git-chglog

CHANGELOG generator implemented in Go (Golang). Anytime, anywhere, Write your CHANGELOG.

git-chglog

Features

♻️ High portability
- It works with single binary. Therefore, any project (environment) can be used.
🔰 Simple usability
- The CLI usage is very simple and has low learning costs.
- For example, the simplest command is $ git-chglog.
🚀 High flexibility
- Commit message format and ...
- CHANGELOG's style (Template) and ...
- etc ...

How it works

git-chglog internally uses the git command to get data to include in the CHANGELOG. The basic steps are as follows.

Get all the tags.
Get the commits contained between tagA and tagB.
Execute with all tags corresponding to tag query that were specified in Step 1 and 2.

Getting Started

We will start with installation and introduce the steps up to the automatic generation of the configuration file and template.

Installation

Please install git-chglog in a way that matches your environment.

Homebrew (for macOS users)

brew tap git-chglog/git-chglog
brew install git-chglog

Scoop (for Windows users)

scoop install git-chglog

asdf

asdf plugin-add git-chglog https://github.com/GoodwayGroup/asdf-git-chglog.git
asdf install git-chglog latest

Go users

go get -u github.com/git-chglog/git-chglog/cmd/git-chglog

Docker

The compiled docker images are maintained on quay.io. We maintain the following tags:

edge: Image that is build from the current HEAD of the main line branch.
latest: Image that is built from the latest released version
x.y.y (versions): Images that are build from the tagged versions within Github.

docker pull quay.io/git-chglog/git-chglog:latest
docker run -v "$PWD":/workdir quay.io/git-chglog/git-chglog --version

If you are using another platform, you can download a binary from the releases page and place it in a directory in your $PATH.

Test Installation

You can check with the following command whether the git-chglog command was included in a directory that is in your $PATH.

$ git-chglog --version
# outputs the git-chglog version

Quick Start

git-chglog requires configuration files and templates to generate a CHANGELOG.

However, it is a waste of time to create configuration files and templates from scratch.

Therefore we recommend using the --init option which will create them interactively 👍

git-chglog --init

You are now ready for configuration files and templates!

Let's immediately generate a CHANGELOG of your project. By doing the following simple command, Markdown for your CHANGELOG is displayed on stdout.

git-chglog

Use -o (--output) option if you want to output to a file instead of stdout.

git-chglog -o CHANGELOG.md

You now know basic usage of git-chglog!

In order to make a better CHANGELOG, please refer to the following document and customize it.

CLI Usage

$ git-chglog --help

USAGE:
  git-chglog [options] <tag query>

    There are the following specification methods for <tag query>.

    1. <old>..<new> - Commit contained in <old> tags from <new>.
    2. <name>..     - Commit from the <name> to the latest tag.
    3. ..<name>     - Commit from the oldest tag to <name>.
    4. <name>       - Commit contained in <name>.

OPTIONS:
  --init                      generate the git-chglog configuration file in interactive (default: false)
  --path value                Filter commits by path(s). Can use multiple times.
  --config value, -c value    specifies a different configuration file to pick up (default: ".chglog/config.yml")
  --template value, -t value  specifies a template file to pick up. If not specified, use the one in config
  --repository-url value      specifies git repo URL. If not specified, use 'repository_url' in config
  --output value, -o value    output path and filename for the changelogs. If not specified, output to stdout
  --next-tag value            treat unreleased commits as specified tags (EXPERIMENTAL)
  --silent                    disable stdout output (default: false)
  --no-color                  disable color output (default: false) [$NO_COLOR]
  --no-emoji                  disable emoji output (default: false) [$NO_EMOJI]
  --no-case                   disable case sensitive filters (default: false)
  --tag-filter-pattern value  Regular expression of tag filter. Is specified, only matched tags will be picked
  --jira-url value            Jira URL [$JIRA_URL]
  --jira-username value       Jira username [$JIRA_USERNAME]
  --jira-token value          Jira token [$JIRA_TOKEN]
  --sort value                Specify how to sort tags; currently supports "date" or by "semver" (default: date)
  --help, -h                  show help (default: false)
  --version, -v               print the version (default: false)

EXAMPLE:

  $ git-chglog

    If <tag query> is not specified, it corresponds to all tags.
    This is the simplest example.

  $ git-chglog 1.0.0..2.0.0

    The above is a command to generate CHANGELOG including commit of 1.0.0 to 2.0.0.

  $ git-chglog 1.0.0

    The above is a command to generate CHANGELOG including commit of only 1.0.0.

