Development manual

Keywords for commit messages

This section provides a list of keywords to include in commits comments. These keywords help organize and identify different types of contributions for better readability and maintainability.

Keywords

1. doc:

• Purpose: For documentation-related comments or detailed explanations.
• Example:

  // doc: General algorithm description for terrain contact

2. feat:

• Purpose: To mark features or specific functionalities.
• Example:

  // feat: Added support for binary STL mesh files

3. fix:

• Purpose: To identify bug fixes or adjustments.
• Example:

  // fix: Corrected input parameter validation

4. refactor:

• Purpose: For restructuring code without changing its functionality.
• Example:

  // refactor: Separated normal calculation module

5. test:

• Purpose: For comments related to tests or test cases.
• Example:

  // test: Validated force calculations in impact problem

6. perf:

• Purpose: To highlight performance improvements or optimizations.
• Example:

  // perf: Reduced memory usage in explicit solver

7. todo:

• Purpose: To indicate pending tasks or features.
• Example:

  // todo: Implement error handling for input keywords

8. hack:

• Purpose: To identify temporary or workaround solutions.
• Example:

  // hack: Using fixed values to bypass null mass in the mesh nodes

9. warn:

• Purpose: For warnings about potential issues or limitations.
• Example:

  // warn: Current update particle density method does not support particle shear changes

10. debug:

• Purpose: For debugging or test-specific comments.
• Example:

  // debug: Prints the result of calculated normals

11. chore:

• Purpose: For minor maintenance or cleaning tasks.
• Example:

  // chore: Removed unused code in mesh reading module

12. deprecated:

• Purpose: To mark features or methods that are no longer in use.
• Example:

  // deprecated: This method will be removed in the next version

Best Practices

1. Consistency:
   • Always use these keywords in lowercase to maintain clarity.
2. Combination:
   • Combine keywords if necessary to clarify intent. For example:

     // feat: Added error handling for invalid inputs
     // fix: Corrected edge case with empty arrays