▼How to Program Racket:   a Style Guide
►8 Retiquette:   Branch and Commit
On this page:
8.1 Bugfix Workflow
8.2 Commit
8.3 No Commit “Bombs,” Please
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8 Retiquette: Branch and Commit

This section is specifically for Racketeers who commit to the Racket code base.

Working with the bug database requires one critical work flow rule.

Working with the code base requires style rules for actions on the repository. Currently we are using Git and below are a few rules on how to act in this context.

8.1 Bugfix Workflow

Re-assign bug reports only after you can eliminate your own code as the source of a bug. The best way to accomplish this goal is to create a new example that re-creates the problem without involvement of your code. When you have such a code snippet, re-assign the code to the person responsible for the apparently buggy component and submit the code snippet as part of the justification.

8.2 Commit

New feature commit: Commit the new feature, its tests, and its documentations as you wish, but please push them together. However, do not commit states that don’t run. (In Git, this means ’commit’ and not just ’push’.)

Bug fix commit: When you fix a bug, make sure to commit (1) the code delta, (2) the new test case, and (3) the revised docs (if applicable) in one batch. If the creation of a single commit is too complex of if you wish to factor out one of the commits, please push all pieces at once. That way the code base is always in a state where code, tests, and documentation are in sync, and readers of commit messages can evaluate changes completely.

Style change commit: Submit changes to the style of a file separately from changes to its behavior (new features, bugs).

Write meaningful commit messages. The first line (say 72 chars) should provide a concise summary of the commit. If the message must be longer, edit the rest of the message in your text editor and leave a blank line between the summary line and the rest of the message, like this:

  some quick description

  

  more blah blah blah, with more

  details about the actual change

The advantage of a blank line is that git log and other tools display the commit messages properly. If you prefer the -m command line flag over an editor, you can use several of them in a row.

The message for bug report fixes should contain “Close PR NNNNN” so that bug reports are automatically closed.

To avoid ‘merge commits’, update your repository with git --rebase pull.

8.3 No Commit “Bombs,” Please

On occasion, you will find that you are spending a significant amount of time working with someone else’s code. To avoid potentially painful merges, please (1) inform the author when you create the branch and (2) set the mail hook so that git sends a commit message to both you and the original author. Furthermore, you should test your changes on the actual code base. In some cases it is acceptable to delay such tests, e.g., when you will not know for a long time whether the performance implications allow a commit to the PLT repository.

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