My colleagues use a 4-spaces indentation style on a JavaScript project. I personnaly prefer a 2-spaces indentation for JS.
Should I bother them with that?
In general I think it is a good habit to discuss and finalize a common code style guideline in the project team. Like that, you are able to work more efficiently in the team and you can avoid merging troubles caused by auto-formatter when using version control systems as Git.
Also for your specific case I would recommend to discuss it and come to an agreement for a common guideline. However, most version control systems are able to ignore the indents when comparing files, so it would not have a that big impact there.
I'm trying to analyze the programmers profile. So I'm looking for people that is duplicating code, and trying to understand why they're doing this.
My idea is identify (if is lazy, lack of knowledge, etc) and attack the problem in root.
Is there anyway to see only the duplications added ONLY in last analysis of SonarQube?
Just checked on nemo and the time machine view just tells you how much code duplication was added since last analysis, but doesn't actually link to the new issues unlike other metrics. Most likely it's not supported yet..
My team uses the Radiator View plugin for Jenkins for fast feedback on the build status of a few different projects. One thing we discussed that would be helpful is if the SVN revision number were included in this view. After only a quick Google search, I haven't found a clear answer on whether this plugin is configurable or not; does anyone know if there's a straightforward way to add this information?
I dont think there are customizable figures there but what you can do is, pull down the source and get the revsion numbers for all the failing builds, you will have to write the code yourself, but from what I can see there is no way of doing this with the configuration options.
What you might want to try if you just need to get that information is the recent changes on the build page of the recently broken build.
Goodluck.
Can I ask why it would be helpful to have the svn revision number on display? As far as I understand it, a build radiator is supposed to 'radiate' meaningful information into the room. The svn number is fairly meaningless unless you can look up the number in the repository, in which case you could have just looked up the revision number on Jenkins anyway.
I'm just guessing, and do correct me if I'm wrong, but I suspect that your real desire is to have some way of quickly working out who might be responsible for a failing build. If this is the case, then processing check-in comments and displaying pictures of the users involved is a far more effective way of getting developers to react to failing builds. I've experienced this first hand at my company.
With this in mind, I have developed a standalone build radiator webapp that talks to Jenkins over its REST API. CI-Eye is trivial to set up, and will probably give you better results in the workplace than the Radiator View plug-in. Give it a try, and let me know what you think -- I'm quite actively improving it, and welcome any feedback.
CI-Eye is free and open source -- see the CI-Eye wiki for more details.
We are working in a CI environment, with Enterprise Cruise running our builds. Developers all have CCTray installed locally to notify us if a build breaks.
CCTray has a menu option Volunteer to fix build that you can use to let your team know that you are fixing the build. However this doesn't work in our environment (reasons: Fix build not currently supported on projects monitored via HTTP).
So the question is - does anyone have a technique that they use in their team that allows someone to indicate that they are fixing a broken build?
For me, Continuous Integration is not only about tools, but also about practices. One of them is the responsibility. In others words, the one who breaks the build is also the one who will fix it!
Shooting "I take it guys" is my prefered. ( in addition of the responsability romaintaz describe )
We send an email to the Developer's mailing list to let everyone know you are taking ownership of the build break.
We're co-located, we all run cctray, and when the build breaks we have an audio alert (red alert from the Starship Enterprise). When it breaks we all shout "who broke the build"! Once we figure out who broke the build we harhass them until they tuck their tail between there legs, do that stupid embarassed laugh, and volunteer to fix the build.
It's worth noting that things that aren't monitored by the build and tests can change on a CI box. For example: maybe someone went onto the box and changed a permission. Then when the next checkin is made it looks like the person that made the checkin broke the build when really it was the person that made the manual change without telling anyone.
On the volunteer thing, tools can help but verbal face to face communication is still king.
The onus is usually on who broke the build with their checkin. That's often obvious, even with multiple checkins from different individuals. After that there's a bit of negotiation if the build remains broken. Not particularly scientific or rigorous, but it seems to work.
If the build brokes, then in CCtray there is an option for "Volunteer to fix the build".
And it tells automatically to all the developers who is fixing the build
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When you are starting a personal programming project, what is your first step? I'm trying to start a project thats just an idea at the moment. I get lots of these and I dive right into the code and after a while just completely lose interest and or just forget about the project.
When you are starting, what is your first step? do you plan out the project? make a diagram? write some code on paper? How do you start a project in a manner that you know you will succeed?
The only thing that works for me: Create the smallest possible implementation of it that's somehow usable and then use it.
From 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit 2: Begin with the End In Mind.
With any project you need a clear goal, a point where you can say "I'm finished". A clear outcome will give you direction. Once you have that, you can start planning how to get there. The size and complexity of the project will determine how much detail your plan needs, but in general you'll want to feel your making progress against your plan quite regularly.
