1 Privoxy Developer Manual
3 [ Copyright © 2001, 2002 by Privoxy Developers ]
5 $Id: developer-manual.txt,v 1.32.2.7 2004/01/30 23:46:56 oes Exp $
7 The developer manual provides guidance on coding, testing, packaging,
8 documentation and other issues of importance to those involved with Privoxy
9 development. It is mandatory (and helpful!) reading for anyone who wants to
12 Please note that this document is constantly evolving. This copy represents the
13 state at the release of version 3.0.3. You can find the latest version of the
14 this manual at http://www.privoxy.org/developer-manual/. Please see the Contact
15 section on how to contact the developers.
17 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22 1.1. Quickstart to Privoxy Development
28 2.3. CVS Commit Guidelines
30 3. Documentation Guidelines
32 3.1. Quickstart to Docbook and SGML
33 3.2. Privoxy Documentation Style
34 3.3. Privoxy Custom Entities
41 4.2.1. Comment, Comment, Comment
42 4.2.2. Use blocks for comments
43 4.2.3. Keep Comments on their own line
44 4.2.4. Comment each logical step
45 4.2.5. Comment All Functions Thoroughly
46 4.2.6. Comment at the end of braces if the content is more than one
49 4.3. Naming Conventions
53 4.3.3. Header file prototypes
54 4.3.4. Enumerations, and #defines
59 4.4.1. Put braces on a line by themselves.
60 4.4.2. ALL control statements should have a block
61 4.4.3. Do not belabor/blow-up boolean expressions
62 4.4.4. Use white space freely because it is free
63 4.4.5. Don't use white space around structure operators
64 4.4.6. Make the last brace of a function stand out
65 4.4.7. Use 3 character indentions
69 4.5.1. Initialize all variables
73 4.6.1. Name functions that return a boolean as a question.
74 4.6.2. Always specify a return type for a function.
75 4.6.3. Minimize function calls when iterating by using variables
76 4.6.4. Pass and Return by Const Reference
77 4.6.5. Pass and Return by Value
78 4.6.6. Names of include files
79 4.6.7. Provide multiple inclusion protection
80 4.6.8. Use `extern "C"` when appropriate
81 4.6.9. Where Possible, Use Forward Struct Declaration Instead of
84 4.7. General Coding Practices
86 4.7.1. Turn on warnings
87 4.7.2. Provide a default case for all switch statements
88 4.7.3. Try to avoid falling through cases in a switch statement.
89 4.7.4. Use 'long' or 'short' Instead of 'int'
90 4.7.5. Don't mix size_t and other types
91 4.7.6. Declare each variable and struct on its own line.
92 4.7.7. Use malloc/zalloc sparingly
93 4.7.8. The Programmer Who Uses 'malloc' is Responsible for Ensuring
95 4.7.9. Add loaders to the `file_list' structure and in order
96 4.7.10. "Uncertain" new code and/or changes to existing code, use FIXME
98 4.8. Addendum: Template for files and function comment blocks:
100 5. Testing Guidelines
102 5.1. Testplan for releases
105 6. Releasing a New Version
108 6.2. Before the Release: Freeze
109 6.3. Building and Releasing the Packages
111 6.3.1. Note on Privoxy Packaging
112 6.3.2. Source Tarball
113 6.3.3. SuSE, Conectiva or Red Hat RPM
124 6.4. Uploading and Releasing Your Package
125 6.5. After the Release
127 7. Update the Webserver
128 8. Contacting the developers, Bug Reporting and Feature Requests
132 8.3. Request New Features
133 8.4. Report Ads or Other Actions-Related Problems
136 9. Privoxy Copyright, License and History
145 Privoxy, as an heir to Junkbuster, is an Open Source project and licensed under
146 the GPL. As such, Privoxy development is potentially open to anyone who has the
147 time, knowledge, and desire to contribute in any capacity. Our goals are simply
148 to continue the mission, to improve Privoxy, and to make it available to as
149 wide an audience as possible.
151 One does not have to be a programmer to contribute. Packaging, testing, and
152 porting, are all important jobs as well.
154 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
156 1.1. Quickstart to Privoxy Development
158 The first step is to join the developer's mailing list. You can submit your
159 ideas, or even better patches. Patches are best submitted to the Sourceforge
160 tracker set up for this purpose, but can be sent to the list for review too.
162 You will also need to have a cvs package installed, which will entail having
163 ssh installed as well (which seems to be a requirement of SourceForge), in
164 order to access the cvs repository. Having the GNU build tools is also going to
165 be important (particularly, autoconf and gmake).
167 For the time being (read, this section is under construction), you can also
168 refer to the extensive comments in the source code. In fact, reading the code
169 is recommended in any case.
171 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
173 2. The CVS Repository
175 If you become part of the active development team, you will eventually need
176 write access to our holy grail, the CVS repository. One of the team members
177 will need to set this up for you. Please read this chapter completely before
180 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
184 The project's CVS repository is hosted on SourceForge. Please refer to the
185 chapters 6 and 7 in SF's site documentation for the technical access details
186 for your operating system. For historical reasons, the CVS server is called
187 cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net, the repository is called ijbswa, and the source
188 tree module is called current.
190 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
194 Within the CVS repository, there are modules and branches. As mentioned, the
195 sources are in the current "module". Other modules are present for platform
196 specific issues. There is a webview of the CVS hierarchy at http://
197 cvs.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/ijbswa/, which might help with
198 visualizing how these pieces fit together.
200 Branches are used to fork a sub-development path from the main trunk. Within
201 the current module where the sources are, there is always at least one "branch"
202 from the main trunk devoted to a stable release series. The main trunk is where
203 active development takes place for the next stable series (e.g. 3.2.x). So just
204 prior to each stable series (e.g. 3.0.x), a branch is created just for stable
205 series releases (e.g. 3.0.0 -> 3.0.1 -> 3.0.2, etc). Once the initial stable
206 release of any stable branch has taken place, this branch is only used for
207 bugfixes, which have had prior testing before being committed to CVS. (See
208 Version Numbers below for details on versioning.)
210 This will result in at least two active branches, which means there may be
211 occasions that require the same (or similar) item to be checked into to two
212 different places (assuming its a bugfix and needs fixing in both the stable and
213 unstable trees). This also means that in order to have access to both trees,
214 both will have to be checked out separately. Use the cvs -r flag to check out a
215 branch, e.g: cvs co -r v_3_0_branch current.
217 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
219 2.3. CVS Commit Guidelines
221 The source tree is the heart of every software project. Every effort must be
222 made to ensure that it is readable, compilable and consistent at all times.
223 There are differing guidelines for the stable branch and the main development
224 trunk, and we ask anyone with CVS access to strictly adhere to the following
227 Basic Guidelines, for all branches:
229 * Never (read: never, ever) be tempted to commit that small change without
230 testing it thoroughly first. When we're close to a public release, ask a
231 fellow developer to review your changes.
233 * Your commit message should give a concise overview of what you changed (no
234 big details) and why you changed it Just check previous messages for good
237 * Don't use the same message on multiple files, unless it equally applies to
240 * If your changes span multiple files, and the code won't recompile unless
241 all changes are committed (e.g. when changing the signature of a function),
242 then commit all files one after another, without long delays in between. If
243 necessary, prepare the commit messages in advance.
245 * Before changing things on CVS, make sure that your changes are in line with
246 the team's general consensus on what should be done.
248 * Note that near a major public release, we get more cautious. There is
249 always the possibility to submit a patch to the patch tracker instead.
251 Stable branches are handled with more care, especially after the initial *.*.0
252 release, and we are just in bugfix mode. In addition to the above, the below
253 applies only to the stable branch (currently the v_3_0_branch branch):
255 * Do not commit anything unless your proposed changes have been well tested
256 first, preferably by other members of the project, or have prior approval
257 of the project leaders or consensus of the devel list.
259 * Where possible, bugfixes and changes should be tested in the main
260 development trunk first. There may be occasions where this is not feasible,
263 * Alternately, proposed changes can be submitted as patches to the patch
264 tracker on Sourceforge first: http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=
265 11118&atid=311118. Then ask for peer review.
267 * Do not even think about anything except bugfixes. No new features!
