Our repository has a ReadMe with some instructions in it. We also have 2 sub folders each with a similar ReadMe. We also had a team documentation website where similar instructions were pasted in.
I raised this with my team that if you want to change an instruction, you have to paste it in multiple places and it’s a bit silly. I did try and simplify it somewhat by reducing the amount of information: Just by using hyperlinks to direct you to where the more detailed information was.
I took some annual leave, and when I came back to the office, I found that we now have a GitHub Wiki and the ReadMes are closer to what they were before (my hyperlinks removed), but now with even more information on them.
Additionally, there was a Pull Request from a team member to update the main ReadMe with some incorrect information. I point it out to them, and they say “I pasted it in from the other ReadMe”.
Well, this is exactly why we don’t duplicate information, and why I raised this as an issue to the team.
If this was code, and not text, I know they wouldn’t do it. If you write some lines of code inside a method and need it elsewhere, they wouldn’t copy and paste it like a Junior may do. You would just reuse the method by calling it directly. If you copy and paste, then change one file; then there is a difference in behaviour and a Bug is introduced.
Since we are talking about text, you shouldn’t copy and paste it, you should use a hyperlink. Then you can just change the main source. Then there are no conflicting instructions.
Always have one source of truth.
This is what I did. Why was it undone?
Stranger Coding Tings 