequential number resets to `01`.
+
+## Usage
+
+### Automatically Managed
+The versioning process is fully integrated into the workflow. Developers do not need to manually increment or manage versions.
+Simply push your changes, and the system will handle version updates and tagging automatically.
+
+### Access Version in Code
+The version is accessible in the ESPHome YAML configuration file (`TX-Ultimate-Easy-ESPHome_core.yaml`) using the following syntax:
+
+```yaml
+substitutions:
+  version: <<: !include ../versioning/VERSION
+```
+
+This ensures the correct version is used directly in the ESPHome setup without requiring manual updates.
+
+## Benefits of this Versioning Approach
+1. **Clarity**: Each version is tied to a specific point in time, making it easy to track releases.
+2. **Automation**: The process is seamless and reduces manual effort.
+3. **Scalability**: Supports frequent releases while keeping the versioning system organized.
+4. **Traceability**: Git tags and the `VERSION` file ensure releases are well-documented and easily accessible.
+
+## Extending the System
+- Add more scripts to handle additional automation tasks, such as generating changelogs or notifying stakeholders of new releases.
+- Enhance the `bump_version.sh` script to support different versioning schemes if needed.
+- Integrate versioning information into your deployment pipelines to label builds with their corresponding version.
+
+### GitHub Actions Workflow Adjustment
+The GitHub Actions workflow for versioning runs only when changes are merged into the `main` branch, ensuring no premature version updates during PR creation.
+This behavior is automatically handled by the integrated workflow.