269 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
271 3. Documentation Guidelines
273 All formal documents are maintained in Docbook SGML and located in the doc/
274 source/* directory. You will need Docbook, the Docbook DTD's and the Docbook
275 modular stylesheets (or comparable alternatives), and either jade or openjade
276 (recommended) installed in order to build docs from source. Currently there is
277 user-manual, FAQ, and, of course this, the developer-manual in this format. The
278 README, AUTHORS privoxy.1 (man page), and config files are also now maintained
279 as Docbook SGML. These files, when built, in the top-level source directory are
280 generated files! Also, the Privoxy index.html (and a variation on this file,
281 privoxy-index.html, meant for inclusion with doc packages), are maintained as
282 SGML as well. DO NOT edit these directly. Edit the SGML source, or contact
283 someone involved in the documentation (at present Hal).
285 config requires some special handling. The reason it is maintained this way is
286 so that the extensive comments in the file mirror those in user-manual. But the
287 conversion process requires going from SGML to HTML to text to special
288 formatting required for the embedded comments. Some of this does not survive so
289 well. Especially some of the examples that are longer than 80 characters. The
290 build process for this file outputs to config.new, which should be reviewed for
291 errors and mis-formatting. Once satisfied that it is correct, then it should be
292 hand copied to config.
294 Other, less formal documents (e.g. LICENSE, INSTALL) are maintained as plain
295 text files in the top-level source directory. At least for the time being.
297 Packagers are encouraged to include this documentation. For those without the
298 ability to build the docs locally, text versions of each are kept in CVS. HTML
299 versions are also now being kept in CVS under doc/webserver/*.
301 Formal documents are built with the Makefile targets of make dok, or
302 alternately make redhat-dok. If you have problems, try both. The build process
303 uses the document SGML sources in doc/source/*/* to update all text files in
304 doc/text/ and to update all HTML documents in doc/webserver/.
306 Documentation writers should please make sure documents build successfully
307 before committing to CVS, if possible.
309 How do you update the webserver (i.e. the pages on privoxy.org)?
311 1. First, build the docs by running make dok (or alternately make redhat-dok).
312 For PDF docs, do make dok-pdf.
314 2. Run make webserver which copies all files from doc/webserver to the
315 sourceforge webserver via scp.
317 Finished docs should be occasionally submitted to CVS (doc/webserver/*/*.html)
318 so that those without the ability to build them locally, have access to them if
319 needed. This is especially important just prior to a new release! Please do
320 this after the $VERSION and other release specific data in configure.in has
321 been updated (this is done just prior to a new release).
323 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
325 3.1. Quickstart to Docbook and SGML
327 If you are not familiar with SGML, it is a markup language similar to HTML.
328 Actually, not a mark up language per se, but a language used to define markup
329 languages. In fact, HTML is an SGML application. Both will use "tags" to format
330 text and other content. SGML tags can be much more varied, and flexible, but do
331 much of the same kinds of things. The tags, or "elements", are definable in
332 SGML. There is no set "standards". Since we are using Docbook, our tags are
333 those that are defined by Docbook. Much of how the finish document is rendered
334 is determined by the "stylesheets". The stylesheets determine how each tag gets
335 translated to HTML, or other formats.
337 Tags in Docbook SGML need to be always "closed". If not, you will likely
338 generate errors. Example: <title>My Title</title>. They are also
339 case-insensitive, but we strongly suggest using all lower case. This keeps
340 compatibility with [Docbook] XML.
342 Our documents use "sections" for the most part. Sections will be processed into
343 HTML headers (e.g. h1 for sect1). The Docbook stylesheets will use these to
344 also generate the Table of Contents for each doc. Our TOC's are set to a depth
345 of three. Meaning sect1, sect2, and sect3 will have TOC entries, but sect4 will
346 not. Each section requires a <title> element, and at least one <para>. There is
347 a limit of five section levels in Docbook, but generally three should be
348 sufficient for our purposes.
350 Some common elements that you likely will use:
352 <para></para>, paragraph delimiter. Most text needs to be within paragraph
353 elements (there are some exceptions).
354 <emphasis></emphasis>, the stylesheets make this italics.
355 <filename></filename>, files and directories.
356 <command></command>, command examples.
357 <literallayout></literallayout>, like <pre>, more or less.
358 <itemizedlist></itemizedlist>, list with bullets.
359 <listitem></listitem>, member of the above.
360 <screen></screen>, screen output, implies <literallayout>.
361 <ulink url="example.com"></ulink>, like HTML <a> tag.
362 <quote></quote>, for, doh, quoting text.
364 Look at any of the existing docs for examples of all these and more.
366 You might also find "Writing Documentation Using DocBook - A Crash Course"
369 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
371 3.2. Privoxy Documentation Style
373 It will be easier if everyone follows a similar writing style. This just makes
374 it easier to read what someone else has written if it is all done in a similar
379 * All tags should be lower case.
381 * Tags delimiting a block of text (even small blocks) should be on their own
389 Tags marking individual words, or few words, should be in-line:
391 Just to <emphasis>emphasize</emphasis>, some text goes here.
394 * Tags should be nested and step indented for block text like: (except
401 Some text goes here in our list example.
408 This makes it easier to find the text amongst the tags ;-)
410 * Use white space to separate logical divisions within a document, like
411 between sections. Running everything together consistently makes it harder
414 * Do not hesitate to make comments. Comments can either use the <comment>
415 element, or the <!-- --> style comment familiar from HTML. (Note in Docbook
416 v4.x <comment> is replaced by <remark>.)
418 * We have an international audience. Refrain from slang, or English
419 idiosyncrasies (too many to list :). Humor also does not translate well
422 * Try to keep overall line lengths in source files to 80 characters or less
423 for obvious reasons. This is not always possible, with lengthy URLs for
426 * Our documents are available in differing formats. Right now, they are just
427 plain text, TML, and PDF, but others are always a future possibility. Be
428 careful with URLs (<ulink>), and avoid this mistake:
430 My favorite site is <ulink url="http://example.com">here</ulink>.
432 This will render as "My favorite site is here", which is not real helpful
433 in a text doc. Better like this:
435 My favorite site is <ulink url="http://example.com">example.com</ulink>.
437 * All documents should be spell checked occasionally. aspell can check SGML
438 with the -H option. (ispell I think too.)
440 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
442 3.3. Privoxy Custom Entities
444 Privoxy documentation is using a number of customized "entities" to facilitate
445 documentation maintenance.
447 We are using a set of "boilerplate" files with generic text, that is used by
448 multiple docs. This way we can write something once, and use it repeatedly
449 without having to re-write the same content over and over again. If editing
450 such a file, keep in mind that it should be generic. That is the purpose; so it
451 can be used in varying contexts without additional modifications.
453 We are also using what Docbook calls "internal entities". These are like
454 variables in programming. Well, sort of. For instance, we have the p-version
455 entity that contains the current Privoxy version string. You are strongly
456 encouraged to use these where possible. Some of these obviously require
457 re-setting with each release (done by the Makefile). A sampling of custom
458 entities are listed below. See any of the main docs for examples.
460 * Re- "boilerplate" text entities are defined like:
462 <!entity supported SYSTEM "supported.sgml">
464 In this example, the contents of the file, supported.sgml is available for
465 inclusion anywhere in the doc. To make this happen, just reference the now
466 defined entity: &supported; (starts with an ampersand and ends with a
467 semi-colon), and the contents will be dumped into the finished doc at that
470 * Commonly used "internal entities":
472 p-version: the Privoxy version string, e.g. "3.0.3".
473 p-status: the project status, either "alpha", "beta", or "stable".
474 p-not-stable: use to conditionally include text in "not stable" releases
476 p-stable: just the opposite.
477 p-text: this doc is only generated as text.
479 There are others in various places that are defined for a specific purpose.
482 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
488 This set of standards is designed to make our lives easier. It is developed
489 with the simple goal of helping us keep the "new and improved Privoxy"
490 consistent and reliable. Thus making maintenance easier and increasing chances
491 of success of the project.
493 And that of course comes back to us as individuals. If we can increase our
494 development and product efficiencies then we can solve more of the request for
495 changes/improvements and in general feel good about ourselves. ;->
497 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
501 4.2.1. Comment, Comment, Comment
505 Comment as much as possible without commenting the obvious. For example do not
506 comment "aVariable is equal to bVariable". Instead explain why aVariable should
507 be equal to the bVariable. Just because a person can read code does not mean
508 they will understand why or what is being done. A reader may spend a lot more
509 time figuring out what is going on when a simple comment or explanation would
510 have prevented the extra research. Please help your brother IJB'ers out!
