mini-changelog

A small command-line changelog manager written in Python.

Author

• Name: Leykun Hailemichael Hagos
• Student Number: 9241478125

Project Purpose

This project stores software change notes in a plain text file named changelog.txt. It is designed as a learning project for command-line argument parsing, file operations, and structured text handling.

Current Files in This Project

• solution_v1.py: Main CLI implementation.
• test_spec.py: Automated test suite (pytest).
• SPEC.txt: Assignment/specification details.
• README.md: This documentation.

Data Format

Entries are saved line-by-line in changelog.txt using this format:

id|date|type|description

Example:

1|2026-03-29|FIX|Resolved login crash

Supported Commands (Current Behavior)

1) init

Creates changelog.txt in the current directory.

• Success output: Changelog initialized.
• If already exists: Error: Changelog already initialized.

2) add <type> <description>

Appends a new entry into changelog.txt.

• Auto-ID starts from 1 and increments by counting existing lines.
• Date uses system date in YYYY-MM-DD format.
• Success output: Entry added.
• If file is missing: Error: Changelog not initialized. Run 'init' first.
• If arguments are missing: Error: Missing arguments for 'add'.

3) list

Not implemented yet (placeholder behavior).

• Output when initialized: Command will be implemented in future weeks
• If file is missing: Error: Changelog not initialized. Run 'init' first.

4) done <id>

Not implemented yet (placeholder behavior).

• Output when initialized with id: Command will be implemented in future weeks
• If file is missing: Error: Changelog not initialized. Run 'init' first.
• If id missing: Error: Missing arguments for 'done'.

5) delete <id>

Deletes an entry by ID from changelog.txt.

• If matching ID exists: Deleted task #<id>
• If matching ID does not exist: Task #<id> not found
• If file is missing: Error: Changelog not initialized. Run 'init' first.
• If id missing: Error: Missing arguments for 'delete'.

Global Error Handling

• No command: Error: No command provided.
• Unknown command: Error: Unknown command.

How to Run

Run commands from this project directory:

python3 solution_v1.py init
python3 solution_v1.py add FIX "Fixed bug 1"
python3 solution_v1.py list
python3 solution_v1.py done 1
python3 solution_v1.py delete 1

Testing

This project uses pytest.

pytest -q

Latest local status: 15 passed.

Version Notes (V0 -> V1)

V0 Summary

Only supported init and add. It used no loops or lists, meaning it could write data but not display it dynamically.

V1 Summary

V1 now uses while loops and list indexing to process changelog data into a readable format and support search by type. The top of solution_v1.py includes a task comment block describing these goals:

1. Implement a while loop to read changelog.txt and display all recorded entries.
2. Use string parsing (split('|')) to format output into a readable table.
3. Add a search feature to filter entries by type (for example, FIX, FEAT).

What Was Added/Changed in This Workspace

1. Created solution_v1.py as the main implementation file.
2. Added a 3-task V1 comment block at the top of solution_v1.py.
3. Removed solution_v0.py so only one solution file remains.
4. Updated tests to run solution_v1.py.
5. Expanded this README into a detailed, all-inclusive project guide.