Implementation guide for the Standard for Public Code

Maintain version control This criterion in the Standard for Public Code

Requirements

All files in a codebase MUST be version controlled.

Git is great.

See a list of git options under All source code for any policy and software in use (unless used for fraud detection) MUST be published and publicly accessible.

Resources

All decisions MUST be documented in commit messages.

Tools

  • gnitpick a tool that helps check the messages of every commit.

Further reading

The codebase SHOULD be maintained in a distributed version control system.

Git is great.

Contribution guidelines SHOULD require contributors to group relevant changes in commits.

Maintainers SHOULD mark released versions of the codebase, for example using revision tags or textual labels.

Examples

Contribution guidelines SHOULD encourage file formats where the changes within the files can be easily viewed and understood in the version control system.

It is OPTIONAL for contributors to sign their commits and provide an email address, so that future contributors are able to contact past contributors with questions about their work.