• Summary
  • Software version
  • Reproducible in latest version?
  • Environment details: compiler/interpreter, operating system, etc.
  • Steps to reproduce
  • Expected results
  • Actual results
  • Screen capture (if relevant)

  • Code changes are stored in git
  • Setup continuous integration (e.g., GitHub Actions)
  • Use dependency management (e.g., uv)
  • Have a testing framework (e.g., pytest)
  • Define a code standard, enforced through tools and not documentation (e.g., ruff)
  • Prefer typed function/method over dynamic types
  • On every commit to git
    • Code quality check
    • Code style check
    • Unit/functional/integration/system tests
      • Code coverage should be recorded during tests and a report made available
  • Prior to pushing
    • Use an LLM tool to review the changes to identify potential issues
  • On pushes, the CI should
    • Code quality check
    • Code style check
    • Unit/functional/integration/system tests
  • A project repository must have
    • a README.md explaining how to run the project on your own computer
    • a RELEASING.md explaining how to release the code
    • a CHANGELOG.md listing relevant changes made
  • Responsibilities are made explicit in terms of roles
  • Critical roles, such as project lead, must have a backup/shadow individual
  • Setup telemetry, alerts, profiling, logging
25 May 2019

Writing commits

History / Edit / PDF / EPUB / BIB / 1 min read (~85 words)
software-development processes
  • One liner describing what changed (not period terminated)
  • A few lines describing in more details why things changed
  • GPG signed commit

  • Separate subject from body with a blank line
  • Limit the subject line to 50 characters
  • Capitalize the subject line
  • Do not end the subject line with a period
  • Use the imperative mood in the subject line
  • Wrap the body at 72 characters
  • Use the body to explain what and why vs. how

25 May 2019

Writing tests

History / Edit / PDF / EPUB / BIB / 1 min read (~84 words)
software-development processes

When joining a new project without tests, here is the value you need to provide through the addition of tests:

  1. the application works and doesn't crash
  2. the application works and supports a few input cases
  3. the application works and supports a variety of input cases
  4. the application works and is robust to most input cases
  • Write a test that tests the common case usage of your function
  • Write tests that cover edge cases of your function
  • Write tests to cover all statements, branches, paths
25 May 2019

Writing code

History / Edit / PDF / EPUB / BIB / 1 min read (~59 words)
software-development processes
  • Make sure you understand what you have to implement
  • Make it work
  • Write a test for what you implemented
  • Refactor the code for reusability/code standard
  • Verify that your code passes linting and tests
  • Commit your code on a branch
  • Push to the central repository
  • Verify that CI passes
  • Create pull request
  • Annotate code to explain intent of changes