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Documentation/SubmittingPatches: enrich the Sphinx output
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Do a few changes to make the output look better:

- use bullets on trivial patches list;
- use monotonic font for tools name;
- use :manpage:`foo` for man pages;
- don't put all references to maintainer*html at the same line.

Signed-off-by: Mauro Carvalho Chehab <[email protected]>
Signed-off-by: Jonathan Corbet <[email protected]>
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mchehab authored and Jonathan Corbet committed Sep 21, 2016
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100 changes: 55 additions & 45 deletions Documentation/SubmittingPatches
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Expand Up @@ -15,10 +15,10 @@ submitting code. If you are submitting a driver, also read
Documentation/SubmittingDrivers; for device tree binding patches, read
Documentation/devicetree/bindings/submitting-patches.txt.

Many of these steps describe the default behavior of the git version
control system; if you use git to prepare your patches, you'll find much
Many of these steps describe the default behavior of the ``git`` version
control system; if you use ``git`` to prepare your patches, you'll find much
of the mechanical work done for you, though you'll still need to prepare
and document a sensible set of patches. In general, use of git will make
and document a sensible set of patches. In general, use of ``git`` will make
your life as a kernel developer easier.

Creating and Sending your Change
Expand All @@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ Creating and Sending your Change
-------------------------------

If you do not have a repository with the current kernel source handy, use
git to obtain one. You'll want to start with the mainline repository,
``git`` to obtain one. You'll want to start with the mainline repository,
which can be grabbed with::

git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git
Expand All @@ -48,13 +48,14 @@ in the next section), but that is the hard way to do kernel development.

If you must generate your patches by hand, use ``diff -up`` or ``diff -uprN``
to create patches. Git generates patches in this form by default; if
you're using git, you can skip this section entirely.
you're using ``git``, you can skip this section entirely.

All changes to the Linux kernel occur in the form of patches, as
generated by diff(1). When creating your patch, make sure to create it
in "unified diff" format, as supplied by the ``-u`` argument to diff(1).
generated by :manpage:`diff(1)`. When creating your patch, make sure to
create it in "unified diff" format, as supplied by the ``-u`` argument
to :manpage:`diff(1)`.
Also, please use the ``-p`` argument which shows which C function each
change is in - that makes the resultant diff a lot easier to read.
change is in - that makes the resultant ``diff`` a lot easier to read.
Patches should be based in the root kernel source directory,
not in any lower subdirectory.

Expand All @@ -70,7 +71,7 @@ To create a patch for a single file, it is often sufficient to do::
diff -up $SRCTREE/$MYFILE{.orig,} > /tmp/patch

To create a patch for multiple files, you should unpack a "vanilla",
or unmodified kernel source tree, and generate a diff against your
or unmodified kernel source tree, and generate a ``diff`` against your
own source tree. For example::

MYSRC= /devel/linux
Expand All @@ -81,20 +82,20 @@ own source tree. For example::
linux-3.19-vanilla $MYSRC > /tmp/patch

``dontdiff`` is a list of files which are generated by the kernel during
the build process, and should be ignored in any diff(1)-generated
the build process, and should be ignored in any :manpage:`diff(1)`-generated
patch.

Make sure your patch does not include any extra files which do not
belong in a patch submission. Make sure to review your patch -after-
generating it with diff(1), to ensure accuracy.
generating it with :manpage:`diff(1)`, to ensure accuracy.

If your changes produce a lot of deltas, you need to split them into
individual patches which modify things in logical stages; see
:ref:`split_changes`. This will facilitate review by other kernel developers,
very important if you want your patch accepted.

If you're using git, ``git rebase -i`` can help you with this process. If
you're not using git, quilt <http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/quilt>
If you're using ``git``, ``git rebase -i`` can help you with this process. If
you're not using ``git``, ``quilt`` <http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/quilt>
is another popular alternative.

.. _describe_changes:
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -133,7 +134,7 @@ as you intend it to.

