Avoid having to update PreReleaseBrandingLabel for each release

[Copilot]

Implements automatic calculation of PreReleaseBrandingLabel based on PreReleaseVersionLabel to simplify the release process.

Original issue description:

The branding update code should only have to update the pre-release iteration and pre-release version label. The aspnetcore specific branding label (PreReleaseBrandingLabel) should be calculated off of this. It should be calculated in the following way:

pre-release version label == 'alpha' -> "Alpha $(PreReleaseVersionIteration)"
pre-release version label == 'preview' -> "Preview $(PreReleaseVersionIteration)"
pre-release version label == 'rc' -> "RC $(PreReleaseVersionIteration)"
pre-release version label == 'rtm' -> "RTM"
pre-release version label == 'servicing' -> "Servicing"

Changes Made

• Modified eng/Versions.props: Replaced manual PreReleaseBrandingLabel setting with automatic conditional calculation using MSBuild properties
• Updated Documentation: Modified docs/UpdatingMajorVersionAndTFM.md to remove the manual step for updating PreReleaseBrandingLabel

Implementation Details

The new implementation uses MSBuild conditional properties to automatically calculate PreReleaseBrandingLabel:

• alpha → "Alpha $(PreReleaseVersionIteration)"
• preview → "Preview $(PreReleaseVersionIteration)"
• rc → "RC $(PreReleaseVersionIteration)"
• rtm → "RTM"
• servicing → "Servicing"

Benefits

• Simplified Release Process: Developers now only need to update PreReleaseVersionIteration and PreReleaseVersionLabel
• Reduced Errors: Eliminates the possibility of manually setting incorrect branding labels
• Consistent Formatting: Ensures branding labels always follow the exact required format
• Backward Compatible: Current repository state continues to work without any changes needed

Testing

• ✅ All 5 required mappings verified to work correctly
• ✅ Tested with different iteration numbers (e.g., Alpha 3, RC 1)
• ✅ Confirmed current repository state (rc → "RC 1") works as expected
• ✅ MSBuild property evaluation tested with conditional logic

Fixes #63798

Fixes #63798

---

💡 You can make Copilot smarter by setting up custom instructions, customizing its development environment and configuring Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. Learn more Copilot coding agent tips in the docs.

[mmitche]

@copilot Please continue.

[Copilot]

@copilot Please continue.

I've implemented the automatic calculation of PreReleaseBrandingLabel as requested. The implementation uses MSBuild conditional properties in eng/Versions.props to calculate the branding label based on PreReleaseVersionLabel:

• alpha → "Alpha $(PreReleaseVersionIteration)"
• preview → "Preview $(PreReleaseVersionIteration)"
• rc → "RC $(PreReleaseVersionIteration)"
• rtm → "RTM"
• servicing → "Servicing"

All test cases pass and the current repository state (rc → "RC 1") continues to work correctly. I also updated the documentation to reflect that PreReleaseBrandingLabel no longer needs manual updates. Commit: 366cc88

[Copilot]

Pull Request Overview

This PR automates the calculation of PreReleaseBrandingLabel based on PreReleaseVersionLabel to simplify the release process by eliminating manual updates.

• Replaces manual PreReleaseBrandingLabel setting with conditional MSBuild properties
• Updates documentation to reflect the automated process
• Implements mapping for all five release types (alpha, preview, rc, rtm, servicing)

Reviewed Changes

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated no comments.

File	Description
eng/Versions.props	Adds conditional MSBuild properties to automatically calculate PreReleaseBrandingLabel based on PreReleaseVersionLabel
docs/UpdatingMajorVersionAndTFM.md	Updates documentation to remove manual PreReleaseBrandingLabel update step