My next step is to sketch out a design of the modules that will be needed and the APIs between each module. If the APIs are clean then the modules are probably right. Then I start implementing the modules, testing as I go.
I spend a lot of time thinking about the various aspects of the project before I even touch a keyboard.
I go through what I've learnt from previous projects and write it down in various categories ('technical', 'promotion', etc)
Personal project or not, I always set up source code control. Git, Mercurial of Bazaar are examples of source code control tools that are not intrusive because you do not need to set up a master server. Just type a simple command to create the project, check your files in, commit. In the future, when you mess up one of your files, you will be able to 'undo'
I also set up a lightweight ticket system to keep track of 1.issues and 2.ideas
By "lightweight" I mean that if maintaining two text documents with these lists works for you, that's good enough.
Hope this helps.
I agree with the already given advice of:
Planning a minimal implementation that does something useful as a first complete release.
Have concrete goals about what you want to achieve to have something to compare your progress with.
I would also recommend beginning with a lightweight design of you overall architecture so you can have a roadmap of how to build your product.
I find it difficult to start building something when I don't have a clear idea about how it should look at least at a first level of decomposition. Think about what do you need besides functionality: high performance?, extensibility scenarios?, which ones?, usability goals?, high scalability?, ease of deployment and installability?, etc. Ask yourself: What components I will have to build in order to achieve those architectural qualities?.
And don't get me wrong, I'm a strong proponent of agile software development. You don't need to spend a lot of times designing your architecture (because it surely will have to evolve as you build and get feedback about what works and what doesn't), but having a blueprint of how to build your product based on its architecture should be useful in for planning your progress and setting realistic goals.
Define the goal for the project. Sounds like you are looking almost exclusively at the solution rather than the problem.
A program isn't useful to you or anyone else unless it addresses some problem. Writing code to get moving is great, but you appear to lose interest and focus after you start -- because you're looking at the code, not the problem.
Spend some time considering what led you to write this code. Ponder how other people might discover the same need, what path might take them to the same frustration you worked to solve.
Then, find some of those people and offer your (partial) solution, and you'll generate interest and suggestions among them all.
THAT will keep you going on your project. The fellow interest, the sharing, even the disagreements -- it's people who need software! Don't create solutions (software) looking for a problem (people). You started with YOU, with your need or desire, but focused on the code, and lost the impetus for the project.
Programming's a lot more fun when you're problem-solving. But you need to keep the problem in front of you. Sharing the problem builds community. That's what this is really all about, isn't it?
For my own personal projects I just dive right in. Of course, none of these have yet been sufficiently large as to require any sort of pre-planning. If this is going to be a serious project or a relatively large scale, it is always a good idea to flush out at least what each part of the program needs to do and a high level view of how they will do it.
Like the others, my personal projects always have:
A Final Goal
A Task List
Small usable units
Source control
As an additional motivator, I try to use a technology that I have never used before. Learning something new generally becomes the largest motivator for me.
Easy - don't start at all projects you're likely to lose interest in. Spend more time to make sure you want to commit yourself to an idea before beginning any work.
It depends on the project - how big is it?
If I'm writing the next Notepad clone I might just dive in, if I wanted to roll my own operating system it'd take a lot more non-coding work.
I like to do a lot of diagrams, the tool I use for most development is clean A4 paper and a pencil. Draw out the UI, workflow, basic classes, and how you're going to store any data - then the coding is just a computer readable way of writing what you drew already.
Source control le.g. SVN is a couple of keystrokes/clicks, so the overhead is low and the benefit is high, its handy to try stuff and just revert to an earlier state if they don't work.
Then just make the most basic protoype that will work - once something is actually going it is much easier to get enthused and add more. If it is overwhelming I'll find I think the problem is solved in my head, and thats enough.
First plan out the basic outline of the final application. Most important features, basic GUI, program flow, etc. Then refine that so that you don't take on too much at first, remove unnecessary features, and add what else you want in the first version. Then use that outline to start a task list to create the smallest possible working version of your application. Then it's much easier to add extra features and make it fully functioning.
I like Maximillian's answer.. to expand a little, my person projects are developed to solve something I'm working on already. So when I get tired of repeat work I'll prototype a solution. and then use it. If Its similar enough to one of my earlier projects I'll borrow as much code as I can and try to improve the level of my work, make it more professional.
Fusion's use of Source Control is important too. Takes 2 minutes to install SVN.
If you want to turn it into a public open source project, Producing Open Source Software is supposed to be a good read (available both online and in print).
If your personal project is similar to an existing open source project, you should consider contributing to that project instead. A couple of small contributions (bug fixes etc.) are
more valuable than a half finished project.
All of the above, but start to cement the plan in place.....
Go for some tools
SmartSheet - even if you are working on your own you should set out some stages and dates
yEd - and Graphity from www.yworks.com