198 lines
7.4 KiB
Markdown
198 lines
7.4 KiB
Markdown
---
|
|
stage: none
|
|
group: unassigned
|
|
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
# Changelog entries
|
|
|
|
This guide contains instructions for when and how to generate a changelog entry
|
|
file, as well as information and history about our changelog process.
|
|
|
|
## Overview
|
|
|
|
Each list item, or **entry**, in our
|
|
[`CHANGELOG.md`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md)
|
|
file is generated from the subject line of a Git commit. Commits are included
|
|
when they contain the `Changelog` [Git trailer](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-interpret-trailers).
|
|
When generating the changelog, author and merge request details are added
|
|
automatically.
|
|
|
|
The `Changelog` trailer accepts the following values:
|
|
|
|
- `added`: New feature
|
|
- `fixed`: Bug fix
|
|
- `changed`: Feature change
|
|
- `deprecated`: New deprecation
|
|
- `removed`: Feature removal
|
|
- `security`: Security fix
|
|
- `performance`: Performance improvement
|
|
- `other`: Other
|
|
|
|
An example of a Git commit to include in the changelog is the following:
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
Update git vendor to gitlab
|
|
|
|
Now that we are using gitaly to compile git, the git version isn't known
|
|
from the manifest, instead we are getting the gitaly version. Update our
|
|
vendor field to be `gitlab` to avoid cve matching old versions.
|
|
|
|
Changelog: changed
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
### Overriding the associated merge request
|
|
|
|
GitLab automatically links the merge request to the commit when generating the
|
|
changelog. If you want to override the merge request to link to, you can specify
|
|
an alternative merge request using the `MR` trailer:
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
Update git vendor to gitlab
|
|
|
|
Now that we are using gitaly to compile git, the git version isn't known
|
|
from the manifest, instead we are getting the gitaly version. Update our
|
|
vendor field to be `gitlab` to avoid cve matching old versions.
|
|
|
|
Changelog: changed
|
|
MR: https://gitlab.com/foo/bar/-/merge_requests/123
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
The value must be the full URL of the merge request.
|
|
|
|
### GitLab Enterprise changes
|
|
|
|
If a change is exclusively for GitLab Enterprise Edition, **you must add** the
|
|
trailer `EE: true`:
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
Update git vendor to gitlab
|
|
|
|
Now that we are using gitaly to compile git, the git version isn't known
|
|
from the manifest, instead we are getting the gitaly version. Update our
|
|
vendor field to be `gitlab` to avoid cve matching old versions.
|
|
|
|
Changelog: changed
|
|
MR: https://gitlab.com/foo/bar/-/merge_requests/123
|
|
EE: true
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
**Do not** add the trailer for changes that apply to both EE and CE.
|
|
|
|
## What warrants a changelog entry?
|
|
|
|
- Any change that introduces a database migration, whether it's regular, post,
|
|
or data migration, **must** have a changelog entry, even if it is behind a
|
|
disabled feature flag.
|
|
- [Security fixes](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/release/docs/blob/master/general/security/developer.md)
|
|
**must** have a changelog entry, with `Changelog` trailer set to `security`.
|
|
- Any user-facing change **must** have a changelog entry. Example: "GitLab now
|
|
uses system fonts for all text."
|
|
- Any client-facing change to our REST and GraphQL APIs **must** have a changelog entry.
|
|
See the [complete list what comprises a GraphQL breaking change](api_graphql_styleguide.md#breaking-changes).
|
|
- Any change that introduces an [Advanced Search migration](elasticsearch.md#creating-a-new-advanced-search-migration)
|
|
**must** have a changelog entry.
|
|
- A fix for a regression introduced and then fixed in the same release (such as
|
|
fixing a bug introduced during a monthly release candidate) **should not**
|
|
have a changelog entry.
|
|
- Any developer-facing change (such as refactoring, technical debt remediation,
|
|
or test suite changes) **should not** have a changelog entry. Example: "Reduce
|
|
database records created during Cycle Analytics model spec."
