# Commit Message Format # {#commit_messages}

[TOC]

Commit messages should begin with a subject line; try to limit this to no more
than 50-72 characters. The body of the message should be separated from the
subject by a blank line and wrapped at 72 characters. The body of a commit
message should explain what the commit does and why, but do not explain *how*
as the code itself should do that.

# Linking a commit to a bug report # {#commit_bug_link}

If your commit fixes a bug that has been reported in the [Launchpad bug
tracker](https://bugs.launchpad.net/kicad/+bugs), end your commit with the
following lines to mark it as fixed, where `1234567` represents the actual
bug ID. A bot will automatically set the bug status to "Fix Committed" and link
to the commit once it is merged.

    Fixes: lp:1234567
    https://bugs.launchpad.net/kicad/+bug/1234567

## Helper alias for linking to bugs # {#commit_link_helper}

There is a helper alias located at `helpers/git/fixes_alias` to simplify adding
these links. To install it, run in the source repository:

    git config --add include.path $(pwd)/helpers/git/fixes_alias

Once the alias is installed, it may be used to amend the most recent commit to
include the bug report link:

    git fixes 1234567

# Changelog tags {#commit_changelog_tag}

To facilitate following the code changes, you should include a changelog tag to
indicate modifications noticable by the users. There are three types of
changelog tags:

- `NEW` to denote a new feature
- `CHANGED` to indicate a modification of an existing feature
- `REMOVED` to inform about removal of an existing feature

There is no need to add changelog tags for commits that do not modify the way
the users interact with the software, such as code refactoring.

When a commit with changelog tags is pushed, the committer should create a new
issue in the [documentation
repository](http://github.com/KiCad/kicad-doc/issues) to notify the
documentation maintainers. You should include a link to the commit containing
the reported changes.

# Example # {#commit_example}

Following is an example of a properly formatted commit message:

    Eeschema: Adding line styling options
    
    NEW: Adds support in eeschema for changing the default line style,
    width and color on a case-by-case basis.
    
    CHANGED: "Wire" lines now optionally include data on the line style,
    width and color if they differ from the default.
    
    Fixes: lp:594059
    * https://bugs.launchpad.net/kicad/+bug/594059
    
    Fixes: lp:1405026
    * https://bugs.launchpad.net/kicad/+bug/1405026