🪲 [Fix]: Wildcard maximum versions no longer fail module processing (#446)

Module requirements can now use wildcard maximum versions such as `1.*`
without module builds or installations failing. Versions remain
constrained to the requested major or minor release line, while concrete
maximum versions keep their existing behavior.

## Fixed: wildcard maximum versions no longer fail module builds

Module manifests can now preserve wildcard maximum-version requirements
instead of rejecting them as invalid version values. A requirement such
as `MaximumVersion = '1.*'` remains usable during manifest generation.

## Fixed: wildcard maximum versions resolve to the correct release range

Module installation translates wildcard maximum versions into an
exclusive upper bound. For example, `MinimumVersion = '1.0.0'` and
`MaximumVersion = '1.*'` resolve to the range `[1.0.0,2.0.0)`, allowing
1.x releases without admitting 2.x releases. Unsupported wildcard
patterns are reported clearly.

---
<details>
<summary>Technical details</summary>

- Manifest processing now keeps wildcard maximum versions as strings and
only creates a numeric comparison bound for concrete versions.
- Installation version-spec conversion maps `1.*` to the exclusive upper
bound `2.0.0` and `1.2.*` to `1.3.0`; concrete maximum versions remain
inclusive.
- Source test fixtures now exercise a `ThreadJob` requirement with
`ModuleVersion = '1.0.0'` and `MaximumVersion = '1.*'`.
- The branch was synchronized with `main`; the repository's native
Zensical workflow remains unchanged and continues to build directly from
`zensical.toml`.
- Implementation plan progress: the scoped delivery bug in #444 is
completed by this pull request.

| Changed surface | Standards checked | Framework docs checked | Result
|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `.github/actions/**` (PowerShell) | Naming, functions, action layout |
Process-PSModule action conventions | Aligned |
| `tests/**` (PowerShell) | Pester fixture conventions | Module test
repository layout | Aligned |

</details>

<details>
<summary>Relevant issues (or links)</summary>

- Fixes #444

</details>

---------

Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Author: MariusStorhaug

.github/actions/Build-PSModule/src/helpers/Build/Build-PSModuleManifest.ps1

@@ -260,7 +260,8 @@
             Write-Host "Processing required module [$requiredModuleName]"
             $requiredVersion = $group.Group.RequiredVersion | ForEach-Object { [Version]$_ } | Sort-Object -Unique
             $minimumVersion = $group.Group.Version | ForEach-Object { [Version]$_ } | Sort-Object -Unique | Select-Object -Last 1
-            $maximumVersion = $group.Group.MaximumVersion | ForEach-Object { [Version]$_ } | Sort-Object -Unique | Select-Object -First 1
+            $maximumVersion = $group.Group.MaximumVersion | Sort-Object -Unique | Select-Object -First 1
+            $maximumVersionBound = if ($maximumVersion -and ($maximumVersion -notmatch '[*]')) { [Version]$maximumVersion } else { $null }
             Write-Host "RequiredVersion: [$($requiredVersion -join ', ')]"
             Write-Host "ModuleVersion:   [$minimumVersion]"
             Write-Host "MaximumVersion:  [$maximumVersion]"
@@ -274,17 +275,17 @@
             }
 
             if (-not $maximumVersion) {
-                $maximumVersion = [Version]'9999.9999.9999'
+                $maximumVersionBound = [Version]'9999.9999.9999'
             }
 
             if ($requiredVersion -and ($minimumVersion -gt $requiredVersion)) {
                 throw 'ModuleVersion is higher than RequiredVersion.'
             }
 
-            if ($minimumVersion -gt $maximumVersion) {
+            if ($maximumVersionBound -and ($minimumVersion -gt $maximumVersionBound)) {
                 throw 'ModuleVersion is higher than MaximumVersion.'
             }
-            if ($requiredVersion -and ($requiredVersion -gt $maximumVersion)) {
+            if ($requiredVersion -and $maximumVersionBound -and ($requiredVersion -gt $maximumVersionBound)) {
                 throw 'RequiredVersion is higher than MaximumVersion.'
             }
 
