Re: Generating the ChangeLog files from the commit messages

[Paul Eggert <eggert@cs.ucla.edu>]

Kelvin White wrote:
> there is a separate ChangeLog file in the lisp/erc
> directory. How would I deal with this regarding this topic. Should it be
> merged or removed?

The idea is that lisp/erc files could be maintained just as other files are, 
i.e., changes to them should be accompanied by commit messages in ChangeLog 
format.  This will require a change in practice when committing erc changes. 
For example, the message for your commit ea283d2 dated November 9 was merely 
"Update version to 24.5", and this commit altered lisp/erc/ChangeLog.  Under the 
proposed procedure, the commit message would instead use ChangeLog format 
preceded by a summary line and a blank line, e.g.:

   Update Emacs version for erc.

   * lisp/erc/erc-match.el, lisp/erc/erc-join.el, lisp/erc/erc-stamp.el:
   * lisp/erc/erc-backend.el, lisp/erc/erc.el, lisp/erc/erc-button.el:
   Update version to 24.5.

(but not indented), and there would be no change to the ChangeLog because there 
would be no ChangeLog file in the repository.

As a historical matter, lisp/erc/ChangeLog would be renamed to 
lisp/erc/ChangeLog.09 and wouldn't change thereafter.