= Gerrit Code Review - Submit Requirements

Submit requirements are rules that define when a change can be submitted. This
page describes how to configure them.

[[configuring_submit_requirements]]
== Configuring Submit Requirements

Submit requirements are defined as link:#submit-requirement-subsection[
submit-requirement] subsections in the
link:config-project-config.html#file-project_config[project.config] file. The
subsection name defines the name of the submit requirement.

[NOTE]
There are multiple options how to update `project.config` files, please refer
to the link:config-project-config.html#update[project config documentation].

[TIP]
When modifying submit requirements it's recommended to
link:#test-submit-requirements[test] them before updating them in the project
configuration.

[WARNING]
--
When adding submit requirements think about whether they should apply to the
link:config-project-config.html#refs-meta-config[refs/meta/config] branch
(see the link:#submit_requirement_applicable_if[applicableIf] description on
how to exempt the `refs/meta/config` branch from a submit requirement). Since
submit requirements are stored as part of the project configuration in the
`refs/meta/config` branch, changing them through code review requires to pass
the submit requirements that apply to the `refs/meta/config` branch. Hence by
misconfiguring submit requirements for the `refs/meta/config` branch you can
make further updates to submit requirements through code review impossible.
If this happens the submit requirements can be restored by a direct push to the
`refs/meta/config` branch.

[[restore-submit-requirements]]
If direct pushes are disabled or not allowed project owners can directly update
the submit requirements via the
link:rest-api-projects.html#update-submit-requirement[Update Submit Requirement]
REST endpoint.

.Example:
----
  curl -X PUT --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"name": "Foo-Review", "description": "At least one maximum vote for the Foo-Review label is required", "submittability_expression": "label:Foo-Review=MAX AND -label:Foo-Review=MIN", "applicability_expression": "-branch:refs/meta/config", "canOverrideInChildProjects": true}' "https://<HOST>/a/projects/My%2FProject/submit_requirements/Foo-Review"
----

Tip: Googlers should use `gob-curl` instead of `curl` so that authentication is
handled automatically.
--

[[test-submit-requirements]]
=== Testing Submit Requirements

When modifying submit requirements it's recommended to test them before
updating them in the project configuration.

To test a submit requirement on a selected change
link:rest-api-changes.html#change-id[project\~branch~changeId] use the
link:rest-api-changes.html#check-submit-requirement[Check Submit Requirement]
REST endpoint.

.Request
----
  POST /changes/myProject~master~I8473b95934b5732ac55d26311a706c9c2bde9940/check.submit_requirement HTTP/1.0
  Content-Type: application/json; charset=UTF-8

    {
      "name": "Code-Review",
      "submittability_expression": "label:Code-Review=+2"
    }
----

.Response
----
  HTTP/1.1 200 OK
  Content-Disposition: attachment
  Content-Type: application/json; charset=UTF-8

  )]}'
  {
    "name": "Code-Review",
    "status": "SATISFIED",
    "submittability_expression_result": {
      "expression": "label:Code-Review=+2",
      "fulfilled": true,
      "passingAtoms": [
        "label:Code-Review=+2"
      ]
    },
    "is_legacy": false
  }
----

Alternatively you can make a change that updates a submit requirement in the
`project.config` file, upload it for review to the `refs/meta/config` branch
and then load it from that change which is in review to test it against a
change.

Request
----
  POST /changes/myProject~master~I8473b95934b5732ac55d26311a706c9c2bde9940/check.submit_requirement?sr-name=Code-Review&refs-config-change-id=myProject~refs/meta/config~Ibc1409aef8bf0a16a76f9fa9a928bd505228fa1d HTTP/1.0
----

In the above example `myProject\~master~I8473b95934b5732ac55d26311a706c9c2bde9940`
is the change against which the submit requirement is tested, `Code Review` is
the name of the submit requirement that is tested and
`myProject\~refs/meta/config~Ibc1409aef8bf0a16a76f9fa9a928bd505228fa1d` is the
change from which the `Code Review` submit requirement is loaded. Change
`myProject~refs/meta/config~Ibc1409aef8bf0a16a76f9fa9a928bd505228fa1d` must be
a change that touches the `project.config` file in the `refs/meta/config`
branch and the `project.config` file must contain a submit requirement with the
name `Code-Review`.