  $ git-chglog $(git describe --tags $(git rev-list --tags --max-count=1))

    The above is a command to generate CHANGELOG with the commit included in the latest tag.

  $ git-chglog --output CHANGELOG.md

    The above is a command to output to CHANGELOG.md instead of standard output.

  $ git-chglog --config custom/dir/config.yml

    The above is a command that uses a configuration file placed other than ".chglog/config.yml".

  $ git-chglog --path path/to/my/component --output CHANGELOG.component.md

    Filter commits by specific paths or files in git and output to a component specific changelog.

`tag query`

You can specify which commits to include in the generation of CHANGELOG using <tag query>.

The table below shows Query patterns and summaries, and Query examples.

Query	Description	Example
`<old>..<new>`	Commit contained in `<new>` tags from `<old>`.	`$ git-chglog 1.0.0..2.0.0`
`<name>..`	Commit from the `<name>` to the latest tag.	`$ git-chglog 1.0.0..`
`..<name>`	Commit from the oldest tag to `<name>`.	`$ git-chglog ..2.0.0`
`<name>`	Commit contained in `<name>`.	`$ git-chglog 1.0.0`

Configuration

The git-chglog configuration is a yaml file. The default location is .chglog/config.yml.

Below is a complete list that you can use with git-chglog.

bin: git
style: ""
template: CHANGELOG.tpl.md
info:
  title: CHANGELOG
  repository_url: https://github.com/git-chglog/git-chglog

options:
  tag_filter_pattern: '^v'
  sort: "date"

  commits:
    filters:
      Type:
        - feat
    sort_by: Scope

  commit_groups:
    group_by: Type
    sort_by: Title
    title_order:
      - feat
    title_maps:
      feat: Features

  header:
    pattern: "<regexp>"
    pattern_maps:
      - PropName

  issues:
    prefix:
      - #

  refs:
    actions:
      - Closes
      - Fixes

  merges:
    pattern: "^Merge branch '(\\w+)'$"
    pattern_maps:
      - Source

  reverts:
    pattern: "^Revert \"([\\s\\S]*)\"$"
    pattern_maps:
      - Header

  notes:
    keywords:
      - BREAKING CHANGE

`bin`

Git execution command.

Required	Type	Default	Description
N	String	`"git"`	-

`style`

CHANGELOG style. Automatic linking of issues and notices, initial value setting such as merges etc. are done automatically.

Required	Type	Default	Description
N	String	`"none"`	Should be `"github"` `"gitlab"` `"bitbucket"` `"none"`

`template`

Path for the template file. It is specified by a relative path from the setting file. Absolute paths are also ok.

Required	Type	Default	Description
N	String	`"CHANGELOG.tpl.md"`	-

`info`

Metadata for CHANGELOG. Depending on Style, it is sometimes used in processing, so it is recommended to specify it.

Key	Required	Type	Default	Description
`title`	N	String	`"CHANGELOG"`	Title of CHANGELOG.
`repository_url`	N	String	none	URL of git repository.

`options`

Options used to process commits.

`options.sort`

Options concerning the acquisition and sort of commits.

Required	Type	Default	Description
N	String	`"date"`	Defines how tags are sorted in the generated change log. Values: "date", "semver".

`options.commits`

Options concerning the acquisition and sort of commits.

Key	Required	Type	Default	Description
`filters`	N	Map in List	none	Filter by using `Commit` properties and values. Filtering is not done by specifying an empty value.
`sort_by`	N	String	`"Scope"`	Property name to use for sorting `Commit`. See Commit.

`options.commit_groups`

Options for groups of commits.

Key	Required	Type	Default	Description
`group_by`	N	String	`"Type"`	Property name of `Commit` to be grouped into `CommitGroup`. See CommitGroup.
`sort_by`	N	String	`"Title"`	Property name to use for sorting `CommitGroup`. See CommitGroup.
`title_order`	N	List	none	Predefined order of titles to use for sorting `CommitGroup`. Only if `sort_by` is `Custom`
`title_maps`	N	Map in List	none	Map for `CommitGroup` title conversion.

`options.header`

This option is used for parsing the commit header.

Key	Required	Type	Default	Description
`pattern`	Y	String	none	A regular expression to use for parsing the commit header.
`pattern_maps`	Y	List	none	A rule for mapping the result of `HeaderPattern` to the property of `Commit`. See Commit.

`options.issues`

This option is used to detect issues.

