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mantisbt:source_control_integration_requirements

Source Control Integration Requirements

Author: John Reese

Status: Draft

Introduction

One of the major features that bug tracking software requires is direct integration with version control software. Mantis is currently in an odd position, because it does not have any ability to integrate with VCS systems, yet it offers a way for any VCS to pass a textual message to Mantis that will be attached to bugs as simple bugnotes. This process is useful, but very limited, and many users prefer tightly integrated systems such as Trac.

The goal with this feature is to provide a VCS-agnostic interface which will allow for direct integration with version control software, but will not favor a single system. This feature will attract many businesses and projects which need direct integration with their source control system, some of which may have multiple repositories in various VCS systems.

Current Approach

Currently, Mantis has a simple interface for receiving information from a VCS system, relying on the VCS's post-commit hooks to call the core/checkin.php script with a specific set of arguments. Mantis then parses the message from the VCS system, using a configurable regular expression to look for text patterns indicating which bugs were affected or resolved by the submission. The result is only a bugnote attached to the affected bugs with the entire message from the VCS, and maybe a partially-resolved issue. This is the full extent of Mantis' integration with version control software.

Limitations

  • Commit messages must include bug numbers in usually-unforgiving patterns of text to be properly recognized.
  • Bugnotes attached by checkin are associated with a special source control 'user' regardless of who committed changes.
  • Reverse integration is limited to what can be shoe-horned into the bugnote message by the source control post-commit hook.
  • Mantis knows nothing about the VCS system, or even the changeset itself once it is a bugnote.

Proposed Approach

For an optimal set of features that will be available across all version control systems, Mantis will need to have a basic understanding of the underlying concepts that power the majority of all VCS software. An abstract Source Control API will be created that has knowledge of repositories, files, and changesets. Basic functionality will be implemented in the API for tracking and browsing a standard file tree repository, and individual VCS applications will need to extend this API to provide specific functionality for accessing, browsing, and manipulating the repository.

Mantis will allow for multiple associated repositories to be used with the installation. When changes to the repository are made, a post-commit hook of some sort shall be used to transport information about the changes to Mantis. If the information includes references to issues in Mantis, then appropriate links to the changes will be attached to the listed issues.

Repositories

For the purpose of Mantis, a repository is merely a hierarchy of files that are associated in some manner to the Mantis installation.

Changesets

When something has changed in the repository, the changes are contained in a changeset, which has a timestamp, author, description, and a unique identifier of the changes, and may include references to multiple files, possibly from multiple paths in the repository.

Database Changes

Configuration Changes

Feedback

Please hold your feedback until this page is completed.

mantisbt/source_control_integration_requirements.txt · Last modified: 2011/11/16 07:40 by atrol

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