512 The comments will also help justify the intent of the code. If the comment
513 describes something different than what the code is doing then maybe a
514 programming error is occurring.
518 /* if page size greater than 1k ... */
519 if ( PageLength() > 1024 )
521 ... "block" the page up ...
524 /* if page size is small, send it in blocks */
525 if ( PageLength() > 1024 )
527 ... "block" the page up ...
530 This demonstrates 2 cases of "what not to do". The first is a
531 "syntax comment". The second is a comment that does not fit what
532 is actually being done.
535 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
537 4.2.2. Use blocks for comments
541 Comments can help or they can clutter. They help when they are differentiated
542 from the code they describe. One line comments do not offer effective
543 separation between the comment and the code. Block identifiers do, by
544 surrounding the code with a clear, definable pattern.
548 /*********************************************************************
549 * This will stand out clearly in your code!
550 *********************************************************************/
551 if ( thisVariable == thatVariable )
553 DoSomethingVeryImportant();
557 /* unfortunately, this may not */
558 if ( thisVariable == thatVariable )
560 DoSomethingVeryImportant();
564 if ( thisVariable == thatVariable ) /* this may not either */
566 DoSomethingVeryImportant();
572 If you are trying to add a small logic comment and do not wish to "disrupt" the
573 flow of the code, feel free to use a 1 line comment which is NOT on the same
576 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
578 4.2.3. Keep Comments on their own line
582 It goes back to the question of readability. If the comment is on the same line
583 as the code it will be harder to read than the comment that is on its own line.
585 There are three exceptions to this rule, which should be violated freely and
586 often: during the definition of variables, at the end of closing braces, when
587 used to comment parameters.
591 /*********************************************************************
592 * This will stand out clearly in your code,
593 * But the second example won't.
594 *********************************************************************/
595 if ( thisVariable == thatVariable )
597 DoSomethingVeryImportant();
600 if ( thisVariable == thatVariable ) /*can you see me?*/
602 DoSomethingVeryImportant(); /*not easily*/
606 /*********************************************************************
607 * But, the encouraged exceptions:
608 *********************************************************************/
609 int urls_read = 0; /* # of urls read + rejected */
610 int urls_rejected = 0; /* # of urls rejected */
614 DoSomethingVeryImportant();
618 short DoSomethingVeryImportant(
619 short firstparam, /* represents something */
620 short nextparam /* represents something else */ )
624 } /* -END- DoSomethingVeryImportant */
627 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
629 4.2.4. Comment each logical step
633 Logical steps should be commented to help others follow the intent of the
634 written code and comments will make the code more readable.
636 If you have 25 lines of code without a comment, you should probably go back
637 into it to see where you forgot to put one.
639 Most "for", "while", "do", etc... loops _probably_ need a comment. After all,
640 these are usually major logic containers.
642 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
644 4.2.5. Comment All Functions Thoroughly
648 A reader of the code should be able to look at the comments just prior to the
649 beginning of a function and discern the reason for its existence and the
650 consequences of using it. The reader should not have to read through the code
651 to determine if a given function is safe for a desired use. The proper
652 information thoroughly presented at the introduction of a function not only
653 saves time for subsequent maintenance or debugging, it more importantly aids in
654 code reuse by allowing a user to determine the safety and applicability of any
655 function for the problem at hand. As a result of such benefits, all functions
656 should contain the information presented in the addendum section of this
659 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
661 4.2.6. Comment at the end of braces if the content is more than one screen
666 Each closing brace should be followed on the same line by a comment that
667 describes the origination of the brace if the original brace is off of the
668 screen, or otherwise far away from the closing brace. This will simplify the
669 debugging, maintenance, and readability of the code.
671 As a suggestion , use the following flags to make the comment and its brace
674 use following a closing brace: } /* -END- if() or while () or etc... */
680 DoSomethingVeryImportant();
681 ...some long list of commands...
682 } /* -END- if x is 1 */
688 DoSomethingVeryImportant();
689 ...some long list of commands...
690 } /* -END- if ( 1 == X ) */
693 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
695 4.3. Naming Conventions
697 4.3.1. Variable Names
701 Use all lowercase, and separate words via an underscore ('_'). Do not start an
702 identifier with an underscore. (ANSI C reserves these for use by the compiler
703 and system headers.) Do not use identifiers which are reserved in ANSI C++.
704 (E.g. template, class, true, false, ...). This is in case we ever decide to
709 int ms_iis5_hack = 0;
714 int msiis5hack = 0; int msIis5Hack = 0;
717 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
719 4.3.2. Function Names
723 Use all lowercase, and separate words via an underscore ('_'). Do not start an
724 identifier with an underscore. (ANSI C reserves these for use by the compiler
725 and system headers.) Do not use identifiers which are reserved in ANSI C++.
726 (E.g. template, class, true, false, ...). This is in case we ever decide to
731 int load_some_file( struct client_state *csp )
736 int loadsomefile( struct client_state *csp )
737 int loadSomeFile( struct client_state *csp )
740 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
742 4.3.3. Header file prototypes
746 Use a descriptive parameter name in the function prototype in header files. Use
747 the same parameter name in the header file that you use in the c file.
751 (.h) extern int load_aclfile( struct client_state *csp );
752 (.c) int load_aclfile( struct client_state *csp )
757 (.h) extern int load_aclfile( struct client_state * ); or
758 (.h) extern int load_aclfile();
759 (.c) int load_aclfile( struct client_state *csp )
762 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
764 4.3.4. Enumerations, and #defines
768 Use all capital letters, with underscores between words. Do not start an
769 identifier with an underscore. (ANSI C reserves these for use by the compiler
774 (enumeration) : enum Boolean { FALSE, TRUE };
775 (#define) : #define DEFAULT_SIZE 100;
778 Note: We have a standard naming scheme for #defines that toggle a feature in
779 the preprocessor: FEATURE_>, where > is a short (preferably 1 or 2 word)
784 #define FEATURE_FORCE 1
787 #define FORCE_PREFIX blah
788 #endif /* def FEATURE_FORCE */
791 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
797 Spell common words out entirely (do not remove vowels).
799 Use only widely-known domain acronyms and abbreviations. Capitalize all letters
802 Use underscore (_) to separate adjacent acronyms and abbreviations. Never
803 terminate a name with an underscore.
807 #define USE_IMAGE_LIST 1
812 #define USE_IMG_LST 1 or
813 #define _USE_IMAGE_LIST 1 or
814 #define USE_IMAGE_LIST_ 1 or
815 #define use_image_list 1 or
816 #define UseImageList 1
819 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
823 4.4.1. Put braces on a line by themselves.
827 The brace needs to be on a line all by itself, not at the end of the statement.
828 Curly braces should line up with the construct that they're associated with.
829 This practice makes it easier to identify the opening and closing braces for a
842 if ( this == that ) { ... }
846 if ( this == that ) { ... }
848 Note: In the special case that the if-statement is inside a loop, and it is
849 trivial, i.e. it tests for a condition that is obvious from the purpose of the
850 block, one-liners as above may optically preserve the loop structure and make
853 Status: developer-discretion.
857 while ( more lines are read )
859 /* Please document what is/is not a comment line here */
860 if ( it's a comment ) continue;
862 do_something( line );
866 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
868 4.4.2. ALL control statements should have a block
872 Using braces to make a block will make your code more readable and less prone
873 to error. All control statements should have a block defined.
886 if ( this == that ) DoSomething(); DoSomethingElse();
890 if ( this == that ) DoSomething();
892 Note: The first example in "Instead of" will execute in a manner other than
893 that which the developer desired (per indentation). Using code braces would
894 have prevented this "feature". The "explanation" and "exception" from the point
897 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
899 4.4.3. Do not belabor/blow-up boolean expressions
903 structure->flag = ( condition );
908 if ( condition ) { structure->flag = 1; } else { structure->flag = 0; }
910 Note: The former is readable and concise. The later is wordy and inefficient.
911 Please assume that any developer new to the project has at least a "good"
912 knowledge of C/C++. (Hope I do not offend by that last comment ... 8-)
914 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
916 4.4.4. Use white space freely because it is free
920 Make it readable. The notable exception to using white space freely is listed
921 in the next guideline.
