Commit message guidelines: Difference between revisions

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Commit message guidelines (edit)

Revision as of 17:51, 24 August 2016

473 bytes added ,  24 August 2016
add more examples and explanation from the manual
(added alternative changelog commands to account for length of the output)
(add more examples and explanation from the manual)
Line 12: Line 12:


   hg log --style changelog >> octave_changelogs.log
   hg log --style changelog >> octave_changelogs.log


== Guidelines ==
== Guidelines ==
General structure of a commit message:
General structure of a commit message:
:: '''One-line description'''
:: '''One-line description'''
:: Empty line
:: ''Empty line''
:: '''Body of the commit message'''
:: '''Body of the commit message'''


Each part is explained in detail below.
=== One-line description ===
Here there is an example:
<pre>
Give message id to undefined function error


* pt-id.cc (tree_identifier::eval_undefined_error): used
The commit message should have a brief a one-line description of what the
  ::error_with_id instead of ::error to report undefined functions
commit does. Keep it short, preferably under 80 characters. If you are
  with id.
patching a bug, this one-line explanation should mention the bug number
</pre>
at the end like so: {{codeline|... (bug #12345)}}. Omit final period (full stop).


=== One-line description ===
If your change only touches one file, then the filename of that file should
be the prefix of the one-line description. If it's a C++ or C file, the
function or class that is being modified should be included in the
parenthetical remark, as in the full body of the commit message.


The commit message has a one-line description. Keep it short, preferrably under 80 characters. If you're squashing a bug, the bug number you're squashing should be included in this one-line description, like so at the end: <tt>(bug #12345)</tt>. Omit final period (full stop).
In addition, there are two prefixes for special commits:
 
Sometimes the one-line description is sufficient, for small changes. In that case, we use the following prefixes to give a description of what the small change is:


* maint: for reorganisation of the sources that do not change the source. Regular merge commits are a prominent example.
* maint: for reorganisation of the sources that do not change the source. Regular merge commits are a prominent example.
* doc: for changes to the documentation.
* doc: for changes to the documentation.


If your change only touches one file, then the filename of that file should be the prefix of the one-line description. If it's a C++ or C file, the function or class that is being modified should be included in the parenthetical remark, as in the full body of the commit message.
If your change is small and only touches one file then this is
typically sufficient.


=== Body of the commit message ===
=== Body of the commit message ===


If there is more than one file touched in different ways and the one-line description isn't enough to describe all changes, the commit message needs a full-body description.
If there is more than one file touched in different ways and the one-line
description isn't enough to describe all changes, the commit message needs
a full-body description.
 
Individual files you touched get their changes separately enumerated. If
there a particular C or C++ function you changed, the general format is
 
<pre>
* file.cc (class1::function1): Make change foo.
(class2::function2): Make change bar.
</pre>


Individual files you touched get their changes separately enumerated. If there a particular C or C++ function you changed, the general format is
Note the newline for describing the change to a different function. General
GNU style guidelines can be followed here, so that similar changes to
different files can be grouped.


    * file.cc (class1::function1): Make change foo.
For m-script and Fortran sources, the function name can be omitted if
      (class2::function2): Make change bar.
the m-script only contains one file. For changes outside of functions
or classes, of course the parenthetical (function) or (class::function)
specifiers can also be omitted.


Note the newline for describing the change to a different function. General GNU style guidelines can be followed here, so that similar changes to different files can be grouped.
=== Wording ===


For style points, please also write "New function" instead of "Added function" or "Return retval" instead of "Changed to return retval".
Please write "New function" instead of "Added function" or "Return retval"
instead of "Changed to return retval".


And please, never "Fixed bug" or similar. That doesn't add any specific information about what was changed.
Never write "Fixed bug" or similar. That doesn't add any specific
information about what was changed.


The changelog info in the commit message should say what changed, not why. If you need to explain why, that info should probably go in comments in the code.
The commit message should describe what was changed, not why it was changed.
Any explanation for why a change is needed should appear as comments in the
code, particularly if there is something that might not be obvious to someone
reading it later.


For m-script and Fortran sources, the function name can be omitted if the m-script only contains one file. For changes outside of functions or classes, of course the parenthetical (function) or (class::function) specifiers can also be omitted.


== Examples ==
== Examples ==


* standard commit messages
<pre>
look for methods before constructors
 
* symtab.cc (symbol_table::fcn_info::fcn_info_rep::find):
Look for class methods before constructors, contrary to Matlab
documentation.
* test/ctor-vs-method: New directory of test classes.
* test/test_ctor_vs_method.m: New file.
* test/Makefile.am: Include ctor-vs-method/module.mk.
(FCN_FILES): Include test_ctor_vs_method.m in the list.
</pre>
 
<pre>
<pre>
allow abbreviations for optimset and optimget (bug #38999)
allow abbreviations for optimset and optimget (bug #38999)
Line 68: Line 99:
  ambiguous abbreviations. New tests.
  ambiguous abbreviations. New tests.
</pre>
</pre>
<pre>
<pre>
add format option to ticklabel (bug #34906)
add format option to ticklabel (bug #34906)
Line 75: Line 107:
* graphics.in.h: define set_xyzticklabel as external function
* graphics.in.h: define set_xyzticklabel as external function
</pre>
</pre>
<pre>
<pre>
tag symbols in indexed assignments as variables (bug #39240)
tag symbols in indexed assignments as variables (bug #39240)
Line 83: Line 116:
</pre>
</pre>


* For short and very simple commit messages under 80 characters.  
=== One line commit examples ===
<pre>@ftp/cd.m: Fix docstring.</pre>
 
<pre>strjoin.m: delimiter can include escape sequences (matlab compatibility)</pre>
This examples are the rare cases where only one file is modified and the
change is simple enough:
 
<pre>maint: merge away accidental head.</pre>
<pre>maint: Strip trailing whitespace from source files.</pre>
<pre>maint: Update gnulib to latest changes.</pre>
<pre>maint: Periodic merge of stable to default.</pre>
<pre>doc: grammarcheck documentation for 4.2 release.</pre>
<pre>pkg.m4: update to lastest version as released with pkg-config 0.29 (bug #48775)</pre>
<pre>uigetfile.m: allow path names as input arg (bug #48828)</pre>


* maintenance or docs commits, no actual code changed
<pre>maint: update config.in.h in .hgignore</pre>


[[Category:Development]]
[[Category:Development]]
Retrieved from "https://wiki.octave.org/Special:MobileDiff/9533"

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