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| submitting-patches [2019/03/23 15:37] – merged with another article about patches bobafetthotmail | submitting-patches [2024/06/17 08:59] – old revision restored (2024/01/03 07:44) svanheule | ||
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| ====== Submitting patches ====== | ====== Submitting patches ====== | ||
| + | See also: | ||
| + | * [[docs: | ||
| + | * If you are using GitHub, read also [[docs: | ||
| - | See also [[docs: | + | =====Deciding where to send the patch===== |
| - | If you are using Github read also [[docs:guide-developer:working-with-github-pr|Working with Github]]. | + | * **Patches to core packages and patches that add support for new devices** (i.e. code that is in [[https:// |
| - | Patches can be submitted | + | * **Patches |
| - | Submissions | + | * **Patches for community packages about routing** |
| - | * use a different git branch | + | * **Patches |
| - | * write commit subject and message | + | * **Patches for miscellaneous community packages** should go as a Github PR in the [[https:// |
| + | <WRAP round info 60%> | ||
| + | **If you want to add a new package that is not specific for a device** nor crucial to compile or use OpenWrt on a device, (i.e. tools, compilers, runtimes libraries, VPNs, media servers, backup servers and more), **open a PR in the appropriate community packages repository mentioned above.** Note that if you add a package you usually must assign yourself as " | ||
| + | </ | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | ===== Submission Guidelines ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Submissions should follow the following guidelines: | ||
| + | * use a different git branch for each pull request (GitHub does this automatically when using web interface) | ||
| + | * write commit subject and message in the imperative form: "add support for X", NOT "added support for X" | ||
| * **code formatting** | * **code formatting** | ||
| * use the same indentation you find in the file you are modifying, use only tabs or only spaces depending on what was done in the rest of the file | * use the same indentation you find in the file you are modifying, use only tabs or only spaces depending on what was done in the rest of the file | ||
| Line 34: | Line 47: | ||
| * If you add support for new hardware: Include in your commit message a short description of the hardware and how to install OpenWrt on it. Have a look at the [[https:// | * If you add support for new hardware: Include in your commit message a short description of the hardware and how to install OpenWrt on it. Have a look at the [[https:// | ||
| - | * **all commits must contain '' | + | * **all commits must contain '' |
| - | * it can be done automatically by git commandline with: < | + | * GitHub web interface or GUI application for git: you must append the '' |
| + | * git command-line interface: | ||
| - | * the Author field **must** match the " | + | < |
| - | * if you are editing files and committing through GitHub, you must write your real name in the " | + | git commit |
| - | * if you are editing files and committing on your local PC, set your name and email with< | + | </ |
| - | git config | + | |
| - | git config --global user.email " | + | |
| - | ===== Patch Merging And Tree Life Cycle ===== | + | * **the '' |
| + | * GitHub web interface: you must specify your real name in the '' | ||
| + | * git command-line interface: | ||
| - | We encourage frequent committers to host their own staging trees where they aggregate patches that they feel responsible for and/or ones that they created themselves. Once the tree has been reviewed and tested it can be proposed for inclusion in the master branch. | + | <code bash> |
| + | git config --global user.name "my name" | ||
| + | git config --global user.email " | ||
| + | </ | ||
| + | ===== Patch merging and tree life cycle ===== | ||
| + | We encourage frequent committers to host their own staging trees where they aggregate patches that they feel responsible for and/or ones that they created themselves. Once the tree has been reviewed and tested it can be proposed for inclusion in the master branch. | ||
| - Trees will be merged into master at any time | - Trees will be merged into master at any time | ||
| - Bug fixes can be merged into master directly | - Bug fixes can be merged into master directly | ||
| - PRs can be sent to the patches mailing list from any source and will always be considered for inclusion if the quality of the tree is good and format of submission is correct | - PRs can be sent to the patches mailing list from any source and will always be considered for inclusion if the quality of the tree is good and format of submission is correct | ||
