A template bug, found by being on the receiving end
blocky-writer was minted from rsr-template-repo. A documentation recon today
found that .github/CONTRIBUTING.md — shipped by the template — was describing
a different repository entirely:
- It opened with
git clone https://github.com/hyperpolymath/language-bridges.git
followed by cd blocky-writer.
- It documented a
lib/ + extensions/ + plugins/ + tools/ + examples/ +
spec/ layout that does not exist in blocky-writer.
- It told readers to run
just check and mix compile, and to guix develop.
- It referenced
.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_report.md, MAINTAINERS.md,
ROADMAP.md, CHANGELOG.md, CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md, SECURITY.md and
flake.guix — none of which exist here (this repo uses .adoc and a
Justfile).
- It described a
docs/architecture/ and docs/proposals/ tree that is not
present.
The likely mechanism: the template's CONTRIBUTING is written generically and
either carries a stale clone URL from whichever repo it was last synced against,
or was never meant to be shipped verbatim. Either way it survived into a real
repository and a contributor following it would have cloned the wrong project.
A second, smaller finding
REQUIRES_INITIALISATION.adoc — also template-generated — claimed 10
substitution tokens across 3 files. The real count was 8 across 2 files:
the two said to be in CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md had already been resolved, and
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.adoc contains no tokens at all. The count is computed
statically and does not notice when a target file is rewritten without it.
What I am asking
Nothing urgent and no fix proposed — I do not know the template's internals well
enough to patch it responsibly. Two things would help:
- Check whether the clone URL in the shipped
CONTRIBUTING.md is templated at
all, or hardcoded. If hardcoded, that is worth fixing estate-wide, because
every repo minted since carries the same wrong instruction.
- Consider whether the token count in
REQUIRES_INITIALISATION.adoc should be
derived rather than asserted.
For the record, blocky-writer has rewritten its CONTRIBUTING.md against its own
reality and filled all eight of its outstanding tokens, with the evidence for
each value recorded in REQUIRES_INITIALISATION.adoc.
Ref: hyperpolymath/blocky-writer#73
A template bug, found by being on the receiving end
blocky-writer was minted from
rsr-template-repo. A documentation recon todayfound that
.github/CONTRIBUTING.md— shipped by the template — was describinga different repository entirely:
git clone https://github.com/hyperpolymath/language-bridges.gitfollowed by
cd blocky-writer.lib/+extensions/+plugins/+tools/+examples/+spec/layout that does not exist in blocky-writer.just checkandmix compile, and toguix develop..github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_report.md,MAINTAINERS.md,ROADMAP.md,CHANGELOG.md,CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md,SECURITY.mdandflake.guix— none of which exist here (this repo uses.adocand aJustfile).docs/architecture/anddocs/proposals/tree that is notpresent.
The likely mechanism: the template's CONTRIBUTING is written generically and
either carries a stale clone URL from whichever repo it was last synced against,
or was never meant to be shipped verbatim. Either way it survived into a real
repository and a contributor following it would have cloned the wrong project.
A second, smaller finding
REQUIRES_INITIALISATION.adoc— also template-generated — claimed 10substitution tokens across 3 files. The real count was 8 across 2 files:
the two said to be in
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.mdhad already been resolved, andCODE_OF_CONDUCT.adoccontains no tokens at all. The count is computedstatically and does not notice when a target file is rewritten without it.
What I am asking
Nothing urgent and no fix proposed — I do not know the template's internals well
enough to patch it responsibly. Two things would help:
CONTRIBUTING.mdis templated atall, or hardcoded. If hardcoded, that is worth fixing estate-wide, because
every repo minted since carries the same wrong instruction.
REQUIRES_INITIALISATION.adocshould bederived rather than asserted.
For the record, blocky-writer has rewritten its
CONTRIBUTING.mdagainst its ownreality and filled all eight of its outstanding tokens, with the evidence for
each value recorded in
REQUIRES_INITIALISATION.adoc.Ref: hyperpolymath/blocky-writer#73