oliverdavies.uk/content/node.0d65cf74-92ad-4d03-a7d1-90a63c8a2823.json

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    "title": [
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            "value": "Why keep a Changelog?\n"
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            "value": "\n          <h2 id=\"what-is-a-changelog%3F\">What is a Changelog?<\/h2>\n\n<p>A Changelog is a file that documents changes made to a codebase.<\/p>\n\n<p>In its simplest form, it's a plain text file within a code repository, or it can be written in Markdown or reStructuredText or kept within a separate tool like Confluence or Sharepoint. Regardless of where it's kept, the main thing is the content.<\/p>\n\n<p>It's not a copy of the Git log. It's a summary of the changes to be read by humans and for them to see what's changed, not a list of Git commits.<\/p>\n\n<p>If you're considering using my open-source package, you can see what changes I've released, when, and what changes are due to release.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"how-is-it-structured%3F\">How is it structured?<\/h2>\n\n<p>Each version should have a heading specifying the version number and\/or release date and a list of changes grouped by their type - whether something was added, changed, deprecated, removed, etc. This works well if you use conventional commits!<\/p>\n\n<p>I like to follow a format called <a href=\"https:\/\/keepachangelog.com\">Keep a Changelog<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p>The headings link to a diff so you can see all of the commits and changes made to the code, and there's an <code>Unreleased<\/code> section that shows commits that have yet to be tagged and released.<\/p>\n\n<p>If you need to present changes to a review or approval board, having an easy-to-read list of changes, separated by their type, is a much clearer format than a list of Git commits.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"when-should-it-be-updated%3F\">When should it be updated?<\/h2>\n\n<p>I recommend continually updating the Changelog rather than leaving it to just before a deployment. It's quick to add it to the <code>Unreleased<\/code> section as part of the commit and update the headings later.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"can-i-see-an-example%3F\">Can I see an example?<\/h2>\n\n<p>Sure. See the one I added to the <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/opdavies\/national-rail-enquiries-feed-parser\/blob\/main\/CHANGELOG.md\">National Rail Enquiries feed parser library<\/a> I've been working on or the <a href=\"https:\/\/git.drupalcode.org\/project\/tailwindcss\/-\/blob\/5.x\/CHANGELOG.md\">Tailwind CSS starter kit theme for Drupal<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n        ",
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            "processed": "\n          <h2 id=\"what-is-a-changelog%3F\">What is a Changelog?<\/h2>\n\n<p>A Changelog is a file that documents changes made to a codebase.<\/p>\n\n<p>In its simplest form, it's a plain text file within a code repository, or it can be written in Markdown or reStructuredText or kept within a separate tool like Confluence or Sharepoint. Regardless of where it's kept, the main thing is the content.<\/p>\n\n<p>It's not a copy of the Git log. It's a summary of the changes to be read by humans and for them to see what's changed, not a list of Git commits.<\/p>\n\n<p>If you're considering using my open-source package, you can see what changes I've released, when, and what changes are due to release.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"how-is-it-structured%3F\">How is it structured?<\/h2>\n\n<p>Each version should have a heading specifying the version number and\/or release date and a list of changes grouped by their type - whether something was added, changed, deprecated, removed, etc. This works well if you use conventional commits!<\/p>\n\n<p>I like to follow a format called <a href=\"https:\/\/keepachangelog.com\">Keep a Changelog<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p>The headings link to a diff so you can see all of the commits and changes made to the code, and there's an <code>Unreleased<\/code> section that shows commits that have yet to be tagged and released.<\/p>\n\n<p>If you need to present changes to a review or approval board, having an easy-to-read list of changes, separated by their type, is a much clearer format than a list of Git commits.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"when-should-it-be-updated%3F\">When should it be updated?<\/h2>\n\n<p>I recommend continually updating the Changelog rather than leaving it to just before a deployment. It's quick to add it to the <code>Unreleased<\/code> section as part of the commit and update the headings later.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"can-i-see-an-example%3F\">Can I see an example?<\/h2>\n\n<p>Sure. See the one I added to the <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/opdavies\/national-rail-enquiries-feed-parser\/blob\/main\/CHANGELOG.md\">National Rail Enquiries feed parser library<\/a> I've been working on or the <a href=\"https:\/\/git.drupalcode.org\/project\/tailwindcss\/-\/blob\/5.x\/CHANGELOG.md\">Tailwind CSS starter kit theme for Drupal<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n        ",
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