| - Staging trees can be hosted as part of the projects git infrastructure, | - Staging trees can be hosted as part of the projects git infrastructure, | ||
| - | + | ===== Patch backports ===== | |
| - | ===== Patch Checklist | + | Backporting refers to applying changes to a stable (release) branch like for example **openwrt-23.05** from the **main** branch. Since new features are not added to stable branches, backported changes are generally bug fixes and security fixes only. The process is roughly following: |
| + | - Changes needs to be first applied into the **main** branch | ||
| + | - Afterwards those changes can be proposed to be applied into the stable (release) branch | ||
| + | When pulling the commits from the **main** branch, you need to use '' | ||
| + | <code bash> | ||
| + | $ git cherry-pick --signoff -x < | ||
| + | </ | ||
| + | ===== Patch checklist | ||
| - Single commit ( multiple commits must first be squashed, as described [[docs: | - Single commit ( multiple commits must first be squashed, as described [[docs: | ||
| - Subject < 50 characters | - Subject < 50 characters | ||
| Line 65: | Line 91: | ||
| - Sender/ | - Sender/ | ||
| - | ===== DTS Checklist | + | ===== DTS checklist |
| - Don't forget to add proper license, consider adding '' | - Don't forget to add proper license, consider adding '' | ||
| - Remove all ocurrencies of '' | - Remove all ocurrencies of '' | ||
| - If you're adding MTD flash layout, and you've '' | - If you're adding MTD flash layout, and you've '' | ||
| - | - If it's possible try to dedicate some of the LEDs for system status indication in [[https:// | + | - If it's possible try to dedicate some of the LEDs for system status indication in [[https:// |
| - The name of a node should reflect the function of the device and not its model. Examples for generic node names can be found in Section [[https:// | - The name of a node should reflect the function of the device and not its model. Examples for generic node names can be found in Section [[https:// | ||
| - Remove all [[https:// | - Remove all [[https:// | ||
| + | An overview of non-mandatory guidelines for device support submissions is provided in [[docs: | ||
| ===== In-depth process of preparing and submitting code to OpenWrt ===== | ===== In-depth process of preparing and submitting code to OpenWrt ===== | ||
| Based on [[https:// | Based on [[https:// | ||
| - | OpenWrt is constantly being improved. We'd like as many people to contribute to this as we can get. If you find a change useful, by all means try to get it incorporated into the project. This should improve OpenWrt and it should help carry your changes forward into future versions | + | OpenWrt is constantly being improved. We'd like as many people to contribute to this as we can get. If you find a change useful, by all means try to get it incorporated into the project. This should improve OpenWrt and it should help carry your changes forward into future versions. |
| For a person or company who wishes to submit a change to OpenWrt, the process can sometimes be daunting if you're not familiar with "the system." | For a person or company who wishes to submit a change to OpenWrt, the process can sometimes be daunting if you're not familiar with "the system." | ||
| - | |||
| - | This document tries to lay out a procedure to enable people to submit patches in a way that is most effective for all concerned. | ||
| It is important to do all these steps repeatedly: | It is important to do all these steps repeatedly: | ||
| + | * Listen to what other people think. | ||
| + | * Explain what problem you are addressing and your proposed solution. | ||
| + | * Write useful patches including documentation. | ||
| + | * Test, test, test. | ||
| - | listen to what other people think | + | Where to listen and talk: |
| - | talk explaining what problem you are addressing and your proposed solution | + | |
| - | do write useful patches including documentation | + | |
| - | test test test | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | where to listen and talk | + | |
| * Google to find things related to your problem | * Google to find things related to your problem | ||
| - | * Wiki: check this [[: | + | * [[: |
| - | * Mailing Lists | + | * [[: |
| - | * Forums like [[https:// | + | * [[: |
| - | * IRC irc.freenode.net, | + | * [[https:// |
| - | * TRAC https:// | + | * GitHub - https:// |
| - | * Github - http:// | + | * (archived) |
| ===== Documentation ===== | ===== Documentation ===== | ||
| It is often best to document what you are doing before you do it. The process of documentation often exposes possible improvements. Keep your documentation up to date. | It is often best to document what you are doing before you do it. The process of documentation often exposes possible improvements. Keep your documentation up to date. | ||
