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+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-SA-2.0-UK
+
+Recipe Style Guide
+******************
+
+Recipe Naming Conventions
+=========================
+
+In general, most recipes should follow the naming convention
+``recipes-category/recipename/recipename_version.bb``. Recipes for related
+projects may share the same recipe directory. ``recipename`` and ``category``
+may contain hyphens, but hyphens are not allowed in ``version``.
+
+If the recipe is tracking a Git revision that does not correspond to a released
+version of the software, ``version`` may be ``git`` (e.g. ``recipename_git.bb``)
+and the recipe would set :term:`PV`.
+
+Version Policy
+==============
+
+Our versions follow the form ``<epoch>:<version>-<revision>``
+or in BitBake variable terms ${:term:`PE`}:${:term:`PV`}-${:term:`PR`}. We
+generally follow the `Debian <https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#version>`__
+version policy which defines these terms.
+
+In most cases the version :term:`PV` will be set automatically from the recipe
+file name. It is recommended to use released versions of software as these are
+revisions that upstream are expecting people to use.
+
+Recipe versions should always compare and sort correctly so that upgrades work
+as expected. With conventional versions such as ``1.4`` upgrading ``to 1.5``
+this happens naturally, but some versions don't sort. For example,
+``1.5 Release Candidate 2`` could be written as ``1.5rc2`` but this sorts after
+``1.5``, so upgrades from feeds won't happen correctly.
+
+Instead the tilde (``~``) operator can be used, which sorts before the empty
+string so ``1.5~rc2`` comes before ``1.5``. There is a historical syntax which
+may be found where :term:`PV` is set as a combination of the prior version
+``+`` the pre-release version, for example ``PV=1.4+1.5rc2``. This is a valid
+syntax but the tilde form is preferred.
+
+For version comparisons, the ``opkg-compare-versions`` program from
+``opkg-utils`` can be useful when attempting to determine how two version
+numbers compare to each other. Our definitive version comparison algorithm is
+the one within bitbake which aims to match those of the package managers and
+Debian policy closely.
+
+When a recipe references a git revision that does not correspond to a released
+version of software (e.g. is not a tagged version), the :term:`PV` variable
+should include the Git revision using the following to make the
+version clear::
+
+ PV = "<version>+git${SRCPV}"
+
+In this case, ``<version>`` should be the most recently released version of the
+software from the current source revision (``git describe`` can be useful for
+determining this). Whilst not recommended for published layers, this format is
+also useful when using :term:`AUTOREV` to set the recipe to increment source
+control revisions automatically, which can be useful during local development.
+
+Version Number Changes
+======================
+
+The :term:`PR` variable is used to indicate different revisions of a recipe
+that reference the same upstream source version. It can be used to force a
+new version of a recipe to be installed onto a device from a package feed.
+These once had to be set manually but in most cases these can now be set and
+incremented automatically by a PR Server connected with a package feed.
+
+When :term:`PV` increases, any existing :term:`PR` value can and should be
+removed.
+
+If :term:`PV` changes in such a way that it does not increase with respect to
+the previous value, you need to increase :term:`PE` to ensure package managers
+will upgrade it correctly. If unset you should set :term:`PE` to "1" since
+the default of empty is easily confused with "0" depending on the package
+manager. :term:`PE` can only have an integer value.
+
+Recipe formatting
+=================
+
+Variable Formatting
+-------------------
+
+- Variable assignment should a space around each side of the operator, e.g.
+ ``FOO = "bar"``, not ``FOO="bar"``.
+
+- Double quotes should be used on the right-hand side of the assignment,
+ e.g. ``FOO = "bar"`` not ``FOO = 'bar'``
+
+- Spaces should be used for indenting variables, with 4 spaces per tab
+
+- Long variables should be split over multiple lines when possible by using
+ the continuation character (``\``)
+
+- When splitting a long variable over multiple lines, all continuation lines
+ should be indented (with spaces) to align with the start of the quote on the
+ first line::
+
+ FOO = "this line is \
+ long \
+ "
+
+ Instead of::
+
+ FOO = "this line is \
+ long \
+ "
+
+Python Function formatting
+--------------------------
+
+- Spaces must be used for indenting Python code, with 4 spaces per tab
+
+Shell Function formatting
+-------------------------
+
+- The formatting of shell functions should be consistent within layers.
