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docs: adds commit guidelines #419

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52 changes: 52 additions & 0 deletions README.md
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Expand Up @@ -424,3 +424,55 @@ If you'd like to try the functionality available on `main`, see the preview [on
1. Verify that the changelogs look good, commit changes, open a PR, merge the PR
1. Push tags for each package in the format `package@x.x.x`. A Github action will publish the packages on NPM
1. Update dependencies to kick off the new release cycle. We do this so that dependency updates get verified implicitly during development.

## Contributing to the project

Thank you for your interest in contributing! This section outlines guidelines to ensure smooth collaboration and maintainable code.

### Commit message guidelines

We use a standardized commit message format inspired by [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/) to enable automated releases and maintain clear project history. The format is:

```
<type>(<issue>): <description>

<optional body with details>

<optional footer, e.g., BREAKING CHANGE or Co-authored-by>
```

- **Type**: Use `feat`, `fix`, `docs`, `test`, `chore`, or `perf`.
- **Issue**: Reference the ticket/issue (e.g., `#33`).
- **Description**: Concise (≤50 chars), present tense, lowercase (e.g., `add geopoint input component`).
- **Body**: Optional, lists specific changes (e.g., `- add geopoint.xml demo form`).
- **Footer**: Use `Co-authored-by: @<username>` or `BREAKING CHANGE:` for automation.

Our commit message format enables automated release management. This standard ensures commits are categorized to trigger appropriate version bumps:
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All of this is managed by changeset so this section doesn't feel relevant. Changeset makes sense in our context because the version bumps aren't always the same across packages.

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Do you see a benefit in having a format for commit messages?

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I find that prefixes make the commit history easier to understand and scan visually. But I may be biased from using them for years

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It would be interesting to tag and publish the packages when the prep PR is merged, based on a commit:

release: pack version and publish

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@latin-panda latin-panda May 22, 2025 •
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Note to myself - try this out later:

name: Tag packages for release

on:
  pull_request:
    types: [closed]
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  tag-packages:
    if: github.event.pull_request.merged == true
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      # Checkout the repository with full history
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0
          # Use a Personal Access Token to push tags (required for protected branches)
          token: ${{ secrets.PAT }}

      - name: Set up Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: '20'

      - name: Check commit message
        id: check_commit
        run: |
          COMMIT_MESSAGE=$(git log --pretty=%B -1 ${{ github.event.pull_request.merge_commit_sha }})
          echo "Commit message: $COMMIT_MESSAGE"
          if echo "$COMMIT_MESSAGE" | grep -q "^release:"; then
            echo "Release commit detected"
            echo "is_release=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
          else
            echo "No release commit detected"
            echo "is_release=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
          fi

      - name: Configure git
        if: steps.check_commit.outputs.is_release == 'true'
        run: |
          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
          git config user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"

      - name: Tag packages
        if: steps.check_commit.outputs.is_release == 'true'
        run: |
          # Array of package directories
          PACKAGES=(
            "packages/web-forms"
            "packages/xforms-engine"
            "packages/xpath"
            "packages/tree-sitter-xpath"
          )

          for PKG in "${PACKAGES[@]}"; do
            NAME=$(node -p "require('./$PKG/package.json').name")
            VERSION=$(node -p "require('./$PKG/package.json').version")
            TAG="$NAME@$VERSION"

            if git tag | grep -Fx "$TAG"; then
              echo "Tag $TAG already exists, skipping..."
            else
              echo "Creating tag $TAG for $NAME"
              git tag "$TAG"
            fi
          done

          # Push all new tags
          git push origin --tags

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I don't mind the prefixes and happy to follow your lead there as long as we keep changeset for versioning and changelog management for now. I like the future idea of automating tag and release!


- **Feature Commits (`feat`)**: Introduce new functionality and result in a **minor** version bump (e.g., `1.2.3` → `1.3.0`).
- **Fix Commits (`fix`)**: Address bugs and trigger a **patch** version bump (e.g., `1.2.3` → `1.2.4`).
- **Non-Releasing Commits (`test`, `docs`)**: Improve code quality or documentation without affecting production code, so they don’t trigger a release.
- **Chore Commits (`chore`)**: Handle maintenance tasks (e.g., dependency updates) and trigger a **patch** release.
- **Breaking Changes**: Marked with `BREAKING CHANGE:` in the footer, these trigger a **major** version bump (e.g., `1.2.3` → `2.0.0`). Example: Changing the component library to another one.

This structure ensures that only meaningful changes (features, fixes, or breaking changes) drive releases, while tests or chores are excluded or minimized, keeping our versioning predictable and automated changelogs clear.

**Example Commit**:
```
feat(#33): add input and readonly components

- Implement geopoint input component in Vue client
- Add XPath evaluator for geopoint

Co-authored-by: @jane_doe and @tom_smith
```

This commit triggers a **minor** release because it’s a `feat`, includes a clear description, credits contributors (@jane_doe, @john_smith), and links to issue #33 for traceability.

### Other Guidelines

- **Code Style**: Follow the project's linting rules (e.g., ESLint, Prettier).
- **Testing**: Include tests for new features or bug fixes.
- **Pull Requests**: Reference related issues and describe changes clearly.

For questions, reach out to the maintainers. Happy contributing!
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