Rule: Non-functional changes (non-functional-change)

[ddjain]

Rule: Non-Functional Change Detection

Overview

Identifies formatting-only, whitespace-only, or comment-only changes that don't affect functionality.

Label Metadata

• Label Name: non-functional-change
• Color: d4c5f9 (Light Purple)
• Description: Non-functional changes detected (formatting/whitespace/comments)

Detection Logic

Analyze diff to check if changes are non-functional:

Method 1: Whitespace/Formatting Only

• All changes are whitespace-only (spaces, tabs, newlines)
• No actual code logic changed

Method 2: Comment Only

• All additions/deletions are in comments
• No code changes (language-aware)

Method 3: Import Reordering

• Only import/require statements reordered
• No functional code changes

Language-Aware Detection

• JavaScript/TypeScript: Comments (//, /* */)
• Python: Comments (#)
• Ruby: Comments (#)

Example Scenarios

Triggers:

• Prettier/ESLint formatting changes only
• Comment-only additions
• Import statement reordering
• Whitespace cleanup

Does NOT trigger:

• Code changes mixed with formatting
• Comment changes that explain new code

Test Cases Needed

• Detects whitespace-only changes
• Detects comment-only changes
• Detects import reordering
• Ignores when code logic also changed
• Language-aware comment detection

Edge Cases

• Mixed formatting + tiny code change (threshold?)
• String content changed (contains code-like content)
• Documentation comments in code blocks

Integration Notes

• Useful for identifying auto-formatted PRs
• May want to auto-approve or skip review for these
• Consider combining with refactor for comprehensive non-functional detection

Priority

Low - Nice to have for code quality metrics

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Status: Not implemented
Category: Logic, Refactor & Naming