Link to CODEOWNERS file from affected files

This an actionable insight from the Code Review FY21-Q2 Category Maturity Scorecard research (insight).

Problem to solve

As a project lead, I want to understand the relationship between the CODEOWNERS file and files affected by it, so I can use the CODEOWNERS feature better.

The relationship between the Code Owners of a file (e.g. README.md) and the CODEOWNERS file itself is not clear. Currently we list the specific people that are Code Owners of a file in the file’s header (see image). But it’s not clear how a user can add/remove people from that list, or which CODEOWNERS entry includes this specific file.

If users are familiar with the concept of a CODEOWNERS file, they have to spend time navigating the repository looking for that file, which can live in one of multiple locations.

If users are not familiar with CODEOWNERS, they will have to read the documentation to learn about it and then go and find the CODEOWNERS file.

Intended users

User experience goal

The user should be able to use the UI to navigate to the CODEOWNERS file from an affected file.

Proposal

Add link to the CODEOWNERS file from the “Code Owners” section at the top of matching files.

image

Design

  • The label "Code owners" links to the CODEOWNERS file for the branch

image

Links

Permissions and Security

Documentation

Availability & Testing

What does success look like, and how can we measure that?

What is the type of buyer?

Is this a cross-stage feature?

No

Links / references

Edited by Michael Le