+ Some use tabs, some use spaces.
+
+Recipe metadata
+===============
+
+Required Variables
+------------------
+
+The following variables should be included in all recipes:
+
+- :term:`SUMMARY`: a one line description of the upstream project
+
+- :term:`DESCRIPTION`: an extended description of the upstream project,
+ possibly with multiple lines. If no reasonable description can be written,
+ this may be omitted as it defaults to :term:`SUMMARY`.
+
+- :term:`HOMEPAGE`: the URL to the upstream projects homepage.
+
+- :term:`BUGTRACKER`: the URL upstream projects bug tracking website,
+ if applicable.
+
+Recipe Ordering
+---------------
+
+When a variable is defined in recipes and classes, variables should follow the
+general order when possible:
+
+- :term:`SUMMARY`
+- :term:`DESCRIPTION`
+- :term:`HOMEPAGE`
+- :term:`BUGTRACKER`
+- :term:`SECTION`
+- :term:`LICENSE`
+- :term:`LIC_FILES_CHKSUM`
+- :term:`DEPENDS`
+- :term:`PROVIDES`
+- :term:`PV`
+- :term:`SRC_URI`
+- :term:`SRCREV`
+- :term:`S`
+- ``inherit ...``
+- :term:`PACKAGECONFIG`
+- Build class specific variables such as ``EXTRA_QMAKEVARS_POST`` and :term:`EXTRA_OECONF`
+- Tasks such as :ref:`ref-tasks-configure`
+- :term:`PACKAGE_ARCH`
+- :term:`PACKAGES`
+- :term:`FILES`
+- :term:`RDEPENDS`
+- :term:`RRECOMMENDS`
+- :term:`RSUGGESTS`
+- :term:`RPROVIDES`
+- :term:`RCONFLICTS`
+- :term:`BBCLASSEXTEND`
+
+There are some cases where ordering is important and these cases would override
+this default order. Examples include:
+
+- :term:`PACKAGE_ARCH` needing to be set before ``inherit packagegroup``
+
+Tasks should be ordered based on the order they generally execute. For commonly
+used tasks this would be:
+
+- :ref:`ref-tasks-fetch`
+- :ref:`ref-tasks-unpack`
+- :ref:`ref-tasks-patch`
+- :ref:`ref-tasks-prepare_recipe_sysroot`
+- :ref:`ref-tasks-configure`
+- :ref:`ref-tasks-compile`
+- :ref:`ref-tasks-install`
+- :ref:`ref-tasks-populate_sysroot`
+- :ref:`ref-tasks-package`
+
+Custom tasks should be sorted similarly.
+
+Package specific variables are typically grouped together, e.g.::
+
+ RDEPENDS:${PN} = “foo”
+ RDEPENDS:${PN}-libs = “bar”
+
+ RRECOMMENDS:${PN} = “one”
+ RRECOMMENDS:${PN}-libs = “two”
+
+Recipe License Fields
+---------------------
+
+Recipes need to define both the :term:`LICENSE` and
+:term:`LIC_FILES_CHKSUM` variables:
+
+- :term:`LICENSE`: This variable specifies the license for the software.
+ If you do not know the license under which the software you are
+ building is distributed, you should go to the source code and look
+ for that information. Typical files containing this information
+ include ``COPYING``, :term:`LICENSE`, and ``README`` files. You could
+ also find the information near the top of a source file. For example,
+ given a piece of software licensed under the GNU General Public
+ License version 2, you would set :term:`LICENSE` as follows::
+
+ LICENSE = "GPL-2.0-only"
+
+ The licenses you specify within :term:`LICENSE` can have any name as long
+ as you do not use spaces, since spaces are used as separators between
+ license names. For standard licenses, use the names of the files in
+ ``meta/files/common-licenses/`` or the :term:`SPDXLICENSEMAP` flag names
+ defined in ``meta/conf/licenses.conf``.
