How to manage branches and versions when developing on the PLFM and client GIT projects
Our strategy is to give PLFM a master branch and also an API-stable branch. Developers changing the master branch are not responsible for immediately verifying that the changes work with clients (and may even purposely 'break' the current AP(s). However, changes to this branch are not immediately available to the clients. Workers changing the API-stable branch are responsible for testing (perhaps after making corresponding changes to) the clients and making sure they work.
| PLFM Branch Choice | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| master | May 'break' client; need not verify client functionality. | Changes are not immediately available to client developers. |
| API-stable | Changes are immediately available to client developers | Developer must ensure client functionality. |
Workflow
(to edit diagram, go to https://docs.google.com/a/sagebase.org/drawings/d/1s2zCr57TOajuuMHnD8xMXWVIWmPDINNE-MTFSMlNx4U/edit)
Development Workflows
Local PLFM changes
If you're working on PLFM and the changes *don't* need to be used immediately by clients, then you may work off of the 'master' branch. Pull from the remote master, create a branch for your work, code and test, then merge back into master and push to github.
Local Client changes
If you are just working on a client then you may work off the 'master' branch of the client's project, following the pattern described above. The client will depend on the API-stable branch.
Changes to PLFM and Client
If you are making changes to PLFM's API and also are changing a client to reflect these changes, then:
(to edit this document, goto https://docs.google.com/a/sagebase.org/drawings/d/1X05G5t_8tzW8lQjroQQk3HH9aTHYyvFZfPMg1eckTuU/edit)
- pull from the client's master branch (creating a local branch for development)
- pull from the PLFM's stable branch, which will have a name like '0.13.1'.
- develop and test locally
- run pomVersioner.py to increment version, e.g. from 0.13.1.1 to 0.13.1.1
- push to 0.13.1.1
- push to the client's master branch
- on PLFM, git checkout master
- pull from remote
- merge the API-stable branch's changes
- resolve any conflict and get a clean build
- run the pomVersioner to increment the master's version, e.g. to 0.13.2-SNAPSHOT
- push to the PFLM master branch
Incorporating PLFM master with the API-stable branch
Say the latest API-stable branch is 0.13.1.
Pull
1) git checkout -b 0.13.8
2) git push origin 0.14.0
3) edit pomVersioner.py so 'newVersion' is 0.14.0; run 'python pomVersioner.py'