Key	Required	Type	Default	Description
`prefix`	N	List	none	Prefix used for issues. (e.g. `#`, `#gh-`)

`options.refs`

This option is for parsing references.

Key	Required	Type	Default	Description
`actions`	N	List	none	Word list of `Ref.Action`. See Ref.

`options.merges`

Options to detect and parse merge commits.

Key	Required	Type	Default	Description
`pattern`	N	String	none	Similar to `options.header.pattern`.
`pattern_maps`	N	List	none	Similar to `options.header.pattern_maps`.

`options.reverts`

Options to detect and parse revert commits.

Key	Required	Type	Default	Description
`pattern`	N	String	none	Similar to `options.header.pattern`.
`pattern_maps`	N	List	none	Similar to `options.header.pattern_maps`.

`options.notes`

Options to detect notes contained in commit bodies.

Key	Required	Type	Default	Description
`keywords`	N	List	none	Keyword list to find `Note`. A semicolon is a separator, like `<keyword>:` (e.g. `BREAKING CHANGE`).

Templates

The git-chglog template uses the text/template package and enhanced templating functions provided by Sprig. For basic usage please refer to the following.

text/template
Sprig

We have implemented the following custom template functions. These override functions provided by Sprig.

Name	Signature	Description
`contains`	`func(s, substr string) bool`	Reports whether `substr` is within `s` using `strings.Contains`
`datetime`	`func(layout string, input time.Time) string`	Generate a formatted Date string based on layout
`hasPrefix`	`func(s, prefix string) bool`	Tests whether the string `s` begins with `prefix` using `strings.HasPrefix`
`hasSuffix`	`func(s, suffix string) bool`	Tests whether the string `s` ends with `suffix`. using `strings.HasPrefix`
`indent`	`func(s string, n int) string`	Indent all lines of `s` by `n` spaces
`replace`	`func(s, old, new string, n int) string`	Replace `old` with `new` within string `s`, `n` times using `strings.Replace`
`upperFirst`	`func(s string) string`	Upper case the first character of a string

If you are not satisfied with the prepared template please try customizing one.

The basic templates are as follows.

Example:

{{ if .Versions -}}
<a name="unreleased"></a>
## [Unreleased]

{{ if .Unreleased.CommitGroups -}}
{{ range .Unreleased.CommitGroups -}}
### {{ .Title }}
{{ range .Commits -}}
- {{ if .Scope }}**{{ .Scope }}:** {{ end }}{{ .Subject }}
{{ end }}
{{ end -}}
{{ end -}}
{{ end -}}

{{ range .Versions }}
<a name="{{ .Tag.Name }}"></a>
## {{ if .Tag.Previous }}[{{ .Tag.Name }}]{{ else }}{{ .Tag.Name }}{{ end }} - {{ datetime "2006-01-02" .Tag.Date }}
{{ range .CommitGroups -}}
### {{ .Title }}
{{ range .Commits -}}
- {{ if .Scope }}**{{ .Scope }}:** {{ end }}{{ .Subject }}
{{ end }}
{{ end -}}

{{- if .RevertCommits -}}
### Reverts
{{ range .RevertCommits -}}
- {{ .Revert.Header }}
{{ end }}
{{ end -}}

{{- if .MergeCommits -}}
### Pull Requests
{{ range .MergeCommits -}}
- {{ .Header }}
{{ end }}
{{ end -}}

{{- if .NoteGroups -}}
{{ range .NoteGroups -}}
### {{ .Title }}
{{ range .Notes }}
{{ .Body }}
{{ end }}
{{ end -}}
{{ end -}}
{{ end -}}

{{- if .Versions }}
[Unreleased]: {{ .Info.RepositoryURL }}/compare/{{ $latest := index .Versions 0 }}{{ $latest.Tag.Name }}...HEAD
{{ range .Versions -}}
{{ if .Tag.Previous -}}
[{{ .Tag.Name }}]: {{ $.Info.RepositoryURL }}/compare/{{ .Tag.Previous.Name }}...{{ .Tag.Name }}
{{ end -}}
{{ end -}}
{{ end -}}

See the godoc RenderData documentation for available variables.

Supported Styles

Name	Status	Features
GitHub	✅	Mentions automatic link. Automatic link to references.
GitLab	✅	Mentions automatic link. Automatic link to references.
Bitbucket	✅	Mentions automatic link. Automatic link to references.

📝 Even with styles that are not yet supported, it is possible to make ordinary CHANGELOG.

Jira Integration

Jira is a popular project management tool. When a project uses Jira to track feature development and bug fixes, it may also want to generate change log based information stored in Jira. With embedding a Jira story id in git commit header, the git-chglog tool may automatically fetch data of the story from Jira, those data then can be used to render the template.

Take the following steps to add Jira integration:

1. Change the header parse pattern to recognize Jira issue id in the configure file

Where Jira issue is identical Jira story.

The following is a sample pattern:

header:
  pattern: "^(?:(\\w*)|(?:\\[(.*)\\])?)\\:\\s(.*)$"
  pattern_maps:
    - Type
    - JiraIssueID
    - Subject

This sample pattern can match both forms of commit headers:

feat: new feature of something
[JIRA-ID]: something

2. Add Jira configuration to the configure file

The following is a sample:

jira:
  info:
    username: u
    token: p
    url: https://jira.com
  issue:
    type_maps:
      Task: fix
      Story: feat
    description_pattern: "<changelog>(.*)</changelog>"

Here you need to define Jira URL, access username and token (password). If you don't want to write your Jira access credential in configure file, you may define them with environment variables: JIRA_URL, JIRA_USERNAME and JIRA_TOKEN.

You also needs to define a issue type map. In above sample, Jira issue type Task will be mapped to fix and Story will be mapped to feat.

As a Jira story's description could be very long, you might not want to include the entire description into change log. In that case, you may define description_pattern like above, so that only content embraced with <changelog> ... </changelog> will be included.

3. Update the template to show Jira data

In the template, if a commit contains a Jira issue id, then you may show Jira data. For example:

{{ range .CommitGroups -}}
### {{ .Title }}
{{ range .Commits -}}
- {{ if .Scope }}**{{ .Scope }}:** {{ end }}{{ .Subject }}
{{ if .JiraIssue }} {{ .JiraIssue.Description }}
{{ end }}
{{ end }}
{{ end -}}

Within a Commit, the following Jira data can be used in template:

.JiraIssue.Summary - Summary of the Jira story
.JiraIssue.Description - Description of the Jira story
.JiraIssue.Type - Original type of the Jira story, and .Type will be mapped type.
.JiraIssue.Labels - A list of strings, each is a Jira label.

FAQ

Why do not you output files by default?

This is not for the purpose of completely automating the generation of CHANGELOG files, it is only for assisting generation.

It is ideal to describe everything included in CHANGELOG in your commits. But actually it is very difficult to do it perfectly.

There are times when you need to edit the generated output to write a great CHANGELOG.

By displaying it on the standard output, it makes it easy to change the contents.

Can I commit CHANGELOG changes before creating tags?

Yes, it can be solved by using the --next-tag flag.

For example, let's say you want to upgrade your project to 2.0.0. You can create CHANGELOG containing 2.0.0 as follows.

git-chglog --next-tag 2.0.0 -o CHANGELOG.md
git commit -am "release 2.0.0"
git tag 2.0.0

The point to notice is that before actually creating a tag with git, it is conveying the next version with --next-tag 👍

This is a step that is necessary for project operation in many cases.

Can I generate a CHANGELOG based on certain tags?

Yes, it can be solved by use the --tag-filter-pattern flag.

For example, the following command will only include tags starting with "v":

git-chglog --tag-filter-pattern '^v'

TODO

Windows Support
More styles (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket 🎉 )
Snippetization of configuration files (improvement of reusability)
More test test test ... (and example)

Thanks

git-chglog is inspired by conventional-changelog. Thank you!

Contributing

We alway welcome your contributions 👏

Development

Use Golang version >= 1.16
Fork (https://github.com/git-chglog/git-chglog) 🎉
Create a feature branch ☕
Run test suite with the $ make test command and confirm that it passes ⚡
Run linters with the $ make lint command and confirm it passes 🧹
- The project uses golangci-lint
Commit your changes 📝
Rebase your local changes against the master branch 💡
Create new Pull Request 💌

Bugs, feature requests and comments are more than welcome in the issues.

Release Process

There is a release target within the Makefile that wraps up the steps to release a new version.

NOTE: Pass the VERSION variable when running the command to properly set the tag version for the release.

$ VERSION=vX.Y.Z make release
# EXAMPLE:
$ VERSION=v0.11.3 make release

Once the tag has been pushed, the goreleaser github action will take care of the rest.

Feedback

I would like to make git-chglog a better tool. The goal is to be able to use in various projects.

Therefore, your feedback is very useful. I am very happy to tell you your opinions on Issues and PR ❤️

git-chglogCHANGELOG generator implemented in Go (Golang).

git-chglog

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