[[dashboard]]
=== Show Submit Requirements on Dashboards

Gerrit offers dashboards that provide an overview over a set of changes (e.g.
user dashboards shows changes that are relevant to the user, change list
dashboards show changes that match a change query). To understand the state of
the changes knowing the status of their submit requirements is important, but
submit requirements are manifold and dashboards have only limited screen space
available, so showing all submit requirements in dashboards is hardly possible.
This is why administrators must decide which are the most important submit
requirements that should be shown on dashboards. They can configure these
submit requirements in `gerrit.config` by setting the
link:config-gerrit.html#dashboard[dashboard.submitRequirementColumns] option.

[NOTE]
In order to save screen space submit requirement names on dashboards are
abbreviated, e.g. a submit requirement called `Foo-Bar` is shown as `FB`.

[[inheritance]]
== Inheritance

Submit requirements are inherited from parent projects. Child projects may
override an inherited submit requirement by defining a submit requirement with
the same name, but only if overriding the submit requirement is allowed (see
link:#submit_requirement_can_override_in_child_projects[
canOverrideInChildProjects] field). Overriding an inherited submit requirement
always overrides the complete submit requirement definition, overriding single
fields only is not possible.

[NOTE]
To remove an inherited submit requirement in a child project, set both the
link:#submit_requirement_applicable_if[applicableIf] expression and the
link:#submit_requirement_submittable_if[submittableIf] expression to
`is:false`.

[NOTE]
If overriding a submit requirement is disallowed in a parent project, submit
requirements with the same name in child projects, that would otherwise
override the inherited submit requirement, are ignored.

[[labels]]
== Labels and Submit Requirements

link:config-labels.html[Labels] define voting categories for reviewers to score
changes. Often a label is accompanied by a submit requirement to check the votes
on the label, e.g. with a link:#submit_requirement_submittable_if[submittableIf]
expression that checks that:

* the label was approved: `label:My-Label=MAX`
* the label has no veto: `-label:My-Label=MIN`
* the label was not self-approved: `label:My-Label=MAX,user=non_uploader`
* the label was approved by multiple users: `label:My-Label,count>1`

Submit requirements that check votes for a single label often have the same
name as the label, e.g.:

----
[label "Code-Review"]
  function = NoBlock
  value = -2 This shall not be submitted
  value = -1 I would prefer this is not merged as is
  value = 0 No score
  value = +1 Looks good to me, but someone else must approve
  value = +2 Looks good to me, approved
  defaultValue = 0
[submit-requirement "Code-Review"]
  description = At least one maximum vote for label 'Code-Review' is required
  submittableIf = label:Code-Review=MAX,user=non_uploader AND -label:Code-Review=MIN
  canOverrideInChildProjects = true
----

[[trigger-votes]]
=== Trigger Votes

Trigger votes are votes on labels that are not associated with any submit
requirement expressions, i.e. the submittability of changes doesn't depend on
these votes.

Voting on labels that have no impact on the submittability of changes usually
serves the purpose to trigger processes, e.g. a vote on a `Presubmit-Ready`
label can be a signal to run presubmit integration tests. Hence these votes are
called `trigger votes`.

Trigger votes are displayed in a separate section in the change page.

[[deprecated]]
== Deprecated ways to control when changes can be submitted

Using submit requirements is the recommended way to control when changes can be
submitted. However, historically there are other ways for this, which are still
working, although they are deprecated:

[[label-functions]]
* Label functions:
+
link:config-labels.html#label_custom[Label definitions] can contain a
link:config-labels.html#label_function[function] that impacts the
submittability of changes (link:config-labels.html#MaxWithBlock[MaxWithBlock],
link:config-labels.html#AnyWithBlock[AnyWithBlock],
link:config-labels.html#MaxNoBlock[MaxNoBlock]). These functions are deprecated
and setting them is no longer allowed, however if they are (already) set for
existing label definitions they are still respected. For new labels the
function should be set to link:config-labels.html#NoBlock[NoBlock] and then
submit requirements should be used to control when changes can be submitted
(using `submittableIf = label:My-Label=MAX AND -label:My-Label=MIN` is
equivalent to `MaxWithBlock`, using `submittableIf = -label:My-Label=MIN` is
equivalent to `AnyWithBlock`, using `submittableIf = label:My-Label=MAX` is
equivalent to using `MaxNoBlock`).

