From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Andy Parkins Subject: OT: Favourite log message layout Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 09:48:01 +0000 Message-ID: <200702280948.05391.andyparkins@gmail.com> References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Cc: Linus Torvalds , Johannes Schindelin , Simon Josefsson , junkio@cox.net To: git@vger.kernel.org X-From: git-owner@vger.kernel.org Wed Feb 28 10:48:17 2007 Return-path: Envelope-to: gcvg-git@gmane.org Received: from vger.kernel.org ([209.132.176.167]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1HMLPy-0004RZ-K6 for gcvg-git@gmane.org; Wed, 28 Feb 2007 10:48:14 +0100 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S932103AbXB1JsM (ORCPT ); Wed, 28 Feb 2007 04:48:12 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S932105AbXB1JsM (ORCPT ); Wed, 28 Feb 2007 04:48:12 -0500 Received: from nf-out-0910.google.com ([64.233.182.189]:16559 "EHLO nf-out-0910.google.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S932103AbXB1JsL (ORCPT ); Wed, 28 Feb 2007 04:48:11 -0500 Received: by nf-out-0910.google.com with SMTP id o25so498828nfa for ; Wed, 28 Feb 2007 01:48:09 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=beta; h=domainkey-signature:received:received:from:to:subject:date:user-agent:cc:references:in-reply-to:mime-version:content-type:content-transfer-encoding:content-disposition:message-id; b=q0xzA52l1RxRF6ZEIAzm9ciHzzMp4zBGe2WG9wvGQphsBCgLoD4K0zP9Mhch+gLHedcyL96RY/E4VCT3wmEyrCDrJKBXrFBRf1qCDyXeWY0abQuEiDN9qIDw1q7LO/YNBzDKmXs4TTMYDcwztUVm955WuL0Ms/gRZANyATa7LDw= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=gmail.com; s=beta; h=received:from:to:subject:date:user-agent:cc:references:in-reply-to:mime-version:content-type:content-transfer-encoding:content-disposition:message-id; b=ZwyUsQn2ysZtndbTMahfNVfxpcl/Yr0lJOeoxsX/yBHm25fSXRixMKVAllaX2k/sqEmE9oNw1JBt42jHVCh41QauPX6rWQfG07q/45zaB4ooeyMJ4WPEUX0ucuRufrVjmMwgfjyWAsVPpR/l9Ab2G9DtmFK8COO6cptOxWQHsJk= Received: by 10.48.202.14 with SMTP id z14mr3201936nff.1172656089910; Wed, 28 Feb 2007 01:48:09 -0800 (PST) Received: from davejones ( [194.70.53.227]) by mx.google.com with ESMTP id p72sm5192489nfc.2007.02.28.01.48.07; Wed, 28 Feb 2007 01:48:07 -0800 (PST) User-Agent: KMail/1.9.5 In-Reply-To: Content-Disposition: inline Sender: git-owner@vger.kernel.org Precedence: bulk X-Mailing-List: git@vger.kernel.org Archived-At: On Tuesday 2007 February 27 23:02, Linus Torvalds wrote: > I don't think the GNU style ChangeLog is particularly good. In fact, I > think it has an unfortunate tendency (thanks to being per-file-log) to > encourage people to commit unrelated changes and then explain them per > file. Me either; however, I do like per-file information. My own favoured format for log messages is (with all but the shortlog optional) ---- 8< ---- Short log message summarises changes in one line Longer message summarises changes, perhaps with reasons for change and why this change fixes something. file1.c * detailed description of change to this file * more changes file2.c * detailed description of change to this file ---- >8 ---- That's not to say that this is an excuse to lump unrelated changes together, but it does allow one to say file1.c * Added function xyz() file2.c * Call new function xyz() to achieve clever feature when it's appropriate. I've found this particularly useful in conjunction with git-blame. You find the revision that made a change in a particular file then the log message is easily searched to find the exact reasons for that change on that line in that file. Perhaps I'm overly verbose though. I do like the sound of my own voice - even on log messages :-) Andy -- Dr Andy Parkins, M Eng (hons), MIET andyparkins@gmail.com