Creating and Using Pull Request Templates

• This lab shows how to create and use PR templates to standardize pull request descriptions and ensure consistent information across your team.

1. Understanding PR Templates

• PR templates automatically populate the description field when someone creates a new pull request.
• They help us with the following:
  • Maintain consistent information across all PRs
  • Ensure required details aren’t missed
  • Facilitate faster code reviews with better context
  • Provide clear linking between PRs and issues

2. Create the Template File

1. Create a new branch (So you can work on the template without affecting the main branch).
2. In your repository root, create a .github folder if it doesn’t exist.
3. Inside .github, create a file named pull_request_template.md.
4. Add your template content using markdown syntax.

The file structure should look like:

your-repo/
├── .github/
│   └── pull_request_template.md

3. Template Content

Here’s a comprehensive template that covers most use cases:

## Description
<!-- Briefly describe the changes introduced by this PR -->

## Related Issue
<!-- Link the issue this PR closes or relates to , if any-->
Fixes #<issue_number>

## Type of Change
<!-- Leave only the relevant one and delete the others -->
- [ ] Bug fix 🐛
- [ ] New feature ✨
- [ ] Documentation update 📚
- [ ] Enhancement 🛠️
- [ ] Refactoring ♻️
- [ ] Hotfix 🔥
- [ ] Other (please describe):

## Checklist
- [ ] I have tested my changes locally
- [ ] I have updated documentation if needed
- [ ] My code follows the project's style guidelines
- [ ] I have linked the related issue
- [ ] I need to go home 😊

## Screenshots (if applicable)
<!-- Add before/after screenshots for UI changes -->

## Additional Notes
<!-- Anything else reviewers should know -->

4. Create the Template File in Your Repo

1. Switch to the main branch.
2. Switch to your repository root folder.
3. Create new file with the specific name .github/pull_request_template.md
4. Copy the template content from above into the file.
5. Commit and push the changes

5. Using the Template

1. Make changes, add, commit & push your code.
2. Create a new pull request as usual.
3. The template will automatically appear in the description field.

6. Multiple Templates

You can create different templates for different types of PRs:

.github/
├── PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE/
│   ├── bug_fix.md
│   ├── feature.md
│   └── documentation.md
└── pull_request_template.md (default)

1. Create a new file for each template in the .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE/ directory.
2. Write your template content using markdown syntax.
3. You can set a template name and description:

   name: Bug Fix
   description: Use this template for bug fixes
   

4. Add, commit, and push your changes.

   

7. Using PR template

###
### https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/<branch to>...<branch_from>?template=<template>

https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/main...feature?template=feature.md

8. Testing Your Template

1. Create a test branch:

git checkout -b test-pr-template
git push origin test-pr-template

1. Open a new PR from this branch to see the template in action.
2. Verify all sections appear correctly and make adjustments if needed.