The maintainer will thank you if you write your patch description in a
form which can be easily pulled into Linux's source code management
system, git, as a "commit log". See :ref:`explicit_in_reply_to`.
system, ``git``, as a "commit log". See :ref:`explicit_in_reply_to`.

Solve only one problem per patch. If your description starts to get
long, that's a sign that you probably need to split up your patch.
Expand All @@ -156,7 +157,7 @@ its behaviour.
If the patch fixes a logged bug entry, refer to that bug entry by
number and URL. If the patch follows from a mailing list discussion,
give a URL to the mailing list archive; use the https://lkml.kernel.org/
redirector with a Message-Id, to ensure that the links cannot become
redirector with a ``Message-Id``, to ensure that the links cannot become
stale.

However, try to make your explanation understandable without external
Expand All @@ -181,13 +182,13 @@ there is no collision with your six-character ID now, that condition may
change five years from now.

If your patch fixes a bug in a specific commit, e.g. you found an issue using
git-bisect, please use the 'Fixes:' tag with the first 12 characters of the
SHA-1 ID, and the one line summary. For example::
``git bisect``, please use the 'Fixes:' tag with the first 12 characters of
the SHA-1 ID, and the one line summary. For example::

Fixes: e21d2170f366 ("video: remove unnecessary platform_set_drvdata()")

The following git-config settings can be used to add a pretty format for
outputting the above style in the git log or git show commands::
The following ``git config`` settings can be used to add a pretty format for
outputting the above style in the ``git log`` or ``git show`` commands::

[core]
abbrev = 12
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -318,17 +319,17 @@ into the MAINTAINERS file for its current manager.

Trivial patches must qualify for one of the following rules:

Spelling fixes in documentation
Spelling fixes for errors which could break grep(1)
Warning fixes (cluttering with useless warnings is bad)
Compilation fixes (only if they are actually correct)
Runtime fixes (only if they actually fix things)
Removing use of deprecated functions/macros
Contact detail and documentation fixes
Non-portable code replaced by portable code (even in arch-specific,
since people copy, as long as it's trivial)
Any fix by the author/maintainer of the file (ie. patch monkey
in re-transmission mode)
- Spelling fixes in documentation
- Spelling fixes for errors which could break :manpage:`grep(1)`
- Warning fixes (cluttering with useless warnings is bad)
- Compilation fixes (only if they are actually correct)
- Runtime fixes (only if they actually fix things)
- Removing use of deprecated functions/macros
- Contact detail and documentation fixes
- Non-portable code replaced by portable code (even in arch-specific,
since people copy, as long as it's trivial)
- Any fix by the author/maintainer of the file (ie. patch monkey
in re-transmission mode)



Expand All @@ -341,8 +342,11 @@ developer to be able to "quote" your changes, using standard e-mail
tools, so that they may comment on specific portions of your code.

For this reason, all patches should be submitted by e-mail "inline".
WARNING: Be wary of your editor's word-wrap corrupting your patch,
if you choose to cut-n-paste your patch.

.. warning::

Be wary of your editor's word-wrap corrupting your patch,
if you choose to cut-n-paste your patch.

Do not attach the patch as a MIME attachment, compressed or not.
Many popular e-mail applications will not always transmit a MIME
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -604,7 +608,7 @@ for more details.
------------------------------

This section describes how the patch itself should be formatted. Note
that, if you have your patches stored in a git repository, proper patch
that, if you have your patches stored in a ``git`` repository, proper patch
formatting can be had with ``git format-patch``. The tools cannot create
the necessary text, though, so read the instructions below anyway.

Expand All @@ -629,7 +633,7 @@ The canonical patch message body contains the following:

- Any additional comments not suitable for the changelog.

- The actual patch (diff output).
- The actual patch (``diff`` output).

