[PATCH 2/2] Documentation: best practices for using Link trailers

From: Konstantin Ryabitsev
Date: Tue Jun 18 2024 - 12:43:24 EST


Based on multiple conversations, most recently on the ksummit mailing
list [1], add some best practices for using the Link trailer, such as:

- how to use markdown-like bracketed numbers in the commit message to
indicate the corresponding link
- when to use lore.kernel.org vs patch.msgid.link domains

Cc: ksummit@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/20240617-arboreal-industrious-hedgehog-5b84ae@meerkat # [1]
Signed-off-by: Konstantin Ryabitsev <konstantin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
Documentation/process/maintainer-tip.rst | 24 ++++++++++++++++++------
1 file changed, 18 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/process/maintainer-tip.rst b/Documentation/process/maintainer-tip.rst
index 64739968afa6..57ffa553c21e 100644
--- a/Documentation/process/maintainer-tip.rst
+++ b/Documentation/process/maintainer-tip.rst
@@ -375,14 +375,26 @@ following tag ordering scheme:
For referring to an email on LKML or other kernel mailing lists,
please use the lore.kernel.org redirector URL::

- https://lore.kernel.org/r/email-message@id
+ Link: https://lore.kernel.org/email-message@id

- The kernel.org redirector is considered a stable URL, unlike other email
- archives.
+ This URL should be used when referring to relevant mailing list
+ resources, related patch sets, or other notable discussion threads.
+ A convenient way to associate Link trailers with the accompanying
+ message is to use markdown-like bracketed notation, for example::

- Maintainers will add a Link tag referencing the email of the patch
- submission when they apply a patch to the tip tree. This tag is useful
- for later reference and is also used for commit notifications.
+ A similar approach was attempted before as part of a different
+ effort [1], but the initial implementation caused too many
+ regressions [2], so it was backed out and reimplemented.
+
+ Link: https://lore.kernel.org/some-msgid@here # [1]
+ Link: https://bugzilla.example.org/bug/12345 # [2]
+
+ When using the ``Link:`` trailer to indicate the provenance of the
+ patch, you should use the dedicated ``patch.msgid.link`` domain. This
+ makes it possible for automated tooling to establish which link leads
+ to the original patch submission. For example::
+
+ Link: https://patch.msgid.link/patch-source-msgid@here

Please do not use combined tags, e.g. ``Reported-and-tested-by``, as
they just complicate automated extraction of tags.

--
2.45.2