[[ignoreSelfApproval]]
* `ignoreSelfApproval` flag on labels:
+
Labels can be configured to link:config-labels.html#label_ignoreSelfApproval[
ignore self approvals]. This flag only works in combination with the deprecated
label functions (see link:#label-functions[above]) and hence it is deprecated
as well. Instead use a `submittableIf` expression with the
link:#operator_label[label] operator and the `user=non_uploader` argument. See
the link:#code-review-example[Code Review] submit requirement example.

[[prolog-rules]]
* Prolog rules:
+
Projects can define link:prolog-cookbook.html[prolog submit rules] that control
when changes can be submitted. It's still possible to have Prolog submit rules,
but they are deprecated and support for them will be dropped in future Gerrit
releases. Hence it's recommended to use submit requirements instead.

When checking whether changes can be submitted Gerrit takes results of label
functions and Prolog submit rules into account, in addition to the submit
requirements.

[[plugin-submit-rules]]
== Plugin provided submit rules

Plugins can contribute submit rules by implementing the `SubmitRule` extension
point (see link:dev-plugins.html#pre-submit-evaluator[Pre-submit Validation
Plugins]).

When checking whether changes can be submitted Gerrit takes results of
plugin-provided submit rules into account, in addition to the submit
requirements.

[[evaluation]]
== Submit Requirement Evaluation

Submit requirements are evaluated whenever a change is updated. To decide
whether changes can be submitted, the results of link:#label-functions[label
functions], link:#prolog-rules[Prolog submit rules] and
link:#plugin-submit-rules[plugin-provided submit rules] are taken into account,
in addition to the submit requirements. For this the results of label
functions, Prolog submit rules and plugin-provided submit rules are converted
to submit requirement results.

Submit requirement results are returned in the REST API when retrieving changes
with the link:rest-api-changes.html#submit-requirements[SUBMIT_REQUIREMENTS]
option (e.g. via the link:rest-api-changes.html#get-change-detail[Get Change
Detail] REST endpoint or the link:rest-api-changes.html#list-changes[Query
Changes] REST endpoint). If requested, submit requirements are included as
link:rest-api-changes.html#submit-requirement-result-info[
SubmitRequirementResultInfo] entities into
link:rest-api-changes.html#change-info[ChangeInfo] (field
`submit_requirements`).

The `status` field of submit requirement results can be one of:

[[status-not-applicable]]
* `NOT_APPLICABLE`
+
The link:#submit_requirement_applicable_if[applicableIf] expression evaluates
to false for the change.

[[status-unsatisfied]]
* `UNSATISFIED`
+
The submit requirement is applicable
(link:#submit_requirement_applicable_if[applicableIf] evaluates to true), but
the evaluation of the link:#submit_requirement_submittable_if[submittableIf] and
link:#submit_requirement_override_if[overrideIf] expressions return false for
the change.

[[status-satisfied]]
* `SATISFIED`
+
The submit requirement is applicable
(link:#submit_requirement_applicable_if[applicableIf] evaluates to true), the
link:#submit_requirement_submittable_if[submittableIf] expression evaluates to
true, and the link:#submit_requirement_override_if[overrideIf] evaluates to
false for the change.

[[status-overridden]]
* `OVERRIDDEN`
+
The submit requirement is applicable
(link:#submit_requirement_applicable_if[applicableIf] evaluates to true) and the
link:#submit_requirement_override_if[overrideIf] expression evaluates to true.
+
Note that in this case, the submit requirement is overridden regardless of
whether the link:#submit_requirement_submittable_if[submittableIf] expression
evaluates to true or not.

[[status-forced]]
* `FORCED`
+
The change was merged directly bypassing code review by supplying the
link:user-upload.html#auto_merge[submit] push option while doing a git push.

[[status-error]]
* `ERROR`
+
The evaluation of any of the
link:#submit_requirement_applicable_if[applicableIf],
link:#submit_requirement_submittable_if[submittableIf] or
link:#submit_requirement_override_if[overrideIf] expressions resulted in an
error, i.e. because the expression is not parseable.

