[csw-maintainers] Patch management with Quilt

[Maciej (Matchek) Bliziński]

Hello maintainers,

Since we have automatic git integration in GAR builds, writing patches
has become easier. However, there are still some wrinkles, for example
there's no easy way to update a patch. We either need to create
layered patches, or manually remove the patch, apply it off-gar,
modify, and then re-create it.

There is a piece of software which can maintain a mapping between
patch files and upstream source files. It's called Quilt.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quilt_(software)

There's Debian-specific documentation:

http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/maint-guide/modify.en.html

Generally, the interaction with quilt goes like this:

1. Create me a new patch placeholder, called foo (quilt new foo)
2. Patch foo will modify file src/bar.c (quilt add src/bar.c)
3. Edit the file
4. Update the patch with my modifications (quilt refresh)
5. Record my comments on the patch (quilt header -e)

When you want to modify a patch, you go edit the sources again, and
call quilt refresh. Quilt stores its own state in a directory called
".pc".

Does anyone else have experience with quilt?

Maciej