| - | ===== Creating and Sending | + | ===== Creating and sending |
| Read [[: | Read [[: | ||
| - | For patches against external package sources, refer to the quilt howto at [[docs: | + | For patches against external package sources, refer to the quilt howto at [[docs: |
| - | Please read [[https:// | + | Please read [[https:// |
| ==== 1. Creating a patch ===== | ==== 1. Creating a patch ===== | ||
| - | |||
| All changes to OpenWrt occur in the form of patches. | All changes to OpenWrt occur in the form of patches. | ||
| Patches should be based in the root trunk, not in any lower subdirectory. | Patches should be based in the root trunk, not in any lower subdirectory. | ||
| - | Make sure your patch does not include any extra files which do not belong in a patch submission. | + | Make sure your patch does not include any extra files which do not belong in a patch submission. |
| + | Be sure to review your patch **after** you have generated it, to ensure accuracy. | ||
| - | If your changes produce a lot of deltas, you may want to look into splitting them into individual patches which modify things in logical stages. This will facilitate easier reviewing by other OpenWrt developers, which is very important if you want your patch to be accepted. | + | If your changes produce a lot of deltas, you may want to look into splitting them into individual patches which modify things in logical stages. |
| + | This will facilitate easier reviewing by other OpenWrt developers, which is very important if you want your patch to be accepted. | ||
| The tools you can use to create a patch, in order of preference, are: | The tools you can use to create a patch, in order of preference, are: | ||
| - | |||
| * Git | * Git | ||
| * SVN | * SVN | ||
| * diff | * diff | ||
| - | To ease integration of smaller patches into trunk, developers can also make pull-requests into the Github | + | To ease integration of smaller patches into trunk, developers can also make pull-requests into the GitHub |
| + | Larger patches, or patches that require further discussion, should still be sent to the **openwrt-devel** list, where they' | ||
| ==== 2. Describe your changes ===== | ==== 2. Describe your changes ===== | ||
| - | |||
| Describe the technical detail of the change(s) your patch includes. | Describe the technical detail of the change(s) your patch includes. | ||
| Line 142: | Line 164: | ||
| If the patch fixes a logged bug trac entry, refer to that bug entry by number. | If the patch fixes a logged bug trac entry, refer to that bug entry by number. | ||
| - | ==== 3. Separate your changes. ===== | + | ==== 3. Separate your changes ===== |
| Separate __logical changes__ into a single patch file. | Separate __logical changes__ into a single patch file. | ||
| Line 155: | Line 176: | ||
| ==== 4. Style check your changes ===== | ==== 4. Style check your changes ===== | ||
| - | |||
| Check your patch for basic style violations. Failure to do so simply wastes the reviewer' | Check your patch for basic style violations. Failure to do so simply wastes the reviewer' | ||
| + | ==== 5. Select email destination ===== | ||
| + | Look in the Makefile if a MAINTAINER macro exists. If so, email that person. Unless you have a reason NOT to do so, always CC openwrt-devel <at> lists.openwrt.org. If no maintainer is listed, send your patch to the [[https:// | ||
| - | ==== 5. Select e-mail destination. ===== | + | ==== 6. No MIME, no links, no compression, |
| + | OpenWrt developers need to be able to read and comment on the changes you are submitting. It is important for an OpenWrt developer to be able to " | ||
| - | Look in the Makefile if a MAINTAINER macro exists. If so, e-mail that person. Unless you have a reason | + | For this reason, |
| - | ==== 6. No MIME, no links, no compression, | + | Do not attach the patch as a MIME attachment, compressed or not. Many popular |
| - | + | ||
| - | OpenWrt developers need to be able to read and comment on the changes you are submitting. It is important for an OpenWrt developer to be able to " | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | For this reason, all patches should be submitting e-mail " | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | Do not attach the patch as a MIME attachment, compressed or not. Many popular | + | |
| Exception: If your mailer is mangling patches then someone may ask you to re-send them using MIME. | Exception: If your mailer is mangling patches then someone may ask you to re-send them using MIME. | ||
| Mozilla Thunderbird requires that you change email defaults to send plain text email. | Mozilla Thunderbird requires that you change email defaults to send plain text email. | ||
