Re: announce-gen -- not flexible enough

[Alfred M. Szmidt]

   Alfred M. Szmidt wrote:
   > announce-gen is lovley, but it is very inflexible if you use a
   > different format for NEWS.
   >
   > In inetutils, we use something like:
   >
   > | December 27, 2008
   > | Version 1.6:
   > |
   > | * Fixed FOO in BAR.
   > |
   > | * Added BAZ.
   > | 
   > | October 21, 2006
   > | Version 1.5:
   > |
   > | ...
   >
   >
   > I am not sure what a way one should fix announce-gen to be more
   > flexible, maybe just being able to specify a `start' regexp, and a
   > `end' regexp would be enough.  So in the above example, we could use
   > something like:
   >
   >  --start-regexp="^Version " --end-regexp="^$"
   >
   > Or maybe just a switch to skip looking at NEWS, and add a `FIXME: Add
   > noteworthy changes here' where the news entries go.
   >
   > Alas, I don't know enough perl to hack announce-gen.

   Yes, it is rigid.
   announce-gen started as a way to help automate some repetitive tasks.

   Now, you see there is some benefit to conforming.

   In a few projects (gzip, diff, grep), I've simply begun using the
   format required by the tools that operate on NEWS.  Note that there
   is at least one other tool that "knows" the form of NEWS entries:

     build-aux/do-release-commit-and-tag

   Your options:
     - use the suggested format for new NEWS entries
     - insert that part of NEWS manually into your announcement email
     - change both announce-gen and do-release-commit-and-tag

Changing the format is just cumbersome and not really
worthwhile; asking each and every project to follow this strict format
is unrealistic as well.  Inserting things manually is impossible,
since `make alpha/stable' will fail hard since there is no way to
ignore those checks.  For the later, you must change
announce-gen/do-release-commit-and-tag anyway.

I do not see what exactly you are suggesting that I didn't already
suggest, I was looking for input on the `right way' of doing things.