cz-customizable

The customizable Commitizen plugin (or standalone utility) to help achieve consistent commit messages such as Conventional Commits. Note that you can create any commit message pattern. You don't have to use the pattern from the Conventional Commits. For example, my team uses this pattern: [minor] add new feature xyz

Suitable for large teams working with multiple projects with their own commit scopes. It allows you to select the pre-defined scopes or commit types. It works perfectly with https://github.com/semantic-release/semantic-release.

You have two ways to use cz-customizable. Originally, this project started as a commitizen plugin (Option 1). We introduced the second option to run this cz-customizable in standalone mode (Option 2), just like any NodeJS script. It's recommended to use Option 2 for simplicity. The way you configure is shared between both options.

Quick start (New, recommended)

Configuration

• Copy contents of the example config file and paste into a new file .cz-config.js
• Option 1: Move file cz-config.js to your home directory.
• Option 2: Put file cz-config.js at the root level of your project and commit it to your code repository (Assuming you have a team agreement to use this tool).

cz-customizable via global install

npm i cz-customizable -g

Then run cz-customizable from your root repo. You can also use the alias cz-cust.

If everything is correct, you should see commit questions like the image above.

Slow start

Option 1 - cz-customizable via npx

npx cz-customizable

Option 2 - cz-customizable in standalone mode

Use cz-customizable without commitzen.

• npm install npm install cz-customizable --save-dev
• add a new script to your package.json:

"scripts" : {
  ...
  "commit": "./node_modules/cz-customizable/standalone.js"
}

• See options below how to create and where you could put your .cz-config.js file.
• now run: npm run commit.

Option 3 - cz-customizable as commitizen plugin

This is how this project started.

• install commitizen in case you don't have it: npm install -g commitizen. Make sure you have the latest version of commitizen installed globally.

• configure commitizen to use cz-customizable as plugin. Add those lines to your package.json:

...
"config": {
  "commitizen": {
    "path": "node_modules/cz-customizable"
  }
}

Configuration (Shared between options 1,2 and 3)

• Copy contents of the example config file and paste into a new file .cz-config.js

Option 1 - You can make changes to your git repository, file package.json.

• cz-customizable will first look for a file called .cz-config.js or .config/cz-config.js in the project root, near your package.json
• If no config found, it will look for .cz-config.js or or .config/cz-config.js in your home directory
• alternatively add the config location in your package.json:

...
"config": {
  "commitizen": { // not needed for standlone usage
    "path": "node_modules/cz-customizable"
  },
  "cz-customizable": {
    "config": "config/path/to/my/config.js"
  }
}

Note: option one allows you to have your config away from root directory. It also gives you a change to define any name to your .cz-config.js.

No Changes to your git repository*.

This is suitable when your team is not ready to roll cz-customizable across all teams but you still would like to use it for your own commits, no matter the project.

Steps:

• create config file:
  • create a file called .cz-config.js in your git repository root (*Assumptions: you git ignore global on ~/.gitignore_global for .cz-config.js). Or;
  • create a file called .cz-config.js your home directory.

Additional steps when used as commitizen plugin

• npm install -g commitizen
• npm install -g cz-customizable. Make sure you have version >v5.6.x
• create global commitizen config file .czrc: echo '{ "path": "cz-customizable" }' > ~/.czrc
• now run: npx git-cz or git cz.

Notes:

• you should commit your .cz-config.js file to your git when applicable.

Hopefully this will help you to have consistent commit messages and have a fully automated deployment without any human intervention.

---

Options

Here are the options you can set in your .cz-config.js:

• subjectLimit: {number, default 100}: This is the subject limit. Example: this is a new feature or fix a bug

• subjectSeparator: {string, default ': '}: This is the subject separator. Example: feat: this is a new feature

• typePrefix: {string, default ''}: This is the commit type prefix. Example: config: { typePrefix: '[' }, result: [feat: this is a new feature

• typeSuffix: {string, default ''}: This is the commit type suffix. Example: config: { typePrefix: '[', typeSuffix: ']', subjectSeparator: ' ' }, result: [feat] this is a new feature

• scopes: {Array of Strings}: Specify the scopes for your particular project. Eg.: for some banking system: ["acccounts", "payments"]. For another travelling application: ["bookings", "search", "profile"]

• scopeOverrides: {Object where key contains a Array of String}: Use this when you want to override scopes for a specific commit type. Example below specify scopes when type is fix:

  scopeOverrides: {
    fix: [
      {name: 'merge'},
      {name: 'style'},
      {name: 'e2eTest'},
      {name: 'unitTest'}
    ]
  }
  

• allowCustomScopes: {boolean, default false}: adds the option custom to scope selection so you can still type a scope if you need.

• allowBreakingChanges: {Array of Strings: default none}. List of commit types you would like to the question breaking change prompted. Eg.: ['feat', 'fix'].

• skipQuestions: {Array of Strings: default none}. List of questions you want to skip. Eg.: ['body', 'footer'].

• skipEmptyScopes: {boolean, default false}: If a chosen type has no scopes declared, skip the scope question

• appendBranchNameToCommitMessage: If you use cz-customizable with cz-customizable-ghooks, you can get the branch name automatically appended to the commit message. This is done by a commit hook on cz-customizable-ghooks. This option has been added on cz-customizable-ghooks, v1.3.0. Default value is true.

• ticketNumberPrefix: {string, default 'ISSUES CLOSED:'}: Set custom prefix for footer ticker number.

• breakingPrefix: {string, default 'BREAKING CHANGE:'}: Set a custom prefix for the breaking change block in commit messages.

• footerPrefix: {string, default 'ISSUES CLOSED:'}: Set a custom prefix for the footer block in commit messages. Set to empty string to remove prefix.

• breaklineChar: {string, default '|'}: It gets replaced with \n to create the breakline in your commit message. This is supported for fields body and footer at the moment.

• upperCaseSubject: { boolean, default false }: Capitalizes first subject letter if set to true

• askForBreakingChangeFirst: { boolean, default false }: It asks for breaking change as first question when set to true

• usePreparedCommit: { boolean, default false }: It re-uses commit from ./.git/COMMIT_EDITMSG when set to true

Related tools

• (https://github.com/commitizen/cz-cli)
• (https://github.com/leonardoanalista/corp-semantic-release)
• (https://github.com/semantic-release/semantic-release)
• (https://github.com/uglow/cz-customizable-ghooks)

GOTCHAS

• backticks If you wish to have backticks in your content, for example "feat: `string`", the commit preview will be "feat: \`string\`". Don't worry because on your git log will be "feat: `string`" as desired.

• multiline contents on the body of the message Body is the only place where you can use a pipe to break lines. E.g.: you type this: my items are:| - item01| - item 02, which will become:

my items are:
 - item01
 - item 02

CONTRIBUTING

Contributor Guidelines

• if you add a new config property, please remember to update files README.md and index.d.ts.
• add or update relevant tests
• Favor non-breaking changes when possible
• Send preliminary PR if you would like to start a discussion

Conduct of Code:

• Be polite, respectful and understanding that we are all here after working hours spending time to build something useful to all.
• We promise to extend courtesy and respect to everyone involved in this project regardless of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, race, ethnicity, religion, or level of experience

Leonardo Correa