927 int anotherValue = 0;
928 int thisVariable = 0;
930 if ( thisVariable == thatVariable )
932 firstValue = oldValue + ( ( someValue - anotherValue ) - whatever )
935 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
937 4.4.5. Don't use white space around structure operators
941 - structure pointer operator ( "->" ) - member operator ( "." ) - functions and
944 It is a general coding practice to put pointers, references, and function
945 parentheses next to names. With spaces, the connection between the object and
946 variable/function name is not as clear.
955 Instead of: aStruct -> aMember; aStruct . aMember; FunctionName ();
957 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
959 4.4.6. Make the last brace of a function stand out
968 } /* -END- function1 */
973 } /* -END- function2 */
978 int function1( ... ) { ...code... return( retCode ); } int function2( ... ) { }
980 Note: Use 1 blank line before the closing brace and 2 lines afterward. This
981 makes the end of function standout to the most casual viewer. Although function
982 comments help separate functions, this is still a good coding practice. In
983 fact, I follow these rules when using blocks in "for", "while", "do" loops, and
984 long if {} statements too. After all whitespace is free!
986 Status: developer-discretion on the number of blank lines. Enforced is the end
987 of function comments.
989 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
991 4.4.7. Use 3 character indentions
995 If some use 8 character TABs and some use 3 character TABs, the code can look
996 *very* ragged. So use 3 character indentions only. If you like to use TABs,
997 pass your code through a filter such as "expand -t3" before checking in your
1002 static const char * const url_code_map[256] =
1008 int function1( ... )
1012 return( ALWAYS_TRUE );
1016 return( HOW_DID_YOU_GET_HERE );
1019 return( NEVER_GETS_HERE );
1024 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1028 4.5.1. Initialize all variables
1032 Do not assume that the variables declared will not be used until after they
1033 have been assigned a value somewhere else in the code. Remove the chance of
1034 accidentally using an unassigned variable.
1043 Note: It is much easier to debug a SIGSEGV if the message says you are trying
1044 to access memory address 00000000 and not 129FA012; or arrayPtr[20] causes a
1045 SIGSEV vs. arrayPtr[0].
1047 Status: developer-discretion if and only if the variable is assigned a value
1048 "shortly after" declaration.
1050 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1054 4.6.1. Name functions that return a boolean as a question.
1058 Value should be phrased as a question that would logically be answered as a
1059 true or false statement
1063 ShouldWeBlockThis();
1068 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1070 4.6.2. Always specify a return type for a function.
1074 The default return for a function is an int. To avoid ambiguity, create a
1075 return for a function when the return has a purpose, and create a void return
1076 type if the function does not need to return anything.
1078 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1080 4.6.3. Minimize function calls when iterating by using variables
1084 It is easy to write the following code, and a clear argument can be made that
1085 the code is easy to understand:
1089 for ( size_t cnt = 0; cnt < blockListLength(); cnt ++ )
1095 Note: Unfortunately, this makes a function call for each and every iteration.
1096 This increases the overhead in the program, because the compiler has to look up
1097 the function each time, call it, and return a value. Depending on what occurs
1098 in the blockListLength() call, it might even be creating and destroying
1099 structures with each iteration, even though in each case it is comparing "cnt"
1100 to the same value, over and over. Remember too - even a call to blockListLength
1101 () is a function call, with the same overhead.
1103 Instead of using a function call during the iterations, assign the value to a
1104 variable, and evaluate using the variable.
1108 size_t len = blockListLength();
1110 for ( size_t cnt = 0; cnt < len; cnt ++ )
1116 Exceptions: if the value of blockListLength() *may* change or could
1117 *potentially* change, then you must code the function call in the for/while
1120 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1122 4.6.4. Pass and Return by Const Reference
1126 This allows a developer to define a const pointer and call your function. If
1127 your function does not have the const keyword, we may not be able to use your
1128 function. Consider strcmp, if it were defined as: extern int strcmp( char *s1,
1131 I could then not use it to compare argv's in main: int main( int argc, const
1132 char *argv[] ) { strcmp( argv[0], "privoxy" ); }
1134 Both these pointers are *const*! If the c runtime library maintainers do it, we
1137 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1139 4.6.5. Pass and Return by Value
1143 Most structures cannot fit onto a normal stack entry (i.e. they are not 4 bytes
1144 or less). Aka, a function declaration like: int load_aclfile( struct
1147 would not work. So, to be consistent, we should declare all prototypes with
1148 "pass by value": int load_aclfile( struct client_state *csp )
1150 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1152 4.6.6. Names of include files
1156 Your include statements should contain the file name without a path. The path
1157 should be listed in the Makefile, using -I as processor directive to search the
1158 indicated paths. An exception to this would be for some proprietary software
1159 that utilizes a partial path to distinguish their header files from system or
1164 #include <iostream.h> /* This is not a local include */
1165 #include "config.h" /* This IS a local include */
1170 /* This is not a local include, but requires a path element. */
1171 #include <sys/fileName.h>
1174 Note: Please! do not add "-I." to the Makefile without a _very_ good reason.
1175 This duplicates the #include "file.h" behavior.
1177 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1179 4.6.7. Provide multiple inclusion protection
1183 Prevents compiler and linker errors resulting from redefinition of items.
1185 Wrap each header file with the following syntax to prevent multiple inclusions
1186 of the file. Of course, replace PROJECT_H with your file name, with "." Changed
1187 to "_", and make it uppercase.
1191 #ifndef PROJECT_H_INCLUDED
1192 #define PROJECT_H_INCLUDED
1194 #endif /* ndef PROJECT_H_INCLUDED */
1197 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1199 4.6.8. Use `extern "C"` when appropriate
1203 If our headers are included from C++, they must declare our functions as
1204 `extern "C"`. This has no cost in C, but increases the potential re-usability
1212 #endif /* def __cplusplus */
1214 ... function definitions here ...
1218 #endif /* def __cplusplus */
1221 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1223 4.6.9. Where Possible, Use Forward Struct Declaration Instead of Includes
1227 Useful in headers that include pointers to other struct's. Modifications to
1228 excess header files may cause needless compiles.
1232 /*********************************************************************
1233 * We're avoiding an include statement here!
1234 *********************************************************************/
1236 extern file_list *xyz;
1239 Note: If you declare "file_list xyz;" (without the pointer), then including the
1240 proper header file is necessary. If you only want to prototype a pointer,
1241 however, the header file is unnecessary.
1243 Status: Use with discretion.
1245 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1247 4.7. General Coding Practices
1249 4.7.1. Turn on warnings
1253 Compiler warnings are meant to help you find bugs. You should turn on as many
1254 as possible. With GCC, the switch is "-Wall". Try and fix as many warnings as
1257 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1259 4.7.2. Provide a default case for all switch statements
1263 What you think is guaranteed is never really guaranteed. The value that you
1264 don't think you need to check is the one that someday will be passed. So, to
1265 protect yourself from the unknown, always have a default step in a switch
1270 switch( hash_string( cmd ) )
1272 case hash_actions_file :
1282 ... anomaly code goes here ...
1283 continue; / break; / exit( 1 ); / etc ...
1285 } /* end switch( hash_string( cmd ) ) */
1288 Note: If you already have a default condition, you are obviously exempt from
1289 this point. Of note, most of the WIN32 code calls `DefWindowProc' after the
1290 switch statement. This API call *should* be included in a default statement.
1292 Another Note: This is not so much a readability issue as a robust programming
1293 issue. The "anomaly code goes here" may be no more than a print to the STDERR
1294 stream (as in load_config). Or it may really be an ABEND condition.
1296 Status: Programmer discretion is advised.
1298 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1300 4.7.3. Try to avoid falling through cases in a switch statement.
1304 In general, you will want to have a 'break' statement within each 'case' of a
1305 switch statement. This allows for the code to be more readable and
1306 understandable, and furthermore can prevent unwanted surprises if someone else
1307 later gets creative and moves the code around.
1309 The language allows you to plan the fall through from one case statement to
1310 another simply by omitting the break statement within the case statement. This
1311 feature does have benefits, but should only be used in rare cases. In general,
1312 use a break statement for each case statement.
