Enhance CI testing with smart PR version detection and comprehensive error reporting

Author: N6REJ

.github/workflows/postgresql-test.yml

@@ -48,8 +48,37 @@ jobs:
             VERSION="${{ github.event.inputs.version }}"
             echo "Testing specific version: $VERSION"
             VERSIONS="[\"$VERSION\"]"
+          elif [ "${{ github.event_name }}" == "pull_request" ]; then
+            # For PRs, detect which versions were added or modified
+            echo "Detecting versions changed in this PR..."
+            echo "Base ref: ${{ github.base_ref }}"
+            echo "Head ref: ${{ github.head_ref }}"
+            
+            # Get changed lines in releases.properties using GitHub's merge base
+            CHANGED_VERSIONS=$(git diff ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.sha }}..${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }} -- releases.properties 2>/dev/null | \
+              grep "^+" | \
+              grep -v "^+++" | \
+              grep -E "^\\+[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+" | \
+              sed 's/^+//' | \
+              cut -d'=' -f1 | \
+              tr -d ' ' | \
+              grep -v -E "(RC|beta|alpha)" || true)
+            
+            if [ -z "$CHANGED_VERSIONS" ]; then
+              echo "No version changes detected in releases.properties"
+              echo "Testing latest 5 stable versions as fallback"
+              VERSIONS=$(grep -E "^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+" releases.properties | \
+                grep -v -E "(RC|beta|alpha)" | \
+                cut -d'=' -f1 | \
+                tr -d ' ' | \
+                jq -R -s -c 'split("\n") | map(select(length > 0)) | unique | sort_by(split(".") | map(tonumber)) | reverse | .[0:5]')
+            else
+              echo "Changed versions detected:"
+              echo "$CHANGED_VERSIONS"
+              VERSIONS=$(echo "$CHANGED_VERSIONS" | jq -R -s -c 'split("\n") | map(select(length > 0)) | unique')
+            fi
           else
-            # Get all versions from releases.properties, excluding RC/beta versions
+            # For other events, test latest 5 stable versions
             VERSIONS=$(grep -E "^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+" releases.properties | \
               grep -v -E "(RC|beta|alpha)" | \
               cut -d'=' -f1 | \

docs/CI-CD-TESTING.md

@@ -13,7 +13,24 @@ The PostgreSQL testing workflow is triggered automatically on:
 
 ## Test Scope
 
-The workflow tests the **latest 5 PostgreSQL versions** from `releases.properties` by default. This ensures recent versions are validated while keeping CI runtime reasonable.
+The workflow intelligently determines which versions to test based on the context:
+
+### Pull Request Testing
+- **Smart Detection**: Automatically detects which PostgreSQL versions were added or modified in the PR
+- **Targeted Testing**: Only tests the versions that changed in `releases.properties`
+- **Efficiency**: Reduces CI runtime by testing only relevant versions
+- **Fallback**: If no version changes detected, tests the latest 5 stable versions
+- **Exclusions**: Automatically excludes RC (Release Candidate), beta, and alpha versions
+
+### Manual Testing
+- Tests a specific version provided as input parameter
+- Useful for re-testing or validating specific versions
+
+### Example Scenarios
+- **Add PostgreSQL 17.5**: Only version 17.5 is tested
+- **Add versions 16.9 and 17.5**: Both versions are tested
+- **Modify existing version URL**: That specific version is tested
+- **Non-version changes**: Latest 5 stable versions tested as fallback
 
 ## Test Phases
 
@@ -149,11 +166,34 @@ Each version's summary includes:
 
 ## Error Handling
 
+The workflow provides comprehensive error reporting at multiple levels:
+
+### Detailed Error Messages
+
+Each phase captures and reports specific error information:
+
+- **Download failures**: HTTP status codes, error messages, attempted URLs
+- **Extraction failures**: 7-Zip exit codes, output logs, directory listings
+- **Missing files**: Expected vs. actual directory structure
+- **Server failures**: Complete server logs, initialization output
+- **Database operation failures**: SQL error messages, connection details
+
+### Error Propagation
+
 - Each phase uses `continue-on-error: true` to allow subsequent phases to run
-- Failed phases are clearly marked in the summary
+- Failed phases are clearly marked in the summary with ❌ indicators
+- Error messages are included inline in test summaries
 - Server logs are always uploaded for debugging
 - Cleanup phase always runs to prevent resource leaks
 
+### Troubleshooting Assistance
+
+When tests fail, the summary includes:
+- Specific error messages for each failed phase
+- Collapsible troubleshooting tips section
+- Links to detailed workflow logs
+- References to downloadable artifacts
+
 ## Platform
 
 - **Runner**: `windows-latest`