Pull requests are severely under-utilized by software developers. In fact, most devs treat them as red-tape that prevents them from merging code. Here are a few ways to get more out of pull requests.
- The easiest way to familiarize yourself with a new codebase is to browse through PRs. That’s why it’s worth writing detailed PR descriptions. This will serve as documentation for your future self as well as new starters.
- You don’t need to wait until you finish coding to create a PR. If your tool supports draft PRs, use them. If not, stick the words DRAFT in the title. Before writing any code, add stub implementations and todos and get early feedback in a draft PR.
- Don’t wait for the PR reviewer to add comments. Add comments yourself and explain your approach. These comments are not committed to do the codebase. Insert a rant, add emojis, go wild.
- Add before/after screenshots and video demonstrations of a feature in the PR. Not only is this great documentation, it’s helpful for reviewers too.