1314 If you choose to allow fall through, you should comment both the fact of the
1315 fall through and reason why you felt it was necessary.
1317 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1319 4.7.4. Use 'long' or 'short' Instead of 'int'
1323 On 32-bit platforms, int usually has the range of long. On 16-bit platforms,
1324 int has the range of short.
1326 Status: open-to-debate. In the case of most FSF projects (including X/
1327 GNU-Emacs), there are typedefs to int4, int8, int16, (or equivalence ... I
1328 forget the exact typedefs now). Should we add these to IJB now that we have a
1331 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1333 4.7.5. Don't mix size_t and other types
1337 The type of size_t varies across platforms. Do not make assumptions about
1338 whether it is signed or unsigned, or about how long it is. Do not compare a
1339 size_t against another variable of a different type (or even against a
1340 constant) without casting one of the values. Try to avoid using size_t if you
1343 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1345 4.7.6. Declare each variable and struct on its own line.
1349 It can be tempting to declare a series of variables all on one line. Don't.
1362 Explanation: - there is more room for comments on the individual variables -
1363 easier to add new variables without messing up the original ones - when
1364 searching on a variable to find its type, there is less clutter to "visually"
1367 Exceptions: when you want to declare a bunch of loop variables or other trivial
1368 variables; feel free to declare them on 1 line. You should, although, provide a
1369 good comment on their functions.
1371 Status: developer-discretion.
1373 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1375 4.7.7. Use malloc/zalloc sparingly
1379 Create a local struct (on the stack) if the variable will live and die within
1380 the context of one function call.
1382 Only "malloc" a struct (on the heap) if the variable's life will extend beyond
1383 the context of one function call.
1387 If a function creates a struct and stores a pointer to it in a
1388 list, then it should definitely be allocated via `malloc'.
1391 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1393 4.7.8. The Programmer Who Uses 'malloc' is Responsible for Ensuring 'free'
1397 If you have to "malloc" an instance, you are responsible for insuring that the
1398 instance is `free'd, even if the deallocation event falls within some other
1399 programmer's code. You are also responsible for ensuring that deletion is
1400 timely (i.e. not too soon, not too late). This is known as "low-coupling" and
1401 is a "good thing (tm)". You may need to offer a free/unload/destructor type
1402 function to accommodate this.
1406 int load_re_filterfile( struct client_state *csp ) { ... }
1407 static void unload_re_filterfile( void *f ) { ... }
1412 The developer cannot be expected to provide `free'ing functions for C run-time
1413 library functions ... such as `strdup'.
1415 Status: developer-discretion. The "main" use of this standard is for allocating
1416 and freeing data structures (complex or nested).
1418 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1420 4.7.9. Add loaders to the `file_list' structure and in order
1424 I have ordered all of the "blocker" file code to be in alpha order. It is
1425 easier to add/read new blockers when you expect a certain order.
1427 Note: It may appear that the alpha order is broken in places by POPUP tests
1428 coming before PCRS tests. But since POPUPs can also be referred to as
1429 KILLPOPUPs, it is clear that it should come first.
1431 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1433 4.7.10. "Uncertain" new code and/or changes to existing code, use FIXME
1437 If you have enough confidence in new code or confidence in your changes, but
1438 are not *quite* sure of the repercussions, add this:
1440 /* FIXME: this code has a logic error on platform XYZ, * attempting to fix */ #
1441 ifdef PLATFORM ...changed code here... #endif
1445 /* FIXME: I think the original author really meant this... */ ...changed code
1450 /* FIXME: new code that *may* break something else... */ ...new code here...
1452 Note: If you make it clear that this may or may not be a "good thing (tm)", it
1453 will be easier to identify and include in the project (or conversely exclude
1456 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1458 4.8. Addendum: Template for files and function comment blocks:
1460 Example for file comments:
1462 const char FILENAME_rcs[] = "$Id: developer-manual.txt,v 1.32.2.7 2004/01/30 23:46:56 oes Exp $";
1463 /*********************************************************************
1465 * File : $Source: /cvsroot/ijbswa/current/doc/text/developer-manual.txt,v $
1467 * Purpose : (Fill me in with a good description!)
1469 * Copyright : Written by and Copyright (C) 2001 the SourceForge
1470 * Privoxy team. http://www.privoxy.org/
1472 * Based on the Internet Junkbuster originally written
1473 * by and Copyright (C) 1997 Anonymous Coders and
1474 * Junkbusters Corporation. http://www.junkbusters.com
1476 * This program is free software; you can redistribute it
1477 * and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General
1478 * Public License as published by the Free Software
1479 * Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at
1480 * your option) any later version.
1482 * This program is distributed in the hope that it will
1483 * be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the
1484 * implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
1485 * PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public
1486 * License for more details.
1488 * The GNU General Public License should be included with
1489 * this file. If not, you can view it at
1490 * http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
1491 * or write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59
1492 * Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
1495 * $Log: developer-manual.txt,v $
1496 * Revision 1.32.2.7 2004/01/30 23:46:56 oes
1497 * Re-generated from sgml source
1500 *********************************************************************/
1505 ...necessary include files for us to do our work...
1507 const char FILENAME_h_rcs[] = FILENAME_H_VERSION;
1510 Note: This declares the rcs variables that should be added to the
1511 "show-proxy-args" page. If this is a brand new creation by you, you are free to
1512 change the "Copyright" section to represent the rights you wish to maintain.
1514 Note: The formfeed character that is present right after the comment flower box
1515 is handy for (X|GNU)Emacs users to skip the verbiage and get to the heart of
1516 the code (via `forward-page' and `backward-page'). Please include it if you
1519 Example for file header comments:
1523 #define FILENAME_H_VERSION "$Id: developer-manual.txt,v 1.32.2.7 2004/01/30 23:46:56 oes Exp $"
1524 /*********************************************************************
1526 * File : $Source: /cvsroot/ijbswa/current/doc/text/developer-manual.txt,v $
1528 * Purpose : (Fill me in with a good description!)
1530 * Copyright : Written by and Copyright (C) 2001 the SourceForge
1531 * Privoxy team. http://www.privoxy.org/
1533 * Based on the Internet Junkbuster originally written
1534 * by and Copyright (C) 1997 Anonymous Coders and
1535 * Junkbusters Corporation. http://www.junkbusters.com
1537 * This program is free software; you can redistribute it
1538 * and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General
1539 * Public License as published by the Free Software
1540 * Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at
1541 * your option) any later version.
1543 * This program is distributed in the hope that it will
1544 * be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the
1545 * implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
1546 * PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public
1547 * License for more details.
1549 * The GNU General Public License should be included with
1550 * this file. If not, you can view it at
1551 * http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
1552 * or write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59
1553 * Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
1556 * $Log: developer-manual.txt,v $
1557 * Revision 1.32.2.7 2004/01/30 23:46:56 oes
1558 * Re-generated from sgml source
1561 *********************************************************************/
1564 #include "project.h"
1570 ... function headers here ...
1573 /* Revision control strings from this header and associated .c file */
1574 extern const char FILENAME_rcs[];
1575 extern const char FILENAME_h_rcs[];
1582 #endif /* ndef _FILENAME_H */
1591 Example for function comments:
1593 /*********************************************************************
1595 * Function : FUNCTION_NAME
1597 * Description : (Fill me in with a good description!)
1600 * 1 : param1 = pointer to an important thing
1601 * 2 : x = pointer to something else
1603 * Returns : 0 => Ok, everything else is an error.
1605 *********************************************************************/
1606 int FUNCTION_NAME( void *param1, const char *x )
1614 Note: If we all follow this practice, we should be able to parse our code to
1615 create a "self-documenting" web page.
1617 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1619 5. Testing Guidelines
1623 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1625 5.1. Testplan for releases
1627 Explain release numbers. major, minor. developer releases. etc.
1629 1. Remove any existing rpm with rpm -e
1631 2. Remove any file that was left over. This includes (but is not limited to)
1639 + /etc/init.d/privoxy
1643 3. Install the rpm. Any error messages?
1645 4. start,stop,status Privoxy with the specific script (e.g. /etc/rc.d/init/
1646 privoxy stop). Reboot your machine. Does autostart work?
1648 5. Start browsing. Does Privoxy work? Logfile written?