[NOTE]
Gerrit can be configured to return a `500 internal server error` response
instead of setting the status to `ERROR` (see the
link:config-gerrit.html#change.propagateSubmitRequirementErrors[
change.propagateSubmitRequirementErrors] option that can be set in
`gerrit.config`).

[[submit-requirement-subsection]]
== submit-requirement subsection

Each `submit-requirement` subsection defines a submit requirement.

The name of the `submit-requirement` subsection defines the name that uniquely
identifies the submit requirement. It is shown to the user in the web UI when
the submit requirement is applicable.

[NOTE]
By using the same name as an inherited submit requirement, the inherited submit
requirement can be overridden, if overriding is allowed (see
link:#submit_requirement_can_override_in_child_projects[
canOverrideInChildProjects] field). Details about overriding submit
requirements are explained in the link:#inheritance[inheritance] section.

Submit requirements must at least define a
link:#submit_requirement_submittable_if[submittableIf] expression that defines
when a change can be submitted.

.Example:
----
[submit-requirement "Verified"]
  description = CI result status for build and tests is passing
  applicableIf = -branch:refs/meta/config
  submittableIf = label:Verified=MAX AND -label:Verified=MIN
  canOverrideInChildProjects = true
----

The fields that can be set for submit requirements are explained below.

[[submit_requirement_description]]
=== submit-requirement.Name.description

A detailed description of what the submit requirement is supposed to do. This
field is optional. The description is visible to the user in the change page
upon hovering on the submit requirement to help them understand what the
requirement is about and how it can be fulfilled.

[[submit_requirement_applicable_if]]
=== submit-requirement.Name.applicableIf

A link:#query_expression_syntax[query expression] that determines if the submit
requirement is applicable for a change. If a submit requirement is not
applicable it is hidden in the web UI. For example, this allows to
link:#exempt-branch-example[exempt a branch] from the submit requirement.

[TIP]
--
Often submit requirements should only apply to branches that contain source
code. In this case the `applicableIf` condition can be used to exclude the
link:config-project-config.html#refs-meta-config[refs/meta/config] branch from
the submit requirement:

----
  applicableIf = -branch:refs/meta/config
----
--

This field is optional, and if not specified, the submit requirement is
considered applicable for all changes in the project.

[[submit_requirement_submittable_if]]
=== submit-requirement.Name.submittableIf

A link:#query_expression_syntax[query expression] that determines when the
change can be submitted. This field is mandatory.


[[submit_requirement_override_if]]
=== submit-requirement.Name.overrideIf

A link:#query_expression_syntax[query expression] that controls when the
submit requirement is overridden. When this expression is evaluated to true,
the submit requirement state becomes `OVERRIDDEN` and the submit requirement
is no longer blocking the change submission.

This expression can be used to enable bypassing the requirement in some
circumstances, for example if the uploader is a trusted bot user or to allow
change submission in case of emergencies.

This field is optional.

[[submit_requirement_can_override_in_child_projects]]
=== submit-requirement.Name.canOverrideInChildProjects

A boolean (true, false) that determines if child projects can override the
submit requirement.

The default value is `false`.

[[query_expression_syntax]]
== Query Expression Syntax

All applicableIf, submittableIf and overrideIf expressions use the same syntax
and operators available for link:user-search.html[searching changes]. In
addition to that, submit requirements support extra operators.


[[submit_requirements_operators]]
=== Submit Requirements Operators

[[operator_authoremail]]
authoremail:'EMAIL_PATTERN'::
+
An operator that returns true if the change author's email address matches a
specific regular expression pattern. The
link:http://www.brics.dk/automaton/[dk.brics.automaton library,role=external,window=_blank]
is used for the evaluation of such patterns.

[[operator_committeremail]]
committeremail:'EMAIL_PATTERN'::
+
An operator that returns true if the change committer's email address matches a
specific regular expression pattern. The
link:http://www.brics.dk/automaton/[dk.brics.automaton library,role=external,window=_blank]
is used for the evaluation of such patterns.

