A pull request description explains why changes were made, supplies context and justification, identifies affected areas, and anticipates reviewer questions. It should clarify rather than confuse, with detail organized around the decisions and steps that led to the proposed change. section 2.3.2
Choose description elements according to the change:
- Include context or justification for every pull request, explaining implementation choices, rejected alternatives, relevant conversations, decisions, and the path to the current change. section 2.3.2
- For an oversized or difficult-to-navigate pull request, identify critical areas, explain the organization of the changes, and point out files or sections that are lower risk. section 8.3
Guiding a review through many files
When changes cannot be split into smaller pull requests, use the description as a review guide: explain how the files are organized, which parts deserve the closest attention, and which areas can safely receive less scrutiny. For critical changes, combine that written outline with a team review. section 8.3
Table 2.2 Description elements based on categorization prefix
|
If you used this categorization prefix in the title:
|
These are some expected components to place in the description:
|
|---|---|
feat:
Alternatives:
feat(component or project): feature: feature(component or project): |
Context/justification
Use cases
How has this been tested?
Preview (if applicable)
Documentation
Tests
|
fix:
|
Context/justification
Linked Issue/ticket #
Before-/after-fix comparison
How to test it
Documentation
Tests
|
docs:
|
Context/justification
Linked Issue/ticket #
Use cases
Preview (if applicable)
|
chore:
|
Context/justification
|
breaking:
|
Context/justification
How has this been tested?
Affected projects
Important dates
Mitigation/next steps
Documentation
Tests
|
Use the categorization-prefix table to select description components for feature, fix, documentation, chore, and breaking changes. section 2.3.2
