What are the most effective ways to document code changes?

2 What to document?

When recording code changes, there are different types of documentation you can use depending on your needs and preferences. Comments are short explanations or notes inserted in code to describe what a line or block does, or to highlight any issues or assumptions. Commit messages are brief summaries written when saving or updating code in a version control system. These should capture the main purpose and scope of the changes, as well as any relevant details or references. Documentation files are separate files providing comprehensive and structured information about your code, such as its functionality, inputs, outputs, parameters, dependencies, and limitations. These files can be written in different formats such as Markdown, HTML, or LaTeX and can include diagrams, tables, or equations. Documentation files are useful for presenting and explaining your code to a wider audience like peers, managers, or clients.

3 How to document?

When documenting code changes, there are various methods and tools that you can use, depending on your preferences and resources. Code editors, such as Visual Studio Code, Atom, or Sublime Text, are effective for this purpose as they often have features like syntax highlighting, autocomplete, snippets, or plugins. Version control systems like Git, SVN, or Mercurial can be used to manage and track changes to your code by creating and switching between different versions of your code or collaborating with other developers. Additionally, documentation generators such as Doxygen, Sphinx, or Javadoc can be used to automatically generate documentation files from your code based on the comments or annotations included. This can save time and effort while ensuring consistency and accuracy of your documentation.

5 How much to document?

Documenting code changes is an essential part of operations research, but it doesn't mean writing everything or anything about your code. It means providing enough and relevant information to help you and others understand, use, and improve your code. When documenting changes, be concise, consistent, accurate, and helpful. Use clear and concise sentences that convey the essential information without being too verbose or vague. Follow a standard or agreed-upon convention or guide for your comments, commit messages, and documentation files. Make sure the information is accurate and truthful, and that it reflects the current state and behavior of your code. Additionally, provide helpful and informative information that can answer the questions or solve the problems of your intended audience by including examples, references, or links where appropriate. Doing so will ensure that your operations research projects are of high quality and have greater impact.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?