ChangeLogs and CVS (was: Re: I'm Dead in the Water)

[Hynek Hanke]

> While I'm here, What is the best way to update the ChangeLog? I know,
> one could just type in the text and all, but how do you get those
> precise time stamps? Does CVS touch and stamp that file automatically
> somehow?

Yes, CVS creates timestamps, but for its own purposes. And there is no
timestamps in a ChangeLog apart from the date. But indeed there is a lot
of sauce and strict formating is required. What you want for keeping a
useful ChangeLog (useful for yourself and for the others) is an editor
which allows you to put an entry into the ChangeLog each time you make
some change in a source file.

I find Emacs to be a very good IDE. After I edit something in the
sourcefile, I just press C-X 4. It opens the ChangeLog, adds
the appropriate sauce (date, file and function changed etc.) and 
puts the cursor in such position that I can just type the comment for my
change. Then at the end of the day, when I want to commit to CVS, I 
do it in Emacs too. Couple of more keypresses, it automatically fills in
CVS log messages with the ChangeLog entries etc.

I think it is given by its history that Emacs is especially well suited
for programming according to GNU Coding Standards and for the common
programming tasks (CVS etc.) It is very well accessible too.

Have a nice day,
Hynek