Solving the TODO Ticket Number Requirement with grep in Git Hooks

Learn how to enforce `TODO` commitments in your code with regex, ensuring every `TODO` is followed by a valid ticket number using `grep` in Git.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/66579161/ asked by the user 'KCD' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/2489037/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/66579930/ provided by the user 'Peter Thoeny' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/7475450/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: Regex with grep

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/licensing
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Enforcing TODO Comments with Ticket Numbers in Git Hooks

When working on collaborative coding projects, maintaining a clean codebase is vital. One common practice is to leave notes for future improvements or reminders using TODO comments. However, it can become a problem when these comments lack crucial information, such as a ticket number referencing a task or improvement in your project management system. This can lead to confusion and untracked tasks. In this guide, we will explore how to create a Git hook that ensures every TODO comment must be followed by a valid ticket number using regex and grep.

The Problem with Generic TODOs

Consider the following examples of TODO comments:

✅ Correct: // TODO PK-123456

❌ Incorrect: // TODO do it later

In the incorrect example, the comment does not provide a reference number. The goal here is to ensure that any TODO comments must be followed by a specific ticket number format (like PK-123456), and if not, it should block the commit.

Attempting to Use Regex with grep

Many developers attempt to employ a regex expression to find violations directly using a command like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

However, when running this command, they often encounter an error: "repetition-operator operand invalid". This error indicates that the regex provided is not compatible with the version of grep available, especially in environments like Mac OS where options may vary.

Breaking Down the Solution

Fortunately, there is a straightforward workaround by splitting the grep check into two separate commands. Here's how you can implement this fix:

Step 1: Check for TODO Comments

First, we want to search for any lines containing TODO:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This command lists all instances of TODO in your staged changes.

Step 2: Negate the Correct Ones

Next, we filter out the valid entries that comply with our ticket number format using the -v flag, which inverts the match, filtering out the lines you don't want to see:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 3: Combine the Commands

Putting it all together, the finalized command would look like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This command structure ensures that:

The first egrep finds all TODO comments.

The second egrep filters out the ones with the expected ticket number format.

Conclusion

By implementing this simple solution, you can ensure that all TODO comments contain the necessary context. This not only enhances your code quality but also facilitates better project management and tracking of tasks. Using grep effectively with Git hooks serves as a practical way to enforce coding standards.

If you continue to encounter challenges, it might be worth exploring further customization of your Git hooks or regex patterns. Happy coding!

Видео Solving the TODO Ticket Number Requirement with grep in Git Hooks канала vlogize