|
|
- _Any_ contribution from a community member, no matter how small, **may** have
|
|
a changelog entry regardless of these guidelines if the contributor wants one.
|
|
- Any [experiment](experiment_guide/index.md) changes **should not** have a changelog entry.
|
|
- An MR that includes only documentation changes **should not** have a changelog entry.
|
|
|
|
For more information, see
|
|
[how to handle changelog entries with feature flags](feature_flags/index.md#changelog).
|
|
|
|
## Writing good changelog entries
|
|
|
|
A good changelog entry should be descriptive and concise. It should explain the
|
|
change to a reader who has _zero context_ about the change. If you have trouble
|
|
making it both concise and descriptive, err on the side of descriptive.
|
|
|
|
- **Bad:** Go to a project order.
|
|
- **Good:** Show a user's starred projects at the top of the "Go to project"
|
|
dropdown.
|
|
|
|
The first example provides no context of where the change was made, or why, or
|
|
how it benefits the user.
|
|
|
|
- **Bad:** Copy (some text) to clipboard.
|
|
- **Good:** Update the "Copy to clipboard" tooltip to indicate what's being
|
|
copied.
|
|
|
|
Again, the first example is too vague and provides no context.
|
|
|
|
- **Bad:** Fixes and Improves CSS and HTML problems in mini pipeline graph and
|
|
builds dropdown.
|
|
- **Good:** Fix tooltips and hover states in mini pipeline graph and builds
|
|
dropdown.
|
|
|
|
The first example is too focused on implementation details. The user doesn't
|
|
care that we changed CSS and HTML, they care about the _end result_ of those
|
|
changes.
|
|
|
|
- **Bad:** Strip out `nil`s in the Array of Commit objects returned from
|
|
`find_commits_by_message_with_elastic`
|
|
- **Good:** Fix 500 errors caused by Elasticsearch results referencing
|
|
garbage-collected commits
|
|
|
|
The first example focuses on _how_ we fixed something, not on _what_ it fixes.
|
|
The rewritten version clearly describes the _end benefit_ to the user (fewer 500
|
|
errors), and _when_ (searching commits with Elasticsearch).
|
|
|
|
Use your best judgement and try to put yourself in the mindset of someone
|
|
reading the compiled changelog. Does this entry add value? Does it offer context
|
|
about _where_ and _why_ the change was made?
|
|
|
|
## How to generate a changelog entry
|
|
|
|
Git trailers are added when committing your changes. This can be done using your
|
|
text editor of choice. Adding the trailer to an existing commit requires either
|
|
amending to the commit (if it's the most recent one), or an interactive rebase
|
|
using `git rebase -i`.
|
|
|
|
To update the last commit, run the following:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
git commit --amend
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
You can then add the `Changelog` trailer to the commit message. If you had
|
|
already pushed prior commits to your remote branch, you have to force push
|
|
the new commit:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
git push -f origin your-branch-name
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
To edit older (or multiple commits), use `git rebase -i HEAD~N` where `N` is the
|
|
last N number of commits to rebase. Let's say you have 3 commits on your branch:
|
|
A, B, and C. If you want to update commit B, you need to run:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
git rebase -i HEAD~2
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
This starts an interactive rebase session for the last two commits. When
|
|
started, Git presents you with a text editor with contents along the lines of
|
|
the following:
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
pick B Subject of commit B
|
|
pick C Subject of commit C
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
To update commit B, change the word `pick` to `reword`, then save and quit the
|
|
editor. Once closed, Git presents you with a new text editor instance to edit
|
|
the commit message of commit B. Add the trailer, then save and quit the editor.
|
|
If all went well, commit B is now updated.
|
|
|
|
For more information about interactive rebases, take a look at
|
|
[the Git documentation](https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Git-Tools-Rewriting-History).
|
|
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
[Return to Development documentation](index.md)
|