Sending Patches VLC

How to produce a patch for VLC

• Get a modern Git version, like over 1.7.
• Make your changes and commit them.
• Check your commit.
• Produce a patch according to the Git page, but don't send it yet. Read the following before sending.

Writing an appropriate description

• The patch email's subject should be prefixed by "[PATCH]".
• You should include a description that will be the commit log message of your patch.
• A more exhaustive explanation is also welcomed along with your patch. This could be the second paragraph of your commit log.

Check List

When you send a patch make sure that:

• It mostly complies to the Code Conventions.
• It has a proper license for modifications.
• Make sure that it does not add more failure to `make check`.
• Make sure that your patch is produced against the latest master branch and not 2.0-bugfix or 2.1-bugfix.
  • Most of the time patches are against branch versions such as the 2.1.x series which is not a development version. If this is a bugfix, it may be backported to 2.1-bugfix, but it probably should go in master branch first. Translations are one exception to this rule.
• Make sure your patch doesn't introduce trailing spaces (git show --color show them in red).
• Make sure your patch doesn't introduce tabs (tabs are OK in Makefiles though).
• Make sure your name is correctly set. That is, that you are using your fullname, which is correctly capitalized and so on.
  • For example, if you are John Smith with an e-mail of johnsmith@acme.example, you should set your "Git name" to John Smith <johnsmith@acme.example> - real full name - not "jsmith", "John S", "J. Smith", "johnnykool1234", "J.S." or any other permutation.
• Read your patch one more time using git show, and check that it looks OK.

Sending it to the vlc-devel list

Now you can send it to the vlc-devel mailing list.

Please subscribe to it before sending your patch; otherwise, it may not get through the list's spam filters. You will be able to unsubscribe later easily if needed.

Try to avoid sending patches bigger than 100kB on the mailing list, if you can.

Following your patch

You can check if your patch was received by the list at the list archive.

If the patch gets approved, then there will normally be a post to the vlc-devel list to say "patch applied". There will also be a post to the vlc-commits list (subscribe here).

Getting your patch merged

• Don't hesitate to re-ask for review if after a week there are no replies or comments.
• If there are comments, please answer to those and eventually correct your patch if possible.
• Check regularly on the patches website.

That should ensure that your patch gets merged.