What's New In Stash 1.3
Git in the Enterprise Just Got Social
Cubicles and noise-canceling headphones are no match for pull requests: Stash's new way to get Enterprise developers talking to each other.
Stash pull requests provide a mechanism to propose code changes, initiate a code review, comment on code and incorporate changes into your existing code base.
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Pull Requests
Pull requests are a simple way to contribute code, review the changes, discuss them and have the option of merging them into the existing code base. If a pull request could talk it would say something like "Here are my changes, here is what I'm changing and here is why I want to change it. Can I merge, please?"
In Stash, pull requests provide an easy way for developers to review changes on a branch, discuss those changes, make modifications and merge the branch back into the main development branch. Pull requests have a key evolutionary advantage over centralized version control systems like Subversion: instead of working alone on your local repository, your changes will be shared on an isolated branch in Stash where others can review the code and contribute changes. That's a big deal for speed, quality and happy developers.
Branch-to-Branch Merging
Stash encourages the use of branches, where code changes can be made in isolation and reviewed before being integrated with the mainline. Once a branch is ready for prime time – typically after a bug is fixed or a feature is implemented – Stash and pull requests facilitate the process of merging.
Quickly select the branch you’ve been working on, the branch you want to merge to, add a brief title and description, identify the Reviewers and you’re done.
Code Review: Comment and Discuss
Stash pull requests let developers merge code changes via the click of a button, but that's not what's most important. It’s the peer code review and discussion around pull requests that brings the most value to teams.
The point of any code discussion is to (hopefully) identify changes that need to be made. It is no different when commenting on pull requests. Commenting on code inline (and in context) will spur contributors to review their own work and make changes. If changes are made and a pull request is still open, Stash will recognize that changes have been made and alert Reviewers and Participants. Comments fuel discussions, discussions improve code quality!
Light-weight Approval Process
When creating a pull request you can select multiple reviewers to review proposed changes, formalizing control of merging by delegating the approval to key stakeholders. Once the pull request is created, reviewers are notified via email and other members of your team can also participate.
Stash provides an instant approval mechanism for fast feedback on pull requests. With one-click, reviewers can approve, decline or merge proposed changes.
Review Activity
Stash aims to make the review process simple and fast, not the usual two words you think of when code review comes to mind. Once a pull request is created the activity dashboard allows you to see the entire lifecycle of a pull request and get instant updates on changes.
The pull request ‘Overview’ gives you a historical view of the entire pull request – status changes, comments and code updates. You can understand, chronologically, what happened and why, reducing overhead and saving you time when reviewing code.
