Changes between Version 4 and Version 5 of DeveloperGuidelines/Git/GCI

Timestamp:

12/04/14 16:46:59 (10 years ago)

Author:

Pat Tressel

Comment:

--

DeveloperGuidelines/Git/GCI

@@ -10 +10 @@
 main repository -- combine students' work over several days into one already-reviewed bundle, and submit that as one PR.
 
-After some head-scratching, discussion, and trial runs with help of GCI students, here is what we are doing.
-It may sound complicated, but it is designed to avoid issues we encountered with a less formal procedure, in
-which mentors and students were freely updating from the main repository, without coordination.
+After some head-scratching, discussion, and trial runs with help of GCI students, here are two options we are considering.
+Both are designed to avoid issues we encountered with a less formal procedure, in which mentors and students were freely
+updating from the main repository, without coordination.
 
 We will be using a !GitHub repository just for GCI, rather than submitting code directly to the main repository.
@@ -21 +21 @@
 However, during GCI, they will submit PRs to the GCI repository. In order to avoid chaos, we will temporarily freeze
 the revision level on which students will work -- we will provide a ''base'' branch that students will use to populate
-their local working branch for GCI tasks. Students will each have their own branch in the GCI repository to send PRs to
-so reviews and merging of PRs for each student can be done asynchronously.
+their local working branch for GCI tasks.
+
+''Optionally'', students will each have their own branch in the GCI repository to send PRs to so reviews and merging
+of PRs for each student can be done asynchronously, and so students can be released to work on other tasks more
+quickly, as they will not encounter conflicts.
 
 We will also have a ''staging'' branch, initially set to the same revision as the base branch, onto which student work
-is aggregated. As mentors accept pull requests, they will merge them into the staging branch. If there is a conflict at
-this point, it will be with some other student's work, not with an update from the main repository. The mentor can
-resolve the conflict (which the student's assistance if needed).
+is aggregated.
+
+The two options diverge at this point:
+
+If we are not using separate student branches, then the target of student PRs will be the staging branch.
+In that case, other students' work will likely be merged into the staging branch while a student's PR is being reviewed,
+so by the time the PR is ready, there may be a conflict with the other students' work. The mentor will help the student
+with the appropriate git procedure for rebasing and resolving their conflict. This is much like the normal workflow
+for submitting to trunk.
+
+If we are using student branches in the GCI repository, then students will do PRs to their individual branches there.
+When a mentor accepts a PR, it will be merged into the students branch in the GCI repository. Since no-one else is
+updating that branch, there will be no conflict. Mentors will then merge the student's branch into the staging branch.
+If there is a conflict at this point, it will be with some other student's work, not with an update from the main
+repository. Conflicts should be relatively easy to resolve, as commits should be small. The mentor can resolve the
+conflict, with the student's assistance if needed.
 
 Every few days, we will switch to a fresh base branch. Students can continue with PR reviews already in progress on
@@ -35 +51 @@
 this point, all branch names will be as they were before, and work can continue as before.
 
-Also at this point, students' completed PRs are on the staging branch. A designated mentor will prepare the staging
+At this point, students' completed PRs are on the staging branch. A designated mentor will prepare the staging
 branch for a PR to the main repository: If the staging branch is not mergeable, the mentor can pull the staging branch
 to their local repository, merge from the main repository, fix up conflicts, and push to the staging branch again.