1650 6. Remove the rpm. Any error messages? All files removed?
1652 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1656 Please submit test reports only with the test form at sourceforge. Three simple
1659 * Select category: the distribution you test on.
1661 * Select group: the version of Privoxy that we are about to release.
1663 * Fill the Summary and Detailed Description with something intelligent (keep
1664 it short and precise).
1666 Do not mail to the mailing list (we cannot keep track on issues there).
1668 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1670 6. Releasing a New Version
1672 When we release versions of Privoxy, our work leaves our cozy secret lab and
1673 has to work in the cold RealWorld[tm]. Once it is released, there is no way to
1674 call it back, so it is very important that great care is taken to ensure that
1675 everything runs fine, and not to introduce problems in the very last minute.
1677 So when releasing a new version, please adhere exactly to the procedure
1678 outlined in this chapter.
1680 The following programs are required to follow this process: ncftpput (ncftp),
1681 scp, ssh (ssh), gmake (GNU's version of make), autoconf, cvs.
1683 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1685 6.1. Version numbers
1687 First you need to determine which version number the release will have. Privoxy
1688 version numbers consist of three numbers, separated by dots, like in X.Y.Z
1689 (e.g. 3.0.0), where:
1691 * X, the version major, is rarely ever changed. It is increased by one if
1692 turning a development branch into stable substantially changes the
1693 functionality, user interface or configuration syntax. Majors 1 and 2 were
1694 Junkbuster, and 3 will be the first stable Privoxy release.
1696 * Y, the version minor, represents the branch within the major version. At
1697 any point in time, there are two branches being maintained: The stable
1698 branch, with an even minor, say, 2N, in which no functionality is being
1699 added and only bug-fixes are made, and 2N+1, the development branch, in
1700 which the further development of Privoxy takes place. This enables us to
1701 turn the code upside down and inside out, while at the same time providing
1702 and maintaining a stable version. The minor is reset to zero (and one) when
1703 the major is incremented. When a development branch has matured to the
1704 point where it can be turned into stable, the old stable branch 2N is given
1705 up (i.e. no longer maintained), the former development branch 2N+1 becomes
1706 the new stable branch 2N+2, and a new development branch 2N+3 is opened.
1708 * Z, the point or sub version, represents a release of the software within a
1709 branch. It is therefore incremented immediately before each code freeze. In
1710 development branches, only the even point versions correspond to actual
1711 releases, while the odd ones denote the evolving state of the sources on
1712 CVS in between. It follows that Z is odd on CVS in development branches
1713 most of the time. There, it gets increased to an even number immediately
1714 before a code freeze, and is increased to an odd number again immediately
1715 thereafter. This ensures that builds from CVS snapshots are easily
1716 distinguished from released versions. The point version is reset to zero
1717 when the minor changes.
1719 Stable branches work a little differently, since there should be little to
1720 no development happening in such branches. Remember, only bugfixes, which
1721 presumably should have had some testing before being committed. Stable
1722 branches will then have their version reported as 0.0.0, during that period
1723 between releases when changes are being added. This is to denote that this
1724 code is not for release. Then as the release nears, the version is bumped
1725 according: e.g. 3.0.1 -> 0.0.0 -> 3.0.2.
1727 In summary, the main CVS trunk is the development branch where new features are
1728 being worked on for the next stable series. This should almost always be where
1729 the most activity takes place. There is always at least one stable branch from
1730 the trunk, e.g now it is 3.0, which is only used to release stable versions.
1731 Once the initial *.0 release of the stable branch has been done, then as a
1732 rule, only bugfixes that have had prior testing should be committed to the
1733 stable branch. Once there are enough bugfixes to justify a new release, the
1734 version of this branch is again incremented Example: 3.0.0 -> 3.0.1 -> 3.0.2,
1735 etc are all stable releases from within the stable branch. 3.1.x is currently
1736 the main trunk, and where work on 3.2.x is taking place. If any questions,
1737 please post to the devel list before committing to a stable branch!
1739 Developers should remember too that if they commit a bugfix to the stable
1740 branch, this will more than likely require a separate submission to the main
1741 trunk, since these are separate development trees within CVS. If you are
1742 working on both, then this would require at least two separate check outs (i.e
1743 main trunk, and the stable release branch, which is v_3_0_branch at the
1746 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1748 6.2. Before the Release: Freeze
1750 The following must be done by one of the developers prior to each new release.
1752 * Make sure that everybody who has worked on the code in the last couple of
1753 days has had a chance to yell "no!" in case they have pending changes/fixes
1754 in their pipelines. Announce the freeze so that nobody will interfere with
1755 last minute changes.
1757 * Increment the version number (point from odd to even in development
1758 branches!) in configure.in. (RPM spec files will need to be incremented as
1761 * If default.action has changed since last release (i.e. software release or
1762 standalone actions file release), bump up its version info to A.B in this
1765 {+add-header{X-Actions-File-Version: A.B} -filter -no-popups}
1768 Then change the version info in doc/webserver/actions/index.php, line:
1769 '$required_actions_file_version = "A.B";'
1771 * All documentation should be rebuild after the version bump. Finished docs
1772 should be then be committed to CVS (for those without the ability to build
1773 these). Some docs may require rather obscure processing tools. config, the
1774 man page (and the html version of the man page), and the PDF docs fall in
1775 this category. REAMDE, the man page, AUTHORS, and config should all also be
1776 committed to CVS for other packagers. The formal docs should be uploaded to
1777 the webserver. See the Section "Updating the webserver" in this manual for
1780 * The User Manual is also used for context sensitive help for the CGI editor.
1781 This is version sensitive, so that the user will get appropriate help for
1782 his/her release. So with each release a fresh version should be uploaded to
1783 the webserver (this is in addition to the main User Manual link from the
1784 main page since we need to keep manuals for various versions available).
1785 The CGI pages will link to something like http://privoxy.org/$(VERSION)/
1786 user-manual/. This will need to be updated for each new release. There is
1787 no Makefile target for this at this time!!! It needs to be done manually.
1789 * All developers should look at the ChangeLog and make sure noteworthy
1790 changes are referenced.
1792 * Commit all files that were changed in the above steps!
1794 * Tag all files in CVS with the version number with "cvs tag v_X_Y_Z". Don't
1795 use vX_Y_Z, ver_X_Y_Z, v_X.Y.Z (won't work) etc.
1797 * If the release was in a development branch, increase the point version from
1798 even to odd (X.Y.(Z+1)) again in configure.in and commit your change.
1800 * On the webserver, copy the user manual to a new top-level directory called
1801 X.Y.Z. This ensures that help links from the CGI pages, which have the
1802 version as a prefix, will go into the right version of the manual. If this
1803 is a development branch release, also symlink X.Y.(Z-1) to X.Y.Z and X.Y.
1804 (Z+1) to . (i.e. dot).
1806 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1808 6.3. Building and Releasing the Packages
1810 Now the individual packages can be built and released. Note that for GPL
1811 reasons the first package to be released is always the source tarball.
1813 For all types of packages, including the source tarball, you must make sure
1814 that you build from clean sources by exporting the right version from CVS into
1815 an empty directory (just press return when asked for a password):
1817 mkdir dist # delete or choose different name if it already exists
1819 cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa login
1820 cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa export -r v_X_Y_Z current
1823 Do NOT change a single bit, including, but not limited to version information
1824 after export from CVS. This is to make sure that all release packages, and with
1825 them, all future bug reports, are based on exactly the same code.
1827 Please find additional instructions for the source tarball and the individual
1828 platform dependent binary packages below. And details on the Sourceforge
1829 release process below that.
1831 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1833 6.3.1. Note on Privoxy Packaging
1835 Please keep these general guidelines in mind when putting together your
1836 package. These apply to all platforms!
1838 * Privoxy requires write access to: all *.action files, all logfiles, and the
1839 trust file. You will need to determine the best way to do this for your
1842 * Please include up to date documentation. At a bare minimum:
1844 LICENSE (top-level directory)
1846 README (top-level directory)
1848 AUTHORS (top-level directory)
1850 man page (top-level directory, Unix-like platforms only)
1852 The User Manual (doc/webserver/user-manual/)
1854 FAQ (doc/webserver/faq/)
1856 Also suggested: Developer Manual (doc/webserver/developer-manual) and
1857 ChangeLog (top-level directory). FAQ and the manuals are HTML docs. There
1858 are also text versions in doc/text/ which could conceivably also be
1861 The documentation has been designed such that the manuals are linked to
1862 each other from parallel directories, and should be packaged that way.