| - | read [[http:// | + | read [[http:// |
| :!: disable flowed text | :!: disable flowed text | ||
| - | ==== 7. E-mail | + | ==== 7. Email size ===== |
| Large changes are not appropriate for mailing lists, and some maintainers. If your patch, uncompressed, | Large changes are not appropriate for mailing lists, and some maintainers. If your patch, uncompressed, | ||
| + | ==== 8. Remain objective, re-submit ===== | ||
| - | ==== 8. Don't get discouraged. Re-submit ===== | + | It's nothing personal. Code should work well for its intended purpose and results should adhere to many standards and requirements, |
| After you have submitted your change, be patient and wait. If developers like your change and apply it, it will appear as new revision in the source code management system. | After you have submitted your change, be patient and wait. If developers like your change and apply it, it will appear as new revision in the source code management system. | ||
| Line 189: | Line 206: | ||
| Sometimes, developers may " | Sometimes, developers may " | ||
| - | |||
| * Your patch did not apply cleanly to the latest OpenWrt revision. | * Your patch did not apply cleanly to the latest OpenWrt revision. | ||
| * Your patch was not sufficiently discussed on openwrt-devel. | * Your patch was not sufficiently discussed on openwrt-devel. | ||
| * A style issue. | * A style issue. | ||
| - | * An e-mail | + | * An email formatting issue (re-read this section). |
| * A technical problem with your change. | * A technical problem with your change. | ||
| - | * They get tons of e-mail, and yours got lost in the shuffle. | + | * They get tons of email, and yours got lost in the shuffle. |
| * You are being annoying. | * You are being annoying. | ||
| Line 201: | Line 217: | ||
| ==== 9. Include PATCH in the subject ===== | ==== 9. Include PATCH in the subject ===== | ||
| - | + | Due to high email traffic to openwrt-devel, | |
| - | Due to high e-mail | + | |
| ==== 10. Sign your work ===== | ==== 10. Sign your work ===== | ||
| - | |||
| To provide tracking of who did what, we use a " | To provide tracking of who did what, we use a " | ||
| Line 240: | Line 254: | ||
| then you just add a line saying | then you just add a line saying | ||
| - | < | + | < |
| Signed-off-by: | Signed-off-by: | ||
| </ | </ | ||
| Line 246: | Line 260: | ||
| using your real name (no pseudonyms or anonymous contributions.) | using your real name (no pseudonyms or anonymous contributions.) | ||
| - | If you are a package or target maintainer, sometimes you need to slightly modify patches you receive in order to merge them, because the code is not exactly the same in your tree and the submitters' | + | If you are a package or target maintainer, sometimes you need to slightly modify patches you receive in order to merge them, because the code is not exactly the same in your tree and the submitters' |
| - | < | + | < |
| Signed-off-by: | Signed-off-by: | ||
| [lucky@maintainer.example.org: | [lucky@maintainer.example.org: | ||
| Line 258: | Line 272: | ||
| Special note to back-porters: | Special note to back-porters: | ||
| - | < | + | < |
| Date: Wed Jul 25 15:14:50 2012 +0300 | Date: Wed Jul 25 15:14:50 2012 +0300 | ||
| [generic] add missing symbols | [generic] add missing symbols | ||
| Line 267: | Line 281: | ||
| For the more convenient developers, git can automatically add a sign-off: | For the more convenient developers, git can automatically add a sign-off: | ||
| - | < | ||
| - | ==== 11. When to use Acked-by: and Cc: ===== | + | <code bash> |
| + | git commit | ||
| + | </ | ||
| - | The Signed-off-by: | + | ==== 11. When to use " |
| + | The Signed-off-by: | ||
| If a person was not directly involved in the preparation or handling of a patch but wishes to signify and record their approval of it then they can arrange to have an Acked-by: line added to the patch' | If a person was not directly involved in the preparation or handling of a patch but wishes to signify and record their approval of it then they can arrange to have an Acked-by: line added to the patch' | ||
| Line 283: | Line 299: | ||
| If a person has had the opportunity to comment on a patch, but has not provided such comments, you may optionally add a " | If a person has had the opportunity to comment on a patch, but has not provided such comments, you may optionally add a " | ||
| - | ==== 12. Using Reported-by:, | + | ==== 12. Using "Reported-by: |
| If this patch fixes a problem reported by somebody else, consider adding a Reported-by: | If this patch fixes a problem reported by somebody else, consider adding a Reported-by: | ||
| Line 316: | Line 331: | ||
