docs/development/source_code/presubmit_checks.md

# Presubmit checks

All changelists sent to Fuchsia undergo a series of static analysis checks in
presubmit.

## Types of checks

### Language linters

Linters are run automatically for a variety of languages and will leave comments
in the **Checks** tab of Gerrit.

### Presubmit tools

Some of the presubmit checks are tools that are language-agnostic but provide
stronger confidence in the quality of a changelist.

#### keep-sorted

keep-sorted is an opt-in linter that enforces that source code lines are kept in
alphabetical order. It can be enabled by wrapping a code block in
`keep-sorted
start` and `keep-sorted
end` comments.

<!--
The above lines intentionally have weird newline placement to prevent
keep-sorted from registering the directives.
-->

For example, the following list's elements will be required to be in
alphabetical order, enforced by presubmit checks:

```python
a_list = [
    # keep-sorted start
    "bar",
    "baz",
    "foo",
    # keep-sorted end
]
```

keep-sorted is language-agnostic and supports "#" and "//" comments.

See the [upstream documentation](https://github.com/google/keep-sorted#options)
for all options.

keep-sorted is also enforced by `fx format-code`.

#### IfThisThenThat

IfThisThenThat is a check that can be used to ensure files that co-change with
one another stay synchronized. If one file changes, a warning is given that the
other file(s) should change too in the same changelist. Ideally, such a check
should not be necessary, but can come up when executable code needs to be
synchronized with configuration files.

IfThisThenThat leaves _warnings_ and so does not block changelist submission.

##### Example

Unlike other presubmit checks which operate independently, IFTTT checks need to
be manually implemented. To set up a new IFTTT check, insert the special
comments `// LINT.IfChange`  and  `// LINT.ThenChange(<other_file_path>)`  in
each file that should be updated together.

In the following example, IFTTT checks are implemented for `test.go` and
`main.rs`. If only one of the files change, a warning appears in Gerrit.

`test.go`

```go
import fmt

// LINT.IfChange

fmt.Println("When this block changes, so must main.rs")

// LINT.ThenChange(main.rs)
```

`main.rs`

```rust
// LINT.IfChange

println!("When this block changes, so must test.go");

// LINT.ThenChange(test.go)
```

Note that for Markdown files, the structure must be wrapped in comments so that
Markdown ignores the syntax.

```markdown
<!--

// LINT.IfChange

-->

Block to be changed.

<!--

// LINT.ThenChange(test.go)

-->
```

IfThisThenThat supports absolute file paths (those that start with `/`), and
relative paths (those that do not start with `/`).

If the text within the `LINT.IfChange/ThenChange` directives is altered, so too
must the other file that is pointed to. Files should always have the LINT
directives in each file that is joined. A one-way directive would mean that one
file can lose synchronization from the other.

If an IfThisThenThat directive is violated, a comment is left on the CL:

![IfThisThenThat appearing as a line comment](ifttt_line_comment.png)

The warning also appears on the **Checks** tab:

![IfThisThenThat appearing in the Checks tab](ifttt_checks_tab.png)