323 lines
13 KiB
Markdown
323 lines
13 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/engineering/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 bullet point, or **entry**, in our [`CHANGELOG.md`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md) file is
|
|
generated from a single data file in the [`changelogs/unreleased/`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/tree/master/changelogs/unreleased/).
|
|
The file is expected to be a [YAML](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YAML) file in the
|
|
following format:
|
|
|
|
```yaml
|
|
---
|
|
title: "Change[log]s"
|
|
merge_request: 1972
|
|
author: Black Sabbath @bsabbath
|
|
type: added
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
The `merge_request` value is a reference to a merge request that adds this
|
|
entry, and the `author` key (format: `<full name> <GitLab username>`) is used to give attribution to community
|
|
contributors. **Both are optional**.
|
|
The `type` field maps the category of the change,
|
|
valid options are: added, fixed, changed, deprecated, removed, security, performance, other. **Type field is mandatory**.
|
|
|
|
Community contributors and core team members are encouraged to add their name to
|
|
the `author` field. GitLab team members **should not**.
|
|
|
|
## 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. Since the migration is executed on [GitLab FOSS](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/),
|
|
the changelog for database schema changes should be written to the
|
|
`changelogs/unreleased/` directory, even when other elements of that change affect only GitLab EE.
|
|
|
|
- [Security fixes](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/release/docs/blob/master/general/security/developer.md)
|
|
**must** have a changelog entry, without `merge_request` value
|
|
and with `type` set to `security`.
|
|
- Any user-facing change **must** have a changelog entry. This includes both visual changes (regardless of how minor), and changes to the rendered DOM which impact how a screen reader may announce the content.
|
|
- 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).
|
|
- Performance improvements **should** have a changelog entry.
|
|
- Changes that need to be documented in the Product Intelligence [Event Dictionary](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/product-intelligence-guide/#event-dictionary)
|
|
also require a changelog entry.
|
|
- _Any_ contribution from a community member, no matter how small, **may** have
|
|
a changelog entry regardless of these guidelines if the contributor wants one.
|
|
Example: "Fixed a typo on the search results page."
|
|
- Any docs-only changes **should not** have a changelog entry.
|
|
- Any change behind a disabled feature flag **should not** have a changelog entry.
|
|
- Any change behind an enabled feature flag **should** have a changelog entry.
|
|
- Any change that adds new usage data metrics and changes that needs to be documented in Product Intelligence [Event Dictionary](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/product-intelligence-guide/#event-dictionary) **should** have a changelog entry.
|
|
- A change that adds snowplow events **should** have a changelog entry -
|
|
- A change that [removes a feature flag](feature_flags/index.md) **must** have a changelog entry.
|
|
- A fix for a regression introduced and then fixed in the same release (i.e.,
|
|
fixing a bug introduced during a monthly release candidate) **should not**
|
|
have a changelog entry.
|
|
- Any developer-facing change (e.g., refactoring, technical debt remediation,
|
|
test suite changes) **should not** have a changelog entry. Example: "Reduce
|
|
database records created during Cycle Analytics model spec."
|
|
|
|
## 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
|
|
|
|
A `bin/changelog` script is available to generate the changelog entry file
|
|
automatically.
|
|
|
|
Its simplest usage is to provide the value for `title`:
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
bin/changelog 'Hey DZ, I added a feature to GitLab!'
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
If you want to generate a changelog entry for GitLab EE, you must pass
|
|
the `--ee` option:
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
bin/changelog --ee 'Hey DZ, I added a feature to GitLab!'
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
All entries in the `CHANGELOG.md` file apply to all editions of GitLab.
|
|
Changelog updates are based on a common [GitLab codebase](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/),
|
|
and are mirrored without proprietary code to [GitLab FOSS](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/) (also known as GitLab Community Edition).
|
|
|
|
At this point the script would ask you to select the category of the change (mapped to the `type` field in the entry):
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
>> Please specify the category of your change:
|
|
1. New feature
|
|
2. Bug fix
|
|
3. Feature change
|
|
4. New deprecation
|
|
5. Feature removal
|
|
6. Security fix
|
|
7. Performance improvement
|
|
8. Other
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
The entry filename is based on the name of the current Git branch. If you run
|
|
the command above on a branch called `feature/hey-dz`, it generates a
|
|
`changelogs/unreleased/feature-hey-dz.yml` file.
|
|
|
|
The command outputs the path of the generated file and its contents:
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
create changelogs/unreleased/my-feature.yml
|
|
---
|
|
title: Hey DZ, I added a feature to GitLab!
|
|
merge_request:
|
|
author:
|
|
type:
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
### Arguments
|
|
|
|
| Argument | Shorthand | Purpose |
|
|
| ----------------- | --------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
|
| [`--amend`](#--amend) | | Amend the previous commit |
|
|
| [`--force`](#--force-or--f) | `-f` | Overwrite an existing entry |
|
|
| [`--merge-request`](#--merge-request-or--m) | `-m` | Set merge request ID |
|
|
| [`--dry-run`](#--dry-run-or--n) | `-n` | Don't actually write anything, just print |
|
|
| [`--git-username`](#--git-username-or--u) | `-u` | Use Git user.name configuration as the author |
|
|
| [`--type`](#--type-or--t) | `-t` | The category of the change, valid options are: `added`, `fixed`, `changed`, `deprecated`, `removed`, `security`, `performance`, `other` |
|
|
| [`--ee`](#how-to-generate-a-changelog-entry) | | Create an EE changelog
|
|
| `--help` | `-h` | Print help message |
|
|
|
|
#### `--amend`
|
|
|
|
You can pass the **`--amend`** argument to automatically stage the generated
|
|
file and amend it to the previous commit.
|
|
|
|
If you use **`--amend`** and don't provide a title, it uses
|
|
the "subject" of the previous commit, which is the first line of the commit
|
|
message:
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
$ git show --oneline
|
|
ab88683 Added an awesome new feature to GitLab
|
|
|
|
$ bin/changelog --amend
|
|
create changelogs/unreleased/feature-hey-dz.yml
|
|
---
|
|
title: Added an awesome new feature to GitLab
|
|
merge_request:
|
|
author:
|
|
type:
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
#### `--force` or `-f`
|
|
|
|
Use **`--force`** or **`-f`** to overwrite an existing changelog entry if it
|
|
already exists.
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
$ bin/changelog 'Hey DZ, I added a feature to GitLab!'
|
|
error changelogs/unreleased/feature-hey-dz.yml already exists! Use `--force` to overwrite.
|
|
|
|
$ bin/changelog 'Hey DZ, I added a feature to GitLab!' --force
|
|
create changelogs/unreleased/feature-hey-dz.yml
|
|
---
|
|
title: Hey DZ, I added a feature to GitLab!
|
|
merge_request: 1983
|
|
author:
|
|
type:
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
#### `--merge-request` or `-m`
|
|
|
|
Use the **`--merge-request`** or **`-m`** argument to provide the
|
|
`merge_request` value:
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
$ bin/changelog 'Hey DZ, I added a feature to GitLab!' -m 1983
|
|
create changelogs/unreleased/feature-hey-dz.yml
|
|
---
|
|
title: Hey DZ, I added a feature to GitLab!
|
|
merge_request: 1983
|
|
author:
|
|
type:
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
#### `--dry-run` or `-n`
|
|
|
|
Use the **`--dry-run`** or **`-n`** argument to prevent actually writing or
|
|
committing anything:
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
$ bin/changelog --amend --dry-run
|
|
create changelogs/unreleased/feature-hey-dz.yml
|
|
---
|
|
title: Added an awesome new feature to GitLab
|
|
merge_request:
|
|
author:
|
|
type:
|
|
|
|
$ ls changelogs/unreleased/
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
#### `--git-username` or `-u`
|
|
|
|
Use the **`--git-username`** or **`-u`** argument to automatically fill in the
|
|
`author` value with your configured Git `user.name` value:
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
$ git config user.name
|
|
Jane Doe
|
|
|
|
$ bin/changelog -u 'Hey DZ, I added a feature to GitLab!'
|
|
create changelogs/unreleased/feature-hey-dz.yml
|
|
---
|
|
title: Hey DZ, I added a feature to GitLab!
|
|
merge_request:
|
|
author: Jane Doe
|
|
type:
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
#### `--type` or `-t`
|
|
|
|
Use the **`--type`** or **`-t`** argument to provide the `type` value:
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
$ bin/changelog 'Hey DZ, I added a feature to GitLab!' -t added
|
|
create changelogs/unreleased/feature-hey-dz.yml
|
|
---
|
|
title: Hey DZ, I added a feature to GitLab!
|
|
merge_request:
|
|
author:
|
|
type: added
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
#### `--ee`
|
|
|
|
Use the **`--ee`** argument to create an EE changelog:
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
$ bin/changelog 'Hey DZ, I added a feature to GitLab!' -ee
|
|
create ee/changelogs/unreleased/feature-hey-dz.yml
|
|
---
|
|
title: Hey DZ, I added a feature to GitLab!
|
|
merge_request:
|
|
author:
|
|
type: added
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
### History and Reasoning
|
|
|
|
Our `CHANGELOG` file was previously updated manually by each contributor that
|
|
felt their change warranted an entry. When two merge requests added their own
|
|
entries at the same spot in the list, it created a merge conflict in one as soon
|
|
as the other was merged. When we had dozens of merge requests fighting for the
|
|
same changelog entry location, this quickly became a major source of merge
|
|
conflicts and delays in development.
|
|
|
|
This led us to a [boring solution](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#boring-solutions) of "add your entry in a random location in
|
|
the list." This actually worked pretty well as we got further along in each
|
|
monthly release cycle, but at the start of a new cycle, when a new version
|
|
section was added and there were fewer places to "randomly" add an entry, the
|
|
conflicts became a problem again until we had a sufficient number of entries.
|
|
|
|
On top of all this, it created an entirely different headache for
|
|
[release managers](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/release/docs/blob/master/quickstart/release-manager.md)
|
|
when they cherry-picked a commit into a stable branch for a patch release. If
|
|
the commit included an entry in the `CHANGELOG`, it would include the entire
|
|
changelog for the latest version in `master`, so the release manager would have
|
|
to manually remove the later entries. They often would have had to do this
|
|
multiple times per patch release. This was compounded when we had to release
|
|
multiple patches at once due to a security issue.
|
|
|
|
We needed to automate all of this manual work. So we
|
|
[started brainstorming](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/-/issues/17826).
|
|
After much discussion we settled on the current solution of one file per entry,
|
|
and then compiling the entries into the overall `CHANGELOG.md` file during the
|
|
[release process](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/release-tools).
|
|
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
[Return to Development documentation](README.md)
|