| A Reviewed-by tag is a statement of opinion that the patch is an appropriate modification of OpenWrt without any remaining serious technical issues. Any interested reviewer (who has done the work) can offer a Reviewed-by tag for a patch. This tag serves to give credit to reviewers and to inform maintainers of the degree of review which has been done on the patch. Reviewed-by: | A Reviewed-by tag is a statement of opinion that the patch is an appropriate modification of OpenWrt without any remaining serious technical issues. Any interested reviewer (who has done the work) can offer a Reviewed-by tag for a patch. This tag serves to give credit to reviewers and to inform maintainers of the degree of review which has been done on the patch. Reviewed-by: | ||
| - | |||
| ==== 13. The canonical patch format ===== | ==== 13. The canonical patch format ===== | ||
| - | |||
| The canonical patch subject line is: | The canonical patch subject line is: | ||
| - | < | + | < |
| Subject: [PATCH 001/123] [section] summary phrase | Subject: [PATCH 001/123] [section] summary phrase | ||
| </ | </ | ||
| The canonical patch message body contains the following: | The canonical patch message body contains the following: | ||
| - | |||
| * A " | * A " | ||
| * An empty line. | * An empty line. | ||
| * The body of the explanation, | * The body of the explanation, | ||
| * The " | * The " | ||
| - | * A marker line containing simply | + | * A marker line containing simply |
| * Any additional comments not suitable for the changelog. | * Any additional comments not suitable for the changelog. | ||
| * The actual patch (diff output). | * The actual patch (diff output). | ||
| Line 339: | Line 351: | ||
| The " | The " | ||
| - | |||
| * [a specific target name] | * [a specific target name] | ||
| * [a specific package name] | * [a specific package name] | ||
| Line 353: | Line 364: | ||
| Some example Subjects: | Some example Subjects: | ||
| - | < | + | < |
| Subject: [PATCH] e2fsprogs: Bump to 1.41.3 | Subject: [PATCH] e2fsprogs: Bump to 1.41.3 | ||
| - | </ | + | |
| - | < | + | |
| Subject: [PATCH] x86 generic: switch to 3.3 | Subject: [PATCH] x86 generic: switch to 3.3 | ||
| - | </ | + | |
| - | < | + | |
| Subject: [PATCHv2 001/207] ar71xx enable sysupgrade on the WRT160Nl | Subject: [PATCHv2 001/207] ar71xx enable sysupgrade on the WRT160Nl | ||
| </ | </ | ||
| Line 365: | Line 374: | ||
| The " | The " | ||
| - | < | + | < |
| From: Original Author < | From: Original Author < | ||
| </ | </ | ||
| Line 373: | Line 382: | ||
| The explanation body will be committed to the permanent source changelog, so should make sense to a competent reader who has long since forgotten the immediate details of the discussion that might have led to this patch. Including symptoms of the failure which the patch addresses (kernel log messages, oops messages, etc.) is especially useful for people who might be searching the commit logs looking for the applicable patch. If a patch fixes a compile failure, it may not be necessary to include _all_ of the compile failures; just enough that it is likely that someone searching for the patch can find it. As in the " | The explanation body will be committed to the permanent source changelog, so should make sense to a competent reader who has long since forgotten the immediate details of the discussion that might have led to this patch. Including symptoms of the failure which the patch addresses (kernel log messages, oops messages, etc.) is especially useful for people who might be searching the commit logs looking for the applicable patch. If a patch fixes a compile failure, it may not be necessary to include _all_ of the compile failures; just enough that it is likely that someone searching for the patch can find it. As in the " | ||
| - | The "---" | + | The '' |
| - | One good use for the additional comments after the "---" | + | One good use for the additional comments after the '' |
| See more details on the proper patch format in the following References. | See more details on the proper patch format in the following References. | ||
| - | ===== Monitoring | + | ===== Monitoring |
| - | + | Patches sent to the Development mailing list can be followed on Patchwork at [[https:// | |
| - | Patches sent to the Development mailing list can be followed on Patchwork at [[https:// | + | |
| ===== References ====== | ===== References ====== | ||
| - | |||
| * Andrew Morton, "The perfect patch" (tpp). | * Andrew Morton, "The perfect patch" (tpp). | ||
| * http:// | * http:// | ||
| Line 403: | Line 410: | ||
| * http:// | * http:// | ||
| - | ===== Additional | + | ===== Additional |
| - | + | * Be aware of line length limit (80). | |
| - | * Be aware of line length limit (80) | + | * Use '' |
| - | * use '' | + | |