Commit message what is

Here's a great template of a good commit message originally written by Tim pope. The most important part of a commit message is that it should be clear and meaningful.

In the long run, writing good commit messages shows how much of a collaborator you are. The benefits of writing good commit messages are not only limited to your team, but indeed expand to yourself and future contributors. Want to learn more about Git and become a professional "version controller"?

Check out these excellent resources:. If you read this far, tweet to the author to show them you care. Tweet a thanks. Learn to code for free. Get started. Forum Donate. Bolaji Ayodeji. PS: This article was first published on my blog here. Introduction to version control with Git Version control software is an essential part of modern-day software developer practices. What is a commit message?

Commit Options -m This option sets the commit's message. How to write commit messages with Git Before now, I only used git commit -m "Fix X to allow Y to use Z" on my personal projects with just a subject and no extra description. Editor method Run git commit without a message or option and it'll open up your default text editor to write a commit message.

To configure your "default" editor: git config --global core. So, It is essential that you take the time to write a proper commit message. Good commit messages are important not only for the people working on the project with you but also for you to keep track of all your commits and know exactly what changes were made during that commit.

A scope MUST consist of a noun describing a section of the codebase affected by the changes or simply the epic name surrounded by parenthesis. This contains a short description of the changes made. It shouldn't be greater than 50 characters, should begin with a capital letter and written in the imperative eg.

Add instead of Added or Adds. The body is used to explain what changes you made and why you made them. Not all commits are complex enough that they need a body, especially if you are working on a personal project alone, and as such writing a body is optional. A blank line between the body and the subject is required and each line should have no more than 72 characters.

The footer is also optional and mainly used when you are using an issue tracker to reference the issue ID. Good commit messages serve at least three important purposes:.

To speed up the reviewing process. To help us write a good release note. More detailed explanatory text, if necessary. Wrap it to about 72 characters or so. In some contexts, the first line is treated as the subject of the commit and the rest of the text as the body. The blank line separating the summary from the body is critical unless you omit the body entirely ; various tools like log, shortlog and rebase can get confused if you run the two together. Explain the problem that this commit is solving.

Some use commit types to add more context to PRs raised. Debugging becomes a thorn in the flesh when commit messages do not help. Ensuring that you write good commit messages do not only show that you are empathetic, but also helps you during the debugging process.

I hope this will help you and your team to write great commit messages that follows Git's built-in convention. I write about accessibility, performance, JavaScript and workflow tooling. If my articles have helped or inspired you in your development journey, or you want me to write more, consider supporting me.

Well, possessing it as a developer helps in the following ways: It adds clarity to pull requests PRs raised It is key to effective debugging within a team. Makes tracking an implementation easier NB : If you're yet to understand what Git is, read my article on Working with Git before revisiting this. What is a Git commit?

Let's elaborate why you should care about writing good commit messages. Adds clarity to PRs raised If someone needs to read through your PR before getting a grasp of what it's meant to do, it means that you have a lot to do regarding writing good commit messages. Reference the ticket number or tracking ID within the commit message to add more context. It should complete the template: If applied, this commit will [Add your subject line here]. Bad git commit -m "implemented automatic login for new verified signups because currently new users have to manually log in after signing up.

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