@@ -294,15 +295,15 @@
                     ModuleName      = $requiredModuleName
                     RequiredVersion = $requiredVersion
                 }
-            } elseif (($minimumVersion -ne [Version]'0.0.0') -or ($maximumVersion -ne [Version]'9999.9999.9999')) {
+            } elseif (($minimumVersion -ne [Version]'0.0.0') -or ($maximumVersionBound -ne [Version]'9999.9999.9999')) {
                 Write-Host '[RequiredModules] - ModuleVersion/MaximumVersion'
                 $uniqueModule = @{
                     ModuleName = $requiredModuleName
                 }
                 if ($minimumVersion -ne [Version]'0.0.0') {
                     $uniqueModule['ModuleVersion'] = $minimumVersion
                 }
-                if ($maximumVersion -ne [Version]'9999.9999.9999') {
+                if ($maximumVersionBound -ne [Version]'9999.9999.9999') {
                     $uniqueModule['MaximumVersion'] = $maximumVersion
                 }
             } else {

.github/actions/Install-PSModule/src/PSModule/PSModule.psm1

@@ -87,18 +87,40 @@ function Convert-VersionSpec {
         [string] $RequiredVersion
     )
 
+    $maximumVersionIsWildcard = $MaximumVersion -and ($MaximumVersion -match '[*]')
+    if ($maximumVersionIsWildcard) {
+        $versionParts = @($MaximumVersion -split '\.')
+        $wildcardIndex = [Array]::IndexOf($versionParts, '*')
+        if ($wildcardIndex -lt 0) {
+            throw "MaximumVersion '$MaximumVersion' contains an unsupported wildcard pattern."
+        }
+
+        if ($wildcardIndex -eq 0) {
+            throw "MaximumVersion '$MaximumVersion' contains an unsupported wildcard pattern."
+        }
+
+        $upperBoundParts = @(0, 0, 0)
+        for ($i = 0; $i -lt $wildcardIndex; $i++) {
+            $upperBoundParts[$i] = [int]$versionParts[$i]
+        }
+        $upperBoundParts[$wildcardIndex - 1]++
+        $MaximumVersion = $upperBoundParts -join '.'
+    }
+
     if ($RequiredVersion) {
         # Use exact match in bracket notation.
         return "[$RequiredVersion]"
     } elseif ($MinimumVersion -and $MaximumVersion) {
-        # Both bounds provided; both are inclusive.
-        return "[$MinimumVersion,$MaximumVersion]"
+        # Wildcard maximum versions are translated to an exclusive upper bound.
+        $upperBound = $maximumVersionIsWildcard ? ')' : ']'
+        return "[$MinimumVersion,$MaximumVersion$upperBound"
     } elseif ($MinimumVersion) {
         # Only a minimum is provided. Use a minimum-inclusive range.
         return "[$MinimumVersion, ]"
     } elseif ($MaximumVersion) {
-        # Only a maximum is provided; lower bound open.
-        return "(, $MaximumVersion]"
+        # Only a maximum is provided; lower bound open. Wildcards are exclusive upper bounds.
+        $upperBound = $maximumVersionIsWildcard ? ')' : ']'
+        return "(, $MaximumVersion$upperBound"
     } else {
         return $null
     }

tests/srcTestRepo/src/functions/public/PSModule/Get-PSModuleTest.ps1

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #Requires -Modules Utilities
 #Requires -Modules @{ ModuleName = 'PSSemVer'; RequiredVersion = '1.1.4' }
-#Requires -Modules @{ ModuleName = 'DynamicParams'; ModuleVersion = '1.1.8' }
+#Requires -Modules @{ ModuleName = 'ThreadJob'; ModuleVersion = '1.0.0'; MaximumVersion = '1.*' }
 #Requires -Modules @{ ModuleName = 'Store'; ModuleVersion = '0.3.1' }
 
 function Get-PSModuleTest {

tests/srcWithManifestTestRepo/src/functions/public/PSModule/Get-PSModuleTest.ps1

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #Requires -Modules Utilities
 #Requires -Modules @{ ModuleName = 'PSSemVer'; RequiredVersion = '1.1.4' }
-#Requires -Modules @{ ModuleName = 'DynamicParams'; ModuleVersion = '1.1.8' }
+#Requires -Modules @{ ModuleName = 'ThreadJob'; ModuleVersion = '1.0.0'; MaximumVersion = '1.*' }
 #Requires -Modules @{ ModuleName = 'Store'; ModuleVersion = '0.3.1' }
 
 function Get-PSModuleTest {