Auto-Collapse Files In PR View: A Regex-Based Solution

Pull requests (PRs) are a crucial part of the software development workflow, allowing developers to propose, review, and merge code changes. However, PRs can sometimes become cluttered with autogenerated files or files that are not directly relevant to the review process. This clutter can make it challenging to focus on the essential changes and can slow down the review process. In this article, we'll explore a feature that automatically collapses files in the PR file view based on regular expressions, helping to streamline the code review process and improve developer productivity.

The Problem: Cluttered PR File Views

In many projects, certain files are automatically generated or are considered less critical for code reviews. Examples of such files include:

• package-lock.json or yarn.lock files in JavaScript projects
• Autogenerated code files
• Configuration files
• Documentation files

While these files are essential for the project, they often contain a large amount of code that doesn't require manual review during every PR. When these files are included in the PR file view, they can make it difficult to navigate and focus on the code changes that need attention.

Imagine a scenario where a developer makes a small change to a core feature, but the PR file view is dominated by a massive package-lock.json update. Reviewers might struggle to find the relevant changes amidst the noise, leading to delays and potential oversights.

The Proposed Solution: Regex-Based Auto-Collapsing

To address the issue of cluttered PR file views, a feature that automatically collapses files based on regular expressions (regex) can be highly beneficial. This feature would allow users to define a set of regex patterns that, when matched against a file's name or path, would automatically collapse that file in the PR file view.

How It Works

The proposed solution involves the following steps:

1. User Configuration: Users would be able to configure a list of regex patterns in their settings or project configuration.
2. File Name Matching: When a PR file view is loaded, the system would iterate through the list of files and match their names or paths against the configured regex patterns.
3. Automatic Collapsing: If a file's name or path matches a regex pattern, the file would be automatically collapsed in the PR file view.
4. Manual Expansion: Users would still have the option to manually expand collapsed files if they need to review the changes within them.

Benefits of Regex-Based Auto-Collapsing

• Improved Focus: By automatically collapsing irrelevant files, developers can focus on the code changes that require their attention, leading to more efficient reviews.
• Reduced Clutter: The PR file view becomes cleaner and easier to navigate, reducing cognitive overload and improving the overall review experience.
• Customization: Regex patterns provide a flexible way to define which files should be collapsed, allowing users to tailor the feature to their specific project needs.
• Increased Productivity: Streamlining the code review process can save time and effort, allowing developers to be more productive.

Practical Examples

Let's consider some practical examples of how regex-based auto-collapsing can be used in different scenarios.

Example 1: Collapsing package-lock.json and yarn.lock

In JavaScript projects, package-lock.json and yarn.lock files often contain a large number of changes due to dependency updates. To automatically collapse these files, a user could define the following regex pattern:

(?:package-lock|yarn\.lock)

This pattern would match both package-lock.json and yarn.lock files, causing them to be automatically collapsed in the PR file view.

Example 2: Collapsing Autogenerated Files

Some projects use code generation tools that produce autogenerated files. These files are often not meant to be manually reviewed. To collapse autogenerated files, a user could define a regex pattern that matches the naming convention used for these files. For example, if autogenerated files are named with a .generated.ts extension, the following regex pattern could be used:

\.generated\.ts$

Example 3: Collapsing Documentation Files

Documentation files, such as those in a docs directory, may not always require detailed review during every PR. To collapse documentation files, a user could define a regex pattern like this:

^docs\/

This pattern would match any file path that starts with docs/, effectively collapsing all files within the docs directory.

Implementing the Feature

The regex-based auto-collapsing feature can be implemented as a browser extension or as a built-in feature of code hosting platforms like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket. The implementation would involve the following steps:

1. Configuration UI: Provide a user interface where users can add, edit, and remove regex patterns.
2. File Matching Logic: Implement the logic to match file names or paths against the configured regex patterns.
3. UI Integration: Integrate the auto-collapsing functionality into the PR file view, ensuring that collapsed files can be easily expanded manually.
4. Performance Optimization: Optimize the matching logic to ensure that it doesn't significantly impact the performance of the PR file view.

Benefits for Teams and Organizations

The regex-based auto-collapsing feature can bring significant benefits to software development teams and organizations:

• Faster Code Reviews: By reducing clutter and improving focus, code reviews can be completed more quickly.
• Improved Code Quality: Reviewers can spend more time focusing on the critical code changes, leading to higher-quality code.
• Reduced Cognitive Load: A cleaner PR file view reduces cognitive load for reviewers, making the review process less stressful.
• Increased Collaboration: Streamlined code reviews can foster better collaboration among team members.

Conclusion

The regex-based auto-collapsing feature is a valuable addition to the code review process. By automatically collapsing irrelevant files in the PR file view, it helps developers focus on the essential changes, reduces clutter, and improves overall productivity. This feature can be implemented as a browser extension or as a built-in feature of code hosting platforms, providing a flexible and customizable solution for teams and organizations of all sizes. Embracing such features can significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of software development workflows.

For more information on improving code review processes, you can visit resources like SmartBear's guide to code review best practices. This can provide further insights into optimizing your team's workflow.