Changelog: Difference between revisions
Mentioned two-word spelling (change log). It redirects, after all |
Added citation for alternate spelling (as discussed on talk page). Also added wiktionary template |
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{{Self reference|For information on Wikipedia changelogs, see [[Help:Page history]].}} |
{{Self reference|For information on Wikipedia changelogs, see [[Help:Page history]].}} |
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{{Short description|Record of changes made to a project}} |
{{Short description|Record of changes made to a project}} |
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A '''changelog''' (also spelled '''change log''') is a log or record of all notable changes made to a project. The project is often a [[website]] or software project, and the changelog usually includes records of changes such as bug fixes, new features, etc. Some [[Open-source software|open-source]] projects include a changelog as one of the top-level files in their distribution. |
A '''changelog''' (also spelled '''change log'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Change Log Definition |url=https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/change-log |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=Law Insider |language=en}}</ref>) is a log or record of all notable changes made to a project. The project is often a [[website]] or software project, and the changelog usually includes records of changes such as bug fixes, new features, etc. Some [[Open-source software|open-source]] projects include a changelog as one of the top-level files in their distribution. |
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A changelog has historically included all changes made to a project. The "Keep a Changelog" site instead advocates that a changelog ''not'' include ''all'' changes, but that it should instead contain "a curated, chronologically ordered list of notable changes for each version of a project" and should not be a "dump" of a git log "because this helps nobody".<ref name="keepachangelog">{{Cite web|url=https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/|title=Keep a Changelog|website=keepachangelog.com}}</ref> |
A changelog has historically included all changes made to a project. The "Keep a Changelog" site instead advocates that a changelog ''not'' include ''all'' changes, but that it should instead contain "a curated, chronologically ordered list of notable changes for each version of a project" and should not be a "dump" of a git log "because this helps nobody".<ref name="keepachangelog">{{Cite web|url=https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/|title=Keep a Changelog|website=keepachangelog.com}}</ref> |
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* [http://keepachangelog.com/ Keep a CHANGELOG] |
* [http://keepachangelog.com/ Keep a CHANGELOG] |
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* [https://co-pilot.dev/changelog Checklist for creating a changelog] |
* [https://co-pilot.dev/changelog Checklist for creating a changelog] |
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{{Wiktionary|changelog}} |
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[[Category:Computer files]] |
[[Category:Computer files]] |
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[[Category:Free software culture and documents]] |
[[Category:Free software culture and documents]] |
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Revision as of 23:16, 7 November 2023
A changelog (also spelled change log[1]) is a log or record of all notable changes made to a project. The project is often a website or software project, and the changelog usually includes records of changes such as bug fixes, new features, etc. Some open-source projects include a changelog as one of the top-level files in their distribution.
A changelog has historically included all changes made to a project. The "Keep a Changelog" site instead advocates that a changelog not include all changes, but that it should instead contain "a curated, chronologically ordered list of notable changes for each version of a project" and should not be a "dump" of a git log "because this helps nobody".[2]
Although the GNU (Automake) canonical naming convention for the file is ChangeLog,[3] it is sometimes alternatively named as CHANGES or HISTORY (NEWS is usually a different file reflecting changes between releases, not between the commits). Another convention is to call it a CHANGELOG.[2] Some project maintainers will append a .txt suffix to the file name if the changelog is plain text, a .md suffix if it is in Markdown, or a .rst suffix if it is in reStructuredText.
Some revision control systems are able to generate the relevant information for a changelog, if the goal is to include all changes.[4]
Format
Changelog files are organized by paragraphs, which define a unique change within a function or file. The GNU Coding standards recommend the following format:[5]
YYYY-MM-DD␣␣John Doe␣␣<johndoe@example.com>
* myfile.ext (myfunction): my changes made
additional changes
* myfile.ext (unrelated_change): my changes made
to myfile.ext but completely unrelated to the above
* anotherfile.ext (somefunction): more changes made by me
Note that between the date and the name, and again between the name and the email address, there are two spaces each. It is common to enclose the email address in < and >. The Emacs editor creates such entries when creating additional changelog entries.
Changelogs in wikis
Most wiki software includes changelogs as a fundamental feature (often called history in this context). For example, the "View history" link at the top[6] of a Wikipedia entry links to that page's changelog. This feature is vital for complying with the attribution requirements of some copyright licenses.[citation needed]
Product changelogs
A product changelog can keep customers in the loop about what's new. It helps to announce new features, latest releases, and relevant news directly in-app.[citation needed]
See also
Notes
- ^ "Change Log Definition". Law Insider. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ^ a b "Keep a Changelog". keepachangelog.com.
- ^ The GNU automake manual.
- ^ Atlassian. "What is version control | Atlassian Git Tutorial". Atlassian. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ "GNU Coding Standards: Style of Change Logs". Gnu.org. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
- ^ Help:Page_history.
External links