[[operator_uploaderemail]]
uploaderemail:'EMAIL_PATTERN'::
+
An operator that returns true if the change uploader's primary email address
matches a specific regular expression pattern. The
link:http://www.brics.dk/automaton/[dk.brics.automaton library,role=external,window=_blank]
is used for the evaluation of such patterns.

[[operator_distinctvoters]]
distinctvoters:'[Label1,Label2,...,LabelN],value=MAX,count>1'::
+
An operator that allows checking for distinct voters across more than one label.
+
2..N labels are supported, filtering by a value (MIN,MAX,integer) is optional.
Count is mandatory.
+
Examples:
`distinctvoters:[Code-Review,Trust],value=MAX,count>1`
+
`distinctvoters:[Code-Review,Trust,API-Review],count>2`

[[operator_label_with_users_arg]]
label:'<label><operator><value>,users=human_reviewers'::
+
Extension of the link:user-search.html#labels[label] predicate that
allows matching changes that have a matching vote from all human
reviewers. Votes from service users (members of the
link:access-control.html#service_users[Service Users] group) and the
change owner are ignored.
+
If link:config-project-config.html#reviewer.enableByEmail[reviewers by
email] are present then "user=all_reviewers" doesn't match if the
expected value is other than 0. Reviewers by email are reviewers that
don't have a Gerrit account.  Without Gerrit account they cannot vote
on the change, which means changes that have any such reviewers never
match when a vote from all reviewers is expected.
+
If a change has no human reviewers, this operator doesn't match
(because a human review is required but no human reviewer is present).
+
Examples:
`label:Code-Review=MAX,users=human_reviewers`
+
`label:Code-Review>=1,users=human_reviewers`
+
The 'users' arg cannot be combined with other arguments ('count',
'user', 'group').
+
'label:Code-Review=MAX,users=human_reviewers' can be used to
implement "Want-Code-Review-From-All" functionaly, see
link#require-code-review-approvals-from-all-human-reviewers-example[examples
below].

[[operator_is_true]]
is:true::
+
An operator that always returns true for all changes. An example usage is to
redefine a submit requirement in a child project and make the submit requirement
always applicable.

[[operator_is_false]]
is:false::
+
An operator that always returns false for all changes. An example usage is to
redefine a submit requirement in a child project and make the submit requirement
always non-applicable.

[[operator_has_submodule_update]]
has:submodule-update::
+
An operator that returns true if the diff of the latest patchset against the
default parent has a submodule modified file, that is, a ".gitmodules" or a
git link file.
+
The optional `base` parameter can also be supplied for merge commits like
`has:submodule-update,base=1`, or `has:submodule-update,base=2`. In these cases,
the operator returns true if the diff of the latest patchset against parent
number identified by `base` has a submodule modified file. Note that the
operator will return false if the base parameter is greater than the number of
parents for the latest patchset for the change.

[[operator_file]]
file:"'<filePattern>',withDiffContaining='<contentPattern>'"::
+
An operator that returns true if the latest patchset contained a modified file
matching `<filePattern>` with a modified region matching `<contentPattern>`.
+
Both `<filePattern>` and `<contentPattern>` support regular expressions if they
start with the '^' character. Regular expressions are matched with the
`java.util.regex` engine. When using regular expressions, special characters
should be double escaped because the config is parsed twice when the server
reads the `project.config` file and when the submit-requirement expressions
are parsed as a predicate tree. For example, to match against modified files
that end with ".cc" or ".cpp" the following `applicableIf` expression can be
used:
+
----
  applicableIf = file:\"^.*\\\\.(cc|cpp)$\"
----
+
Below is another example that uses both `<filePattern>` and `<contentPattern>`:
+
----
  applicableIf = file:\"'^.*\\\\.(cc|cpp)$',withDiffContaining='^.*th[rR]ee$'\"
----
+
If no regular expression is used, the text is matched by checking that the file
name contains the file pattern, or the edits of the file diff contain the edit
pattern.

[[operator_label]]
label:LabelExpression::
+
The `label` operator allows to match changes that have votes matching the given
`LabelExpression`. The `LabelExpression` can be anything that's supported for
the link:user-search.html#labels[label] query operator.
+
If used in submit requirement expressions, this operator supports an additional
`user=non_contributor` argument. This argument works similar to the
link:user-search.html#non_uploader["user=non_uploader"] argument and returns
true if the change has a matching label vote that is applied by a user that's
not the uploader, author or committer of the latest patchset.

[[unsupported_operators]]
=== Unsupported Operators

Some operators are not supported with submit requirement expressions.

[[operator_is_submittable]]
is:submittable::
+
Cannot be used since it will result in recursive evaluation of expressions.

[[examples]]
== Examples

[[code-review-example]]
=== Require Code-Review approval from a non-uploader

To define a submit requirement for code-review that requires a maximum vote for
the “Code-Review” label from a non-uploader without a maximum negative vote:

----
[submit-requirement "Code-Review"]
	description = A maximum vote from a non-uploader is required for the \
	              'Code-Review' label. A minimum vote is blocking.
	submittableIf = label:Code-Review=MAX,user=non_uploader AND -label:Code-Review=MIN
	canOverrideInChildProjects = true
----

[[exempt-branch-example]]
=== Exempt a branch

We could exempt a submit requirement from certain branches. For example,
project owners might want to skip the 'Code-Style' requirement from the
refs/meta/config branch.

----
[submit-requirement "Code-Style"]
  description = Code is properly styled and formatted
  applicableIf = -branch:refs/meta/config
  submittableIf = label:Code-Style=+1 AND -label:Code-Style=-1
  canOverrideInChildProjects = true
----

Branch configuration supports regular expressions as well, e.g. to exempt 'refs/heads/release/*' pattern,
when migrating from the label Submit-Rule:

----
[label "Verified"]
  branch = refs/heads/release/*
----

The following SR can be configured:

----
[submit-requirement "Verified"]
  submittableIf = label:Verified=MAX AND -label:Verified=MIN
  applicableIf = branch:^refs/heads/release/.*
----

[[require-footer-example]]
=== Require a footer

It's possible to use a submit requirement to require a footer to be present in
the commit message.

----
[submit-requirement "Bug-Footer"]
  description = Changes must include a 'Bug' footer
  applicableIf = -branch:refs/meta/config AND -hasfooter:\"Bug\"
  submittableIf = hasfooter:\"Bug\"
----

[[require-code-review-approvals-from-all-human-reviewers-example]]
=== Require Code-Review approvals from all human reviewers

The following submit requirement requires a 'Code-Review' approval
('Code-Review+1' or 'Code-Review+2') from all human reviewers of the
change. Votes from service users (members of the
link:access-control.html#service_users[Service Users] group) and the
change owner are ignored.

The 'applicableIf' condition makes this submit requirement show up in
the UI only if it is not satisfied (to keep the submit requirement
showing when it is satisfied omit the 'applicableIf' condition).

If a change has no human reviewers, this submit requirement is
unsatisfied (because a human review is required but no human reviewer
is present).

----
[submit-requirement "Want-Code-Review-From-All"]
  description = A 'Code-Review' vote is required from all human \
                reviewers (service users that are reviewers are \
                ignored).
  applicableIf = -label:Code-Review>=1,users=human_reviewers
  submittableIf = label:Code-Review>=1,users=human_reviewers
----

It is possible to configure the 'Want-Code-Review-From-All' submit
requirement so that it only applies when a 'Want-Code-Review: all'
footer is present in the commit message. This way users can enable
this submit requirement on demand by including this footer into their
commit messages.

The 'applicableIf' condition checks for the 'Want-Code-Review: all'
footer and makes this submit requirement show up in the UI only if it
is not satisfied (to keep the submit requirement showing when it is
satisfied omit the '-label:Code-Review>=1,users=human_reviewers'
predicate from the 'applicableIf' condition).

Note, the footer key cannot contain underscores (e.g. using
'Want_Code_Review: all' as the footer does not work).

----
[submit-requirement "Want-Code-Review-From-All"]
  description = A 'Code-Review' vote is required from all human \
                reviewers (service users that are reviewers are \
                ignored).
  applicableIf = footer:\"Want-Code-Review: all\" -label:Code-Review>=1,users=human_reviewers
  submittableIf = label:Code-Review>=1,users=human_reviewers
----

For more information about the "users=human_reviewers" arg see
link:#operator_label_with_users_arg[above].

GERRIT
------
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