Update commit messages instructions

1 files changed, 30 insertions, 12 deletions

diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 493026f3..1a4e0cd3 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -2,28 +2,46 @@
 
  With the move to git, this module is switching from a ChangeLog file to
  relying on commit messages to provide change history. Please write commit
- messages in the following format:
+ messages in the format described at http://live.gnome.org/Git/CommitMessages
+
+ Below is a copy of this format:
 
 === begin example commit ===
-Short explanation of the commit
+[tag] Short explanation of the commit
 
 Longer explanation explaining exactly what's changed, whether any
 external or private interfaces changed, what bugs were fixed (with bug
 tracker reference if applicable) and so forth. Be concise but not too brief.
 === end example commit ===
 
-  - Always add a brief description of the commit to the _first_ line of
-    the commit and terminate by two newlines (it will work without the
-    second newline, but that is not nice for the interfaces).
+  - The commit message is mainly for the other people, so they should be able
+    to understand it now and six months later. 
+
+  - Always add a brief description of the commit to the _first_ line of the
+    commit and terminate by two newlines (it will work without the second
+    newline, but that is not nice for the interfaces).
+
+  - First line (the brief description) must only be one sentence and should
+    start with a capital letter unless it starts with a lowercase symbol or
+    identifier. Don't use a trailing period either. Don't exceed 72 characters.
 
-  - First line (the brief description) must only be one sentence and
-    should start with a capital letter unless it starts with a lowercase
-    symbol or identifier. Don't use a trailing period either. Don't exceed
-    72 characters.
+  - You can prefix the first line with one tag, to make it easier to know to
+    which part of the module the commit applies. For example, a commit with
+    "[fish] Make it work with newer fortune" in the gnome-panel module clearly
+    applies to the fish applet.
 
   - The main description (the body) is normal prose and should use normal
     punctuation and capital letters where appropriate. Normally, for patches
-    sent to a mailing list it's copied from there.
+    sent to a mailing list it's copied from there. This main description can be
+    empty if the change is self-explanatory (eg: "Add DOAP file").
+
+  - When committing code on behalf of others use the --author option, e.g. git
+    commit -a --author "Joe Coder <joe@coder.org>".
+
+  - When referring to a bug, use this form: bgo#12345. Use bgo for
+    bugzilla.gnome.org, but you can also reference bugs in other bug trackers:
+    rh means bugzilla.redhat.com, bnc means bugzilla.novell.com, lp means
+    launchpad.net, etc.
 
-  - When committing code on behalf of others use the --author option, e.g.
-    git commit -a --author "Joe Coder <joe@coder.org>" and --signoff.
+  - When a commit closes a bug, the commit message should contain a line like:
+    Closes: bgo#12345