The Subject line format makes it very easy to sort the emails
alphabetically by subject line - pretty much any email reader will
Expand All @@ -647,13 +651,13 @@ series`` is an ordered sequence of multiple, related patches).

Bear in mind that the ``summary phrase`` of your email becomes a
globally-unique identifier for that patch. It propagates all the way
into the git changelog. The ``summary phrase`` may later be used in
into the ``git`` changelog. The ``summary phrase`` may later be used in
developer discussions which refer to the patch. People will want to
google for the ``summary phrase`` to read discussion regarding that
patch. It will also be the only thing that people may quickly see
when, two or three months later, they are going through perhaps
thousands of patches using tools such as ``gitk`` or "git log
--oneline".
thousands of patches using tools such as ``gitk`` or ``git log
--oneline``.

For these reasons, the ``summary`` must be no more than 70-75
characters, and it must describe both what the patch changes, as well
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -704,18 +708,18 @@ The ``---`` marker line serves the essential purpose of marking for patch
handling tools where the changelog message ends.

One good use for the additional comments after the ``---`` marker is for
a diffstat, to show what files have changed, and the number of
inserted and deleted lines per file. A diffstat is especially useful
a ``diffstat``, to show what files have changed, and the number of
inserted and deleted lines per file. A ``diffstat`` is especially useful
on bigger patches. Other comments relevant only to the moment or the
maintainer, not suitable for the permanent changelog, should also go
here. A good example of such comments might be ``patch changelogs``
which describe what has changed between the v1 and v2 version of the
patch.

If you are going to include a diffstat after the ``---`` marker, please
use diffstat options ``-p 1 -w 70`` so that filenames are listed from
If you are going to include a ``diffstat`` after the ``---`` marker, please
use ``diffstat`` options ``-p 1 -w 70`` so that filenames are listed from
the top of the kernel source tree and don't use too much horizontal
space (easily fit in 80 columns, maybe with some indentation). (git
space (easily fit in 80 columns, maybe with some indentation). (``git``
generates appropriate diffstats by default.)

See more details on the proper patch format in the following
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -761,9 +765,9 @@ interest on a single line; it should look something like::

A pull request should also include an overall message saying what will be
included in the request, a ``git shortlog`` listing of the patches
themselves, and a diffstat showing the overall effect of the patch series.
themselves, and a ``diffstat`` showing the overall effect of the patch series.
The easiest way to get all this information together is, of course, to let
git do it for you with the ``git request-pull`` command.
``git`` do it for you with the ``git request-pull`` command.

Some maintainers (including Linus) want to see pull requests from signed
commits; that increases their confidence that the request actually came
Expand All @@ -775,7 +779,7 @@ signed by one or more core kernel developers. This step can be hard for
new developers, but there is no way around it. Attending conferences can
be a good way to find developers who can sign your key.

Once you have prepared a patch series in git that you wish to have somebody
Once you have prepared a patch series in ``git`` that you wish to have somebody
pull, create a signed tag with ``git tag -s``. This will create a new tag
identifying the last commit in the series and containing a signature
created with your private key. You will also have the opportunity to add a
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -803,10 +807,15 @@ Jeff Garzik, "Linux kernel patch submission format".

Greg Kroah-Hartman, "How to piss off a kernel subsystem maintainer".
<http://www.kroah.com/log/linux/maintainer.html>

<http://www.kroah.com/log/linux/maintainer-02.html>

<http://www.kroah.com/log/linux/maintainer-03.html>

<http://www.kroah.com/log/linux/maintainer-04.html>

<http://www.kroah.com/log/linux/maintainer-05.html>

<http://www.kroah.com/log/linux/maintainer-06.html>

NO!!!! No more huge patch bombs to [email protected] people!
Expand All @@ -820,5 +829,6 @@ Linus Torvalds's mail on the canonical patch format:

Andi Kleen, "On submitting kernel patches"
Some strategies to get difficult or controversial changes in.

http://halobates.de/on-submitting-patches.pdf

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