minor