[Python-Dev] View tracker patches with ViewVC?

[Reid Kleckner]

On Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 7:56 AM, Terry Reedy <tjreedy at udel.edu> wrote:
>> I also suggest that, instead of uploading the patch to Rietveld
>> yourself, you can ask the submitter to do it.
>
> That adds another step.
>
> Let me repeat me original question: Would it be feasible to add a [view]
> button that I could click to get a nice view of a patch, such as provided by
> ViewVC?

How are you proposing to use ViewVC to view the patch?  I'd think that
you'd have to commit it first, unless it has some functionality that
I'm unaware of.

Anyway, one uses Rietveld mostly via upload.py, not the form above.
Instead of running 'svn diff' + uploading the patch file in a web
browser and having several versions accumulate, you run `upload.py -i
<rietveld issue #>` and it uploads the diff to rietveld.  Rietveld's
diff view is quite nice.

Would the ViewVC functionality you are proposing look like this?
http://svn.python.org/view/python/branches/release27-maint/Demo/classes/Vec.py?r1=82503&r2=83175&pathrev=83175

Rietveld's differ is smarter (it does intra-line diffs) and the inline
comments there are a lot better than pasting the diff into an email.

It's true that the workflow isn't really described anywhere, so I'll
try to outline it in detail here.

Author's steps to upload a patch and create an issue:
- Discuss issue in the tracker
- Hack away at solution in svn checkout
- When done, run `upload.py` (no args creates a new issue and prints URL)
- When prompted, enter Google account credentials
- When prompted, enter the issue title you want to give it, probably
by pasting in the tracker title plus IssueXXX
- I always check the diff on Rietveld to make sure it looks good to me
before sending
- Go to the URL printed and click 'Start Review' to send mail

Reviewer's steps to add review comments:
- Receive mail, click URL to open issue
- Click the link to the first file, and read through the colored diff,
using 'n' to scroll down and 'j' to go to the next file.
- To make a comment, double click the line you want to comment on.
This is the most unintuitive part to beginners.
  - Enter the comment in the textbox that appears.
- Repeat until done reading the diff, then go back to the issue page
and click 'Publish+Mail Comments'

Author's steps to respond to comments:
- Open the files in the issue
- Read through the comments ('N' skips from comment to comment)
- Apply fixes, reply to each comment
- Run `upload.py -i <issue#>` to add a new patch with your fixes.
- Reply by clicking 'Publish+Mail Comments' to let your reviewer know
that you've addressed the comments

Repeat ad nauseum until reviewer is happy, then commit.

===

Not sure why I spelled that all out when these docs exist:
http://code.google.com/p/rietveld/wiki/CodeReviewHelp

Hopefully my outline reflects the Python workflow more accurately, though.  :)

Reid