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1 | # LTTng-UST contributor's guide |
2 | ||
3 | Being an open source project, the LTTng-UST project welcomes | |
4 | contributions from anyone. This guide walks you through the process | |
5 | of contributing a patch to LTTng-UST. | |
6 | ||
7 | ||
8 | ## Getting the source code | |
9 | ||
10 | The LTTng-UST project uses [Git](https://git-scm.com/) for version | |
11 | control. The upstream Git repository URL is: | |
12 | ||
13 | git://git.lttng.org/lttng-ust.git | |
14 | ||
15 | ||
16 | ## Coding standard | |
17 | ||
18 | LTTng-UST uses the | |
19 | [Linux kernel coding style](http://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/CodingStyle). | |
20 | ||
21 | Although the LTTng-UST code base is primarily written in C, it does | |
22 | contain shell, Perl, and Python code as well. There is no official coding | |
23 | standard for these languages. However, using a style consistent with the | |
24 | rest of the code written in that language is strongly encouraged. | |
25 | ||
26 | ||
27 | ## Creating and sending a patch | |
28 | ||
29 | LTTng-UST's development flow is primarily email-based, although we | |
30 | also accept pull requests on our | |
31 | [GitHub mirror](https://github.com/lttng/lttng-ust). If you're going | |
32 | to create GitHub pull requests, make sure you still follow the | |
33 | guidelines below. | |
34 | ||
35 | Like a lot of open source projects, patches are submitted and reviewed | |
36 | on its development mailing list, | |
37 | [`lttng-dev`](http://lists.lttng.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lttng-dev) | |
38 | (`lttng-dev@lists.lttng.org`). The mailing list is also used to share | |
39 | and comment on <abbr title="Request for Comments">RFC</abbr>s and answer | |
40 | user questions. | |
41 | ||
42 | Once your changes have been committed to your local branch, you may use | |
43 | Git's [`format-patch`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-format-patch) command | |
44 | to generate a patch file. The following command line generates a | |
45 | patch from the latest commit: | |
46 | ||
47 | git format-patch -N1 -s --subject-prefix="PATCH lttng-ust" | |
48 | ||
49 | The custom `PATCH lttng-ust` subject prefix is mandatory when | |
50 | submitting patches that apply to the LTTng-UST project. | |
51 | ||
52 | The patch's subject (the commit message's first line) should: | |
53 | ||
54 | * begin with an uppercase letter | |
55 | * be written in the present tense | |
56 | * _not_ exceed 72 characters in length | |
57 | * _not_ end with a period | |
58 | * be prefixed with `Fix:` if the commit fixes a bug | |
59 | ||
60 | The commit message's body should be as detailed as possible and explain | |
61 | the reasons behind the proposed change. Any related | |
62 | [bug report(s)](https://bugs.lttng.org/projects/lttng-ust/issues) | |
63 | should be mentioned at the end of the message using the `#123` format, | |
64 | where `123` is the bug number: | |
65 | ||
66 | * Use `Refs: #123` if the patch is related to bug 123, but does not | |
67 | fix it yet. | |
68 | * Use `Fixes: #123` to signify that this patch fixes the bug. | |
69 | ||
70 | Make sure to **sign-off** your submitted patches (the `-s` argument to | |
71 | Git's `commit` and `format-patch` commands). | |
72 | ||
73 | Here's a complete example: | |
74 | ||
75 | ~~~ text | |
76 | Fix: use this instead of that in some context | |
77 | ||
78 | Ball tip jowl beef ribs shankle, leberkas venison turducken tail pork | |
79 | chop t-bone meatball tri-tip. Tongue beef ribs corned beef ball tip | |
80 | kevin ground round sausage rump meatloaf pig meatball prosciutto | |
81 | landjaeger strip steak. Pork pork belly beef. | |
82 | ||
83 | Biltong turkey porchetta filet mignon corned beef. T-bone bresaola | |
84 | shoulder meatloaf tongue kielbasa. | |
85 | ||
86 | Fixes: #321 | |
87 | Refs: #456 | |
88 | Refs: #1987 | |
89 | ||
90 | Signed-off-by: Jeanne Mance <jmeance@lttng.org> | |
91 | ~~~ | |
92 | ||
93 | Please note that patches should be **as focused as possible**. Do not, | |
94 | for instance, fix a bug and correct the indentation of an unrelated | |
95 | block of code as part of the same patch. | |
96 | ||
97 | Once you are confident your patch meets the required guidelines, | |
98 | you may use Git's [`send-email`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-send-email) | |
99 | command to send your patch to the mailing list: | |
100 | ||
101 | git send-email --suppress-cc=self --to lttng-dev@lists.lttng.org *.patch | |
102 | ||
103 | Make sure you are | |
104 | [subscribed](http://lists.lttng.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lttng-dev) | |
105 | to the mailing list to follow and take part in discussions about your | |
106 | changes. You may join the file to an email as an attachment if you can't | |
107 | send the patch directly using <code>git send‑email</code>. | |
108 | ||
109 | ||
110 | ## Reviews | |
111 | ||
112 | Once your patch has been posted to the mailing list or as a GitHub | |
113 | pull request, other contributors may propose modifications. | |
114 | This is completely normal. This collaborative code review is an integral | |
115 | part of the open source development process in general and LTTng-UST | |
116 | makes no exception. | |
117 | ||
118 | Keep in mind that reviewing patches is a time-consuming process and, | |
119 | as such, may not be done right away. The delays may be affected by the | |
120 | current release cycle phase and the complexity of the proposed changes. | |
121 | If you think your patch might have been forgotten, please mention it on | |
122 | the [`#lttng`](irc://irc.oftc.net/lttng) IRC channel rather than | |
123 | resubmitting. | |
124 | ||
125 | ||
126 | ## Release cycle | |
127 | ||
128 | The LTTng-UST project follows a release cycle that alternates between | |
129 | development and release candidate (RC) phases. The master branch is | |
130 | feature-frozen during RC phases: only bug fixes are accepted during | |
131 | this period. However, patches adding new functionality may still be | |
132 | submitted and reviewed during the RC. The upcoming features and release | |
133 | dates are posted in a monthly digest on the mailing list. |