Re: [PATCH v2] docs/devel/submitting-a-patch.rst: add b4 section

[Manos Pitsidianakis <manos.pitsidianakis@linaro.org>]

On Thu, Jul 17, 2025 at 9:59 PM Manos Pitsidianakis
<manos.pitsidianakis@linaro.org> wrote:
>
> Add a section about b4, an actively maintained and widely packaged CLI
> tool for contributing to patch-based development projects.
>
> Reviewed-by: Gustavo Romero <gustavo.romero@linaro.org>
> Signed-off-by: Manos Pitsidianakis <manos.pitsidianakis@linaro.org>
> ---
> Changes in v2:
> - s/later/letter and add review trailers (thanks Gustavo)
> - Link to v1: https://lore.kernel.org/qemu-devel/20250717-docs_add_b4_section-v1-1-2dfb4ad2fe07@linaro.org
> ---

(Ping)

Alex, does this look OK to you? If yes could you pick it up?

>  docs/devel/submitting-a-patch.rst | 40 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--
>  1 file changed, 38 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/docs/devel/submitting-a-patch.rst b/docs/devel/submitting-a-patch.rst
> index f7917b899f6892ef74908fe8f1399b6ae5a30324..dd1cf32ad35a98528f43918eceb2cc8a4847c5b6 100644
> --- a/docs/devel/submitting-a-patch.rst
> +++ b/docs/devel/submitting-a-patch.rst
> @@ -235,6 +235,38 @@ to another list.) ``git send-email`` (`step-by-step setup guide
>  works best for delivering the patch without mangling it, but
>  attachments can be used as a last resort on a first-time submission.
>
> +.. _use_b4:
> +
> +Use B4
> +~~~~~~
> +
> +The `b4`_ tool, used for Linux kernel development, can also be used for QEMU
> +development. It is packaged in most distros and PyPi. The QEMU source tree
> +includes a ``b4`` project configuration file at the root: ``.b4-config``.
> +
> +Example workflow to prepare a patch series:
> +
> +1. Start with a clean checkout of the ``master`` branch.
> +2. Create a new series with a topical branch name using ``b4 prep -n descriptive-name``.
> +   ``b4`` will create a ``b4/descriptive-name`` branch and switch to it.
> +3. Commit your changes, following this page's guidelines about proper commit messages etc.
> +4. Write a descriptive cover letter with ``b4 prep --edit-cover``.
> +5. Add maintainer and reviewer CCs with ``b4 prep --auto-to-cc``. You can make
> +   changes to Cc: and To: recipients by editing the cover letter.
> +6. Run patch checks with ``b4 prep --check``.
> +7. Optionally review the patches with ``b4 send --dry-run`` which will print the
> +   raw patches in standard output.
> +
> +To send the patches, you can:
> +
> +- Setup ``git-send-email`` and use ``b4 send``, or
> +- Export the patches to files using ``b4 send -o OUTPUT_DIR`` and send them manually.
> +
> +For more details, consult the `b4 documentation`_.
> +
> +.. _b4 documentation: https://b4.docs.kernel.org/
> +.. _b4: https://github.com/mricon/b4/
> +
>  .. _use_git_publish:
>
>  Use git-publish
> @@ -418,7 +450,7 @@ Retrieve an existing series
>  ---------------------------
>
>  If you want to apply an existing series on top of your tree, you can simply use
> -`b4 <https://github.com/mricon/b4>`__.
> +`b4`_.
>
>  ::
>
> @@ -533,7 +565,11 @@ summary belongs. The `git-publish
>  <https://github.com/stefanha/git-publish>`__ script can help with
>  tracking a good summary across versions. Also, the `git-backport-diff
>  <https://github.com/codyprime/git-scripts>`__ script can help focus
> -reviewers on what changed between revisions.
> +reviewers on what changed between revisions. The ``b4`` tool automatically
> +generates a version history section in the cover letter, including links to the
> +previous versions on `Lore`_.
> +
> +.. _Lore: https://lore.kernel.org/
>
>  .. _tips_and_tricks:
>
>
> ---
> base-commit: f96b157ebb93f94cd56ebbc99bc20982b8fd86ef
> change-id: 20250717-docs_add_b4_section-fc37e538b20b
>
> --
> γαῖα πυρί μιχθήτω
>