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GitHub Foundations: How to Effectively Review Pull Request with Typos and Coding Error?

Learn the best practices for reviewing a pull request that contains minor coding errors and typos. Discover how to provide valuable feedback and handle the review process efficiently. Prepare for the GitHub Foundations certification exam with our expert guidance.

Table of Contents

Question

You’ve been requested to review a pull request. As you read through it, you notice several minor coding errors and typos. How should you handle the review?

A. Start a review and fix obvious typos inline. Add comments in places that require further discussion or offer educational value. Complete the review with changes requested.
B. Leave single comments for each issue you come across, but don’t change the code. For typos, include the correct spelling of the word as a reference. Approve the pull request if you trust the author to implement your suggestions.
C. Reject the pull request. We can’t risk any bugs accidentally being merged into an important branch.

Answer

A. Start a review and fix obvious typos inline. Add comments in places that require further discussion or offer educational value. Complete the review with changes requested.

Explanation

Contributors always appreciate when reviewers show an interest in getting their code merged.

When reviewing a pull request that contains several minor coding errors and typos, the most effective approach is to:

  1. Start a review: Begin by carefully reading through the pull request and initiating a formal review process.
  2. Fix obvious typos inline: For straightforward typographical errors, make the necessary corrections directly within the code. This helps streamline the process and ensures that these simple mistakes are addressed promptly.
  3. Add comments for further discussion and educational value: If you come across areas that require more extensive changes or present opportunities for improvement, add comments to the relevant lines of code. Use these comments to initiate discussions with the author, provide suggestions, and offer insights that can enhance their understanding and skills.
  4. Complete the review with changes requested: After addressing the typos and adding comments, conclude the review by requesting changes. This indicates to the author that modifications are necessary before the pull request can be approved and merged.

By following this approach, you ensure that the pull request receives a thorough and constructive review. Fixing typos directly saves time, while providing comments facilitates meaningful discussions and promotes learning. Requesting changes at the end of the review process ensures that the necessary modifications are made before the code is merged, maintaining the quality and integrity of the codebase.

GitHub Foundations certification exam assessment practice question and answer (Q&A) dump including multiple choice questions (MCQ) and objective type questions, with detail explanation and reference available free, helpful to pass the GitHub Foundations exam and earn GitHub Foundations certification.