From: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
To: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Cc: Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com>,
Stefan Beller <sbeller@google.com>,
avarab@gmail.com, git@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH] Documentation/CodingGuidelines: How to document new APIs
Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2018 03:46:04 -0400 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <20180929074603.GF2174@sigill.intra.peff.net> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <xmqq5zypefcp.fsf@gitster-ct.c.googlers.com>
On Fri, Sep 28, 2018 at 09:50:14AM -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote:
> -- >8 --
> Subject: CodingGuidelines: document the API in *.h files
>
> It makes it harder to let the API description and the reality drift
> apart if the doc is kept close to the implementation or the header
> of the API. We have been slowly migrating API docs out of the
> Documentation/technical/api-* to *.h files, and the development
> community generally considers that how inline docs in strbuf.h is
> done the best current practice.
>
> We recommend documenting in the header over documenting near the
> implementation to encourage people to write the docs that are
> readable without peeking at the implemention.
Yeah, I agree with all of that rationale.
> diff --git a/Documentation/CodingGuidelines b/Documentation/CodingGuidelines
> index 6d265327c9..e87090c849 100644
> --- a/Documentation/CodingGuidelines
> +++ b/Documentation/CodingGuidelines
> @@ -385,7 +385,11 @@ For C programs:
> string_list for sorted string lists, a hash map (mapping struct
> objects) named "struct decorate", amongst other things.
>
> - - When you come up with an API, document it.
> + - When you come up with an API, document it the functions and the
> + structures in the header file that exposes the API to its callers.
> + Use what is in "strbuf.h" as a model to decide the appropriate tone
> + in which the description is given, and the level of details to put
> + in the description.
I like the general idea here. I had trouble parsing the "in which the
description is given". Maybe just:
When you come up with an API, document its functions and structures in
the header file that exposes the API to its callers. Use what is in
"strbuf.h" as a model for the appropriate tone and level of detail.
I like the idea you mentioned elsewhere of polishing up strbuf.h to
serve as the model (but I don't want to hold up this much simpler patch
if that seems likely to drag on).
Thanks for pushing this towards a concrete conclusion.
-Peff
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2018-09-29 7:46 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 51+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2018-09-21 22:35 [PATCHv3 0/8] fetch: make sure submodule oids are fetched Stefan Beller
2018-09-21 22:35 ` [PATCH 1/8] sha1-array: provide oid_array_filter Stefan Beller
2018-09-22 12:58 ` Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason
2018-09-25 19:26 ` Stefan Beller
2018-09-26 4:15 ` Jeff King
2018-09-26 17:10 ` Junio C Hamano
2018-09-26 17:49 ` Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason
2018-09-26 18:27 ` Junio C Hamano
2018-09-26 18:34 ` Jeff King
2018-09-26 18:43 ` Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason
2018-09-26 18:58 ` Jeff King
2018-09-26 19:39 ` Stefan Beller
2018-09-26 19:49 ` Junio C Hamano
2018-09-26 19:59 ` Stefan Beller
2018-09-26 20:19 ` Junio C Hamano
2018-09-26 20:51 ` Jeff King
2018-09-26 21:22 ` Stefan Beller
2018-09-26 20:44 ` On shipping more of our technical docs as manpages Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason
2018-09-26 21:40 ` Junio C Hamano
2018-09-26 23:21 ` Stefan Beller
2018-09-27 8:58 ` Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason
2018-09-27 6:20 ` Jeff King
2018-09-27 6:34 ` Jonathan Nieder
2018-09-27 6:40 ` Jeff King
2018-09-27 17:36 ` Junio C Hamano
2018-09-27 18:25 ` Jeff King
2018-09-27 21:27 ` [PATCH] Documentation/CodingGuidelines: How to document new APIs Stefan Beller
2018-09-27 21:43 ` Junio C Hamano
2018-09-27 22:21 ` Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason
2018-09-27 23:27 ` Jonathan Nieder
2018-09-28 1:11 ` Jeff King
2018-09-28 16:50 ` Junio C Hamano
2018-09-28 17:30 ` [PATCH] strbuf.h: format according to coding guidelines Stefan Beller
2018-09-28 19:54 ` Junio C Hamano
2018-09-28 20:11 ` Junio C Hamano
2018-09-28 21:38 ` Junio C Hamano
2018-09-29 7:38 ` Jeff King
2018-09-28 21:42 ` Junio C Hamano
2018-09-28 21:54 ` Stefan Beller
2018-09-28 19:47 ` [PATCH] Documentation/CodingGuidelines: How to document new APIs Martin Ågren
2018-09-29 7:46 ` Jeff King [this message]
2018-09-28 17:14 ` Stefan Beller
2018-09-29 7:41 ` Jeff King
2018-09-27 6:48 ` [PATCH 1/8] sha1-array: provide oid_array_filter Jeff King
2018-09-21 22:35 ` [PATCH 2/8] submodule.c: fix indentation Stefan Beller
2018-09-21 22:35 ` [PATCH 3/8] submodule.c: sort changed_submodule_names before searching it Stefan Beller
2018-09-21 22:35 ` [PATCH 4/8] submodule: move global changed_submodule_names into fetch submodule struct Stefan Beller
2018-09-21 22:35 ` [PATCH 5/8] submodule.c: do not copy around submodule list Stefan Beller
2018-09-21 22:35 ` [PATCH 6/8] submodule: fetch in submodules git directory instead of in worktree Stefan Beller
2018-09-21 22:35 ` [PATCH 7/8] fetch: retry fetching submodules if needed objects were not fetched Stefan Beller
2018-09-21 22:35 ` [PATCH 8/8] builtin/fetch: check for submodule updates for non branch fetches Stefan Beller
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