+
+- :term:`LIC_FILES_CHKSUM`: The OpenEmbedded build system uses this
+ variable to make sure the license text has not changed. If it has,
+ the build produces an error and it affords you the chance to figure
+ it out and correct the problem.
+
+ You need to specify all applicable licensing files for the software.
+ At the end of the configuration step, the build process will compare
+ the checksums of the files to be sure the text has not changed. Any
+ differences result in an error with the message containing the
+ current checksum. For more explanation and examples of how to set the
+ :term:`LIC_FILES_CHKSUM` variable, see the
+ ":ref:`dev-manual/licenses:tracking license changes`" section.
+
+ To determine the correct checksum string, you can list the
+ appropriate files in the :term:`LIC_FILES_CHKSUM` variable with incorrect
+ md5 strings, attempt to build the software, and then note the
+ resulting error messages that will report the correct md5 strings.
+ See the ":ref:`dev-manual/new-recipe:fetching code`" section for
+ additional information.
+
+ Here is an example that assumes the software has a ``COPYING`` file::
+
+ LIC_FILES_CHKSUM = "file://COPYING;md5=xxx"
+
+ When you try to build the
+ software, the build system will produce an error and give you the
+ correct string that you can substitute into the recipe file for a
+ subsequent build.
+
+License Updates
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+When you change the :term:`LICENSE` or :term:`LIC_FILES_CHKSUM` in the recipe
+you need to briefly explain the reason for the change via a ``License-Update:``
+tag. Often it's quite trivial, such as::
+
+ License-Update: copyright years refreshed
+
+Less often, the actual licensing terms themselves will have changed. If so, do
+try to link to upstream making/justifying that decision.
+
+Tips and Guidelines for Writing Recipes
+---------------------------------------
+
+- Use :term:`BBCLASSEXTEND` instead of creating separate recipes such as ``-native``
+ and ``-nativesdk`` ones, whenever possible. This avoids having to maintain multiple
+ recipe files at the same time.
+
+- Recipes should have tasks which are idempotent, i.e. that executing a given task
+ multiple times shouldn't change the end result. The build environment is built upon
+ this assumption and breaking it can cause obscure build failures.
+
+- For idempotence when modifying files in tasks, it is usually best to:
+
+ - copy a file ``X`` to ``X.orig`` (only if it doesn't exist already)
+ - then, copy ``X.orig`` back to ``X``,
+ - and, finally, modify ``X``.
+
+ This ensures if rerun the task always has the same end result and the
+ original file can be preserved to reuse. It also guards against an
+ interrupted build corrupting the file.
+
+Patch Upstream Status
+=====================
+
+In order to keep track of patches applied by recipes and ultimately reduce the
+number of patches that need maintaining, the OpenEmbedded build system
+requires information about the upstream status of each patch.
+
+In its description, each patch should provide detailed information about the
+bug that it addresses, such as the URL in a bug tracking system and links
+to relevant mailing list archives.
+
+Then, you should also add an ``Upstream-Status:`` tag containing one of the
+following status strings:
+
+``Pending``
+ No determination has been made yet, or patch has not yet been submitted to
+ upstream.
+
+ Keep in mind that every patch submitted upstream reduces the maintainance
+ burden in OpenEmbedded and Yocto Project in the long run, so this patch
+ status should only be used in exceptional cases if there are genuine
+ obstacles to submitting a patch upstream; the reason for that should be
+ included in the patch.
+
+``Submitted [where]``
+ Submitted to upstream, waiting for approval. Optionally include where
+ it was submitted, such as the author, mailing list, etc.
+
+``Backport [version]``
+ Accepted upstream and included in the next release, or backported from newer
+ upstream version, because we are at a fixed version.
+ Include upstream version info (e.g. commit ID or next expected version).
+
+``Denied``
+ Not accepted by upstream, include reason in patch.
+
+``Inactive-Upstream [lastcommit: when (and/or) lastrelease: when]``
+ The upstream is no longer available. This typically means a defunct project
+ where no activity has happened for a long time --- measured in years. To make
+ that judgement, it is recommended to look at not only when the last release
+ happened, but also when the last commit happened, and whether newly made bug
+ reports and merge requests since that time receive no reaction. It is also
+ recommended to add to the patch description any relevant links where the
+ inactivity can be clearly seen.
+
+``Inappropriate [reason]``
+ The patch is not appropriate for upstream, include a brief reason on the
+ same line enclosed with ``[]``. In the past, there were several different
+ reasons not to submit patches upstream, but we have to consider that every
+ non-upstreamed patch means a maintainance burden for recipe maintainers.
+ Currently, the only reasons to mark patches as inappropriate for upstream
+ submission are:
+
+ - ``oe specific``: the issue is specific to how OpenEmbedded performs builds
+ or sets things up at runtime, and can be resolved only with a patch that
+ is not however relevant or appropriate for general upstream submission.
+ - ``upstream ticket <link>``: the issue is not specific to Open-Embedded
+ and should be fixed upstream, but the patch in its current form is not
+ suitable for merging upstream, and the author lacks sufficient expertise
+ to develop a proper patch. Instead the issue is handled via a bug report
+ (include link).
+
+Of course, if another person later takes care of submitting this patch upstream,
+the status should be changed to ``Submitted [where]``, and an additional
+``Signed-off-by:`` line should be added to the patch by the person claiming
+responsibility for upstreaming.
+
+Examples
+--------
+
+Here's an example of a patch that has been submitted upstream::
+
+ rpm: Adjusted the foo setting in bar
+
+ [RPM Ticket #65] -- http://rpm5.org/cvs/tktview?tn=65,5
+
+ The foo setting in bar was decreased from X to X-50% in order to
+ ensure we don't exhaust all system memory with foobar threads.
+
+ Upstream-Status: Submitted [rpm5-devel@rpm5.org]
+
+ Signed-off-by: Joe Developer <joe.developer@example.com>
+
+A future update can change the value to ``Backport`` or ``Denied`` as
+appropriate.
+
+Another example of a patch that is specific to OpenEmbedded::
+
+ Do not treat warnings as errors
+
+ There are additional warnings found with musl which are
+ treated as errors and fails the build, we have more combinations
+ than upstream supports to handle.
+
+ Upstream-Status: Inappropriate [oe specific]
+
+Here's a patch that has been backported from an upstream commit::
+
+ include missing sys/file.h for LOCK_EX
+
+ Upstream-Status: Backport [https://github.com/systemd/systemd/commit/ac8db36cbc26694ee94beecc8dca208ec4b5fd45]
+
+CVE patches
+===========
+
+In order to have a better control of vulnerabilities, patches that fix CVEs must
+contain a ``CVE:`` tag. This tag list all CVEs fixed by the patch. If more than
+one CVE is fixed, separate them using spaces.
+
+CVE Examples
+------------
+
+This should be the header of patch that fixes :cve:`2015-8370` in GRUB2::
+
+ grub2: Fix CVE-2015-8370
+
+ [No upstream tracking] -- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1286966
+
+ Back to 28; Grub2 Authentication
+
+ Two functions suffer from integer underflow fault; the grub_username_get() and grub_password_get()located in
+ grub-core/normal/auth.c and lib/crypto.c respectively. This can be exploited to obtain a Grub rescue shell.
+
+ Upstream-Status: Backport [http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/grub.git/commit/?id=451d80e52d851432e109771bb8febafca7a5f1f2]
+ CVE: CVE-2015-8370
+ Signed-off-by: Joe Developer <joe.developer@example.com>