GIT - how to keep a file common across all branches

Question

Suppose I have a file \"ChangeLog\" in branch \"master\". I want to record information about all changes in any branch in this file (in more detail than in a commit message

Answer 1

I know that this answer is begging the question, but I think that anything else is setting yourself up for a maintenance headache.

If you put sufficient description into your commit messages then git log fits the requirement. All the changes that are in a particular branch are described exactly by the commits that go into it and it is impossible for it to be out of date or have descriptions for changes that aren't in it ascribed to it.

Ever since I've moved to git I've given up maintaining a change log manually. For me, it had no value and significant cost.

There is no reason not to put full descriptions in commits. With --amend you can fix up spelling errors and add detail, and if you stick to the convention of having a brief subject line and a fuller description then you can choose between short and long log formats.