Using markdowns in submission reporting - any thoughts?

Question

I like to use the markdown notation in subversion transfer messages, planning one day to create a "log" function that displays commit messages on an HTML page, as opposed to the Trac view. (If Trac does not have a markdown plugin by then for that purpose.)

Can anyone think of any reason against this?

The only thing that is especially important in this matter is the use of backticks , but they should be escaped like anything else, so this should not be a problem.

Answer 1

Can anyone think of any reason against this?

Yes: commits should be simple, unvarnished texts to encourage minimal commit messages. If you require this formatting, your commit messages do not clearly explain the purpose of the message. In general, commit messages should be short, concise descriptions of changes, not more than two or three sentences . If more details or contexts are required, they may refer to external problems (for example, “Bug fixed No. 184”).

If this is not just a personal preference, and your commands really require a significant amount of detail and formatting to explain, then they are probably too large and should be broken down into smaller, more easily digestible chunks.

Answer 2

I use trac, which uses Wiki markup for everything (I just checked, and it is also used in commit logs). I mostly use * or - for lists, and trac shows them correctly.

In the next commit, I will see if it accepts backlinks (or {{{ and }}} , which is also accepted by Wiki markup), but it will most likely be.

I don’t see the reason why you should not use Markdown in your own journals and can create a small plugin for your project management system and bug / problem tracking.