[git-buildpackage] Optimal commands for opening a new changelog entry?

[Otto Kekäläinen]

Hi,

What command do folks here favor for opening a new changelog entry?


After uploading something to Debian on a large package with multiple
contributors I often do a commit to open a new changelog entry with
the Debian revision +1 and distribution UNRELEASED.

Currently I achieve this by running:

gbp dch --dch-opt 'Open new changelog entry. This will be replaced by
`gbp dch -Rc` and potentially some manual editing at the time of
release.' --commit --commit-msg 'Open new changelog entry'

This will result in a new entry of form and it is automatically committed:

+<package> (x.y.z-<n+1>) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
+
+  * Open new changelog entry. This will be replaced by `gbp dch -Rc` and
+    potentially some manual editing at the time of release.

This also shows what command should be run to finalize the entry
before release/upload.

Another alternative is to run `gbp dch -S -a` as recommended in
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=830572#53 the entry
looks like this:

+<package> (x.y.z-<n+1>~1.gbpc51bf7) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
+
+  ** SNAPSHOT build @c51bf7e538a37e126fe70e99fb38c82699f16f8d **
+
+  * UNRELEASED


After doing a new upstream import, I typically run this command:

gbp dch --commit --commit-msg="Update changelog and refresh patches
after %(version)s import"  -- debian

This will update the upstream version, reset the Debian revision back
to -1, and update the d/changelog to have all commits that modified
debian/* stuff since the last d/changelog modification. This might be
the final changelog entry, or I might also add
`--distribution=UNRELEASED` if there are likely to be more commits
after the upstream import, and finalize with `gbp dch --release
--commit` before uploading.

A small problem here is that the `%(version)s` will refer to the
Debian version, e.g. 1:11.8.3-1, and not to the upstream version, e.g.
11.8.3, so I usually git --amend the commit message to have the actual
upstream version string.

These are the three gbp dch commands I tend to run over and over. What
do others do?