1863 privoxy-index.html can also be included and can serve as a focal point for
1864 docs and other links of interest (and possibly renamed to index.html). This
1865 should be one level up from the manuals. There is a link also on this page
1866 to an HTMLized version of the man page. To avoid 404 for this, it is in CVS
1867 as doc/webserver/man-page/privoxy-man-page.html, and should be included
1868 along with the manuals. There is also a css stylesheets that can be
1869 included for better presentation: p_doc.css. This should be in the same
1870 directory with privoxy-index.html, (i.e. one level up from the manual
1873 * user.action is designed for local preferences. Make sure this does not get
1876 * Other configuration files should be installed as the new defaults, but all
1877 previously installed configuration files should be preserved as backups.
1878 This is just good manners :-)
1880 * Please check platform specific notes in this doc, if you haven't done
1881 "Privoxy" packaging before for other platform specific issues. Conversely,
1882 please add any notes that you know are important for your platform (or
1883 contact one of the doc maintainers to do this if you can't).
1885 * Packagers should do a "clean" install of their package after building it.
1886 So any previous installs should be removed first to ensure the integrity of
1887 the newly built package. Then run the package for a while to make sure
1888 there are no obvious problems, before uploading.
1890 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1892 6.3.2. Source Tarball
1894 First, make sure that you have freshly exported the right version into an empty
1895 directory. (See "Building and releasing packages" above). Then run:
1898 autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
1906 To upload the package to Sourceforge, simply issue
1911 Go to the displayed URL and release the file publicly on Sourceforge. For the
1912 change log field, use the relevant section of the ChangeLog file.
1914 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1916 6.3.3. SuSE, Conectiva or Red Hat RPM
1918 In following text, replace dist with either "rh" for Red Hat or "suse" for
1921 First, make sure that you have freshly exported the right version into an empty
1922 directory. (See "Building and releasing packages" above).
1924 As the only exception to not changing anything after export from CVS, now
1925 examine the file privoxy-dist.spec and make sure that the version information
1926 and the RPM release number are correct. The RPM release numbers for each
1927 version start at one. Hence it must be reset to one if this is the first RPM
1928 for dist which is built from version X.Y.Z. Check the file list if unsure.
1929 Else, it must be set to the highest already available RPM release number for
1930 that version plus one.
1935 autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
1943 To upload the package to Sourceforge, simply issue
1945 make dist-upload rpm_packagerev
1948 where rpm_packagerev is the RPM release number as determined above. Go to the
1949 displayed URL and release the file publicly on Sourceforge. Use the release
1950 notes and change log from the source tarball package.
1952 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1956 First, make sure that you have freshly exported the right version into an empty
1957 directory. (See "Building and releasing packages" above). Then get the OS/2
1960 cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa co os2setup
1963 You will need a mix of development tools. The main compilation takes place with
1964 IBM Visual Age C++. Some ancillary work takes place with GNU tools, available
1965 from various sources like hobbes.nmsu.edu. Specificially, you will need
1966 autoheader, autoconf and sh tools. The packaging takes place with WarpIN,
1967 available from various sources, including its home page: xworkplace.
1969 Change directory to the os2setup directory. Edit the os2build.cmd file to set
1970 the final executable filename. For example,
1972 installExeName='privoxyos2_setup_X.Y.Z.exe'
1975 Next, edit the IJB.wis file so the release number matches in the PACKAGEID
1978 PACKAGEID="Privoxy Team\Privoxy\Privoxy Package\X\Y\Z"
1981 You're now ready to build. Run:
1986 You will find the WarpIN-installable executable in the ./files directory.
1987 Upload this anonymously to uploads.sourceforge.net/incoming, create a release
1988 for it, and you're done. Use the release notes and Change Log from the source
1991 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1995 Login to Sourceforge's compilefarm via ssh:
1997 ssh cf.sourceforge.net
2000 Choose the right operating system (not the Debian one). When logged in, make
2001 sure that you have freshly exported the right version into an empty directory.
2002 (See "Building and releasing packages" above). Then run:
2005 autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
2013 which creates a gzip'ed tar archive. Sadly, you cannot use make solaris-upload
2014 on the Sourceforge machine (no ncftpput). You now have to manually upload the
2015 archive to Sourceforge's ftp server and release the file publicly. Use the
2016 release notes and Change Log from the source tarball package.
2018 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022 You should ensure you have the latest version of Cygwin (from http://
2023 www.cygwin.com/). Run the following commands from within a Cygwin bash shell.
2025 First, make sure that you have freshly exported the right version into an empty
2026 directory. (See "Building and releasing packages" above). Then get the Windows
2029 cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa co winsetup
2032 Then you can build the package. This is fully automated, and is controlled by
2033 winsetup/GNUmakefile. All you need to do is:
2039 Now you can manually rename privoxy_setup.exe to privoxy_setup_X_Y_Z.exe, and
2040 upload it to SourceForge. When releasing the package on SourceForge, use the
2041 release notes and Change Log from the source tarball package.
2043 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2047 First, make sure that you have freshly exported the right version into an empty
2048 directory. (See "Building and releasing packages" above). Then add a log entry
2049 to debian/changelog, if it is not already there, for example by running:
2051 debchange -v 3.0.3-stable-1 "New upstream version"
2056 dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot -us -uc -b
2059 This will create ../privoxy_3.0.3-stable-1_i386.deb which can be uploaded. To
2060 upload the package to Sourceforge, simply issue
2065 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2069 First, make sure that you have freshly exported the right version into an empty
2070 directory. (See "Building and releasing packages" above). Then get the Mac OSX
2073 cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.ijbswa.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/ijbswa co osxsetup
2082 This will run autoheader, autoconf and configure as well as make. Finally, it
2083 will copy over the necessary files to the ./osxsetup/files directory for
2084 further processing by PackageMaker.
2086 Bring up PackageMaker with the PrivoxyPackage.pmsp definition file, modify the
2087 package name to match the release, and hit the "Create package" button. If you
2088 specify ./Privoxy.pkg as the output package name, you can then create the
2089 distributable zip file with the command:
2091 zip -r privoxyosx_setup_x.y.z.zip Privoxy.pkg
2094 You can then upload privoxyosx_setup_x.y.z.zip anonymously to
2095 uploads.sourceforge.net/incoming, create a release for it, and you're done. Use
2096 the release notes and Change Log from the source tarball package.
2098 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2102 Login to Sourceforge's compile-farm via ssh:
2104 ssh cf.sourceforge.net
2107 Choose the right operating system. When logged in, make sure that you have
2108 freshly exported the right version into an empty directory. (See "Building and
2109 releasing packages" above). Then run:
2112 autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
2120 which creates a gzip'ed tar archive. Sadly, you cannot use make freebsd-upload
2121 on the Sourceforge machine (no ncftpput). You now have to manually upload the
2122 archive to Sourceforge's ftp server and release the file publicly. Use the
2123 release notes and Change Log from the source tarball package.
2125 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2129 First, make sure that you have freshly exported the right version into an empty
2130 directory. (See "Building and releasing packages" above). Then run:
2133 autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
2138 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2142 First, make sure that you have freshly exported the right version into an empty
2143 directory. (See "Building and releasing packages" above). Then run:
2146 autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
2151 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2155 Login to Sourceforge's compilefarm via ssh:
2157 ssh cf.sourceforge.net
2160 Choose the right operating system. When logged in, make sure that you have
2161 freshly exported the right version into an empty directory. (See "Building and
2162 releasing packages" above). Then run:
2165 autoheader && autoconf && ./configure
2173 which creates a gzip'ed tar archive. Sadly, you cannot use make aix-upload on
2174 the Sourceforge machine (no ncftpput). You now have to manually upload the
2175 archive to Sourceforge's ftp server and release the file publicly. Use the
2176 release notes and Change Log from the source tarball package.
2178 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2180 6.4. Uploading and Releasing Your Package
2182 After the package is ready, it is time to upload it to SourceForge, and go
2183 through the release steps. The upload is done via FTP:
2185 * Upload to: ftp://upload.sourceforge.net/incoming
2189 * password: ijbswa-developers@lists.sourceforge.net
2191 Or use the make targets as described above.
2193 Once this done go to http://sourceforge.net/project/admin/editpackages.php?
2194 group_id=11118, making sure you are logged in. Find your target platform in the
2195 second column, and click Add Release. You will then need to create a new
2196 release for your package, using the format of $VERSION ($CODE_STATUS), e.g.
2199 Now just follow the prompts. Be sure to add any appropriate Release notes. You
2200 should see your freshly uploaded packages in "Step 2. Add Files To This
2201 Release". Check the appropriate box(es). Remember at each step to hit the
2202 "Refresh/Submit" buttons! You should now see your file(s) listed in Step 3.
2203 Fill out the forms with the appropriate information for your platform, being
2204 sure to hit "Update" for each file. If anyone is monitoring your platform,
2205 check the "email" box at the very bottom to notify them of the new package.
2208 If you have made errors, or need to make changes, you can go through
2209 essentially the same steps, but select Edit Release, instead of Add Release.
2211 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2213 6.5. After the Release
2215 When all (or: most of the) packages have been uploaded and made available, send
2216 an email to the announce mailing list, Subject: "Version X.Y.Z available for
2217 download". Be sure to include the download location, the release notes and the
2218 Changelog. Also, post an updated News item on the project page Sourceforge, and
2219 update the Home page and docs linked from the Home page (see below).
2221 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2223 7. Update the Webserver
2225 The webserver should be updated at least with each stable release. When
2226 updating, please follow these steps to make sure that no broken links,
2227 inconsistent contents or permission problems will occur (as it has many times
2230 If you have changed anything in the stable-branch documentation source SGML
2233 make dok dok-pdf # (or 'make redhat-dok dok-pdf' if 'make dok' doesn't work for you)
2236 That will generate doc/webserver/user-manual, doc/webserver/developer-manual,
2237 doc/webserver/faq, doc/pdf/*.pdf and doc/webserver/index.html automatically.
2239 If you changed the manual page sources, generate doc/webserver/man-page/
2240 privoxy-man-page.html by running "make man". (This is a separate target due to
2241 dependencies on some obscure perl scripts [now in CVS, but not well tested].
2242 See comments in GNUmakefile.)
2244 If you want to add new files to the webserver, create them locally in the doc/
2245 webserver/* directory (or create new directories under doc/webserver).
2247 Next, commit any changes from the above steps to CVS. All set? If these are
2248 docs in the stable branch, then do:
2253 This will do the upload to the webserver (www.privoxy.org) and ensure all files
2254 and directories there are group writable.
2256 Please do NOT use any other means of transferring files to the webserver to
2257 avoid permission problems. Also, please do not upload docs from development
2258 branches or versions. The publicly posted docs should be in sync with the last
2261 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2263 8. Contacting the developers, Bug Reporting and Feature Requests
2265 We value your feedback. In fact, we rely on it to improve Privoxy and its
2266 configuration. However, please note the following hints, so we can provide you
2267 with the best support:
2269 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2273 For casual users, our support forum at SourceForge is probably best suited:
2274 http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=211118
2276 All users are of course welcome to discuss their issues on the users mailing
2277 list, where the developers also hang around.
2279 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2283 Please report all bugs only through our bug tracker: http://sourceforge.net/
2284 tracker/?group_id=11118&atid=111118.
2286 Before doing so, please make sure that the bug has not already been submitted
2287 and observe the additional hints at the top of the submit form.
2289 Please try to verify that it is a Privoxy bug, and not a browser or site bug
2290 first. If unsure, try toggling off Privoxy, and see if the problem persists.
2291 The appendix of the user manual also has helpful information on action
2292 debugging. If you are using your own custom configuration, please try the stock
2293 configs to see if the problem is configuration related.
2295 If not using the latest version, chances are that the bug has been found and
2296 fixed in the meantime. We would appreciate if you could take the time to
2297 upgrade to the latest version (or even the latest CVS snapshot) and verify your
2298 bug, but this is not required for reporting.
2300 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2302 8.3. Request New Features
2304 You are welcome to submit ideas on new features or other proposals for
2305 improvement through our feature request tracker at http://sourceforge.net/
2306 tracker/?atid=361118&group_id=11118.
2308 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2310 8.4. Report Ads or Other Actions-Related Problems
2312 Please send feedback on ads that slipped through, innocent images that were
2313 blocked, and any other problems relating to the default.action file through our
2314 actions feedback mechanism located at http://www.privoxy.org/actions/. On this
2315 page, you will also find a bookmark which will take you back there from any
2316 troubled site and even pre-fill the form!
2318 New, improved default.action files will occasionally be made available based on
2319 your feedback. These will be announced on the ijbswa-announce list and
2320 available from our the files section of our project page.
2322 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2326 For any other issues, feel free to use the mailing lists. Technically
2327 interested users and people who wish to contribute to the project are also
2328 welcome on the developers list! You can find an overview of all Privoxy-related
2329 mailing lists, including list archives, at: http://sourceforge.net/mail/?
2332 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2334 9. Privoxy Copyright, License and History
2336 Copyright © 2001 - 2004 by Privoxy Developers <developers@privoxy.org>
2338 Some source code is based on code Copyright © 1997 by Anonymous Coders and
2339 Junkbusters, Inc. and licensed under the GNU General Public License.
2341 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2345 Privoxy is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the
2346 terms of the GNU General Public License, version 2, as published by the Free
2347 Software Foundation.
2349 This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY
2350 WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
2351 PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details, which
2352 is available from the Free Software Foundation, Inc, 59 Temple Place - Suite
2353 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
2355 You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with
2356 this program; if not, write to the
2359 Foundation, Inc. 59 Temple Place - Suite 330
2360 Boston, MA 02111-1307
2363 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2367 In the beginning, there was the Internet Junkbuster, by Anonymous Coders and
2368 Junkbusters Corporation. It saved many users a lot of pain in the early days of
2369 web advertising and user tracking.
2371 But the web, its protocols and standards, and with it, the techniques for
2372 forcing users to consume ads, give up autonomy over their browsing, and for
2373 spying on them, kept evolving. Unfortunately, the Internet Junkbuster did not.
2374 Version 2.0.2, published in 1998, was (and is) the last official release
2375 available from Junkbusters Corporation. Fortunately, it had been released under
2376 the GNU GPL, which allowed further development by others.
2378 So Stefan Waldherr started maintaining an improved version of the software, to
2379 which eventually a number of people contributed patches. It could already
2380 replace banners with a transparent image, and had a first version of pop-up
2381 killing, but it was still very closely based on the original, with all its
2382 limitations, such as the lack of HTTP/1.1 support, flexible per-site
2383 configuration, or content modification. The last release from this effort was
2384 version 2.0.2-10, published in 2000.
2386 Then, some developers picked up the thread, and started turning the software
2387 inside out, upside down, and then reassembled it, adding many new features
2390 The result of this is Privoxy, whose first stable version, 3.0, was released
2393 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2397 Other references and sites of interest to Privoxy users:
2399 http://www.privoxy.org/, the Privoxy Home page.
2401 http://www.privoxy.org/faq/, the Privoxy FAQ.
2403 http://sourceforge.net/projects/ijbswa/, the Project Page for Privoxy on
2406 http://config.privoxy.org/, the web-based user interface. Privoxy must be
2407 running for this to work. Shortcut: http://p.p/
2409 http://www.privoxy.org/actions/, to submit "misses" to the developers.
2411 http://cvs.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/ijbswa/contrib/, cool and fun
2412 ideas from Privoxy users.
2414 http://www.junkbusters.com/ht/en/cookies.html, an explanation how cookies are
2415 used to track web users.
2417 http://www.junkbusters.com/ijb.html, the original Internet Junkbuster.
2419 http://www.waldherr.org/junkbuster/, Stefan Waldherr's version of Junkbuster,
2420 from which Privoxy was derived.
2422 http://privacy.net/analyze/, a useful site to check what information about you
2423 is leaked while you browse the web.
2425 http://www.squid-cache.org/, a very popular caching proxy, which is often used
2426 together with Privoxy.
2428 http://www.privoxy.org/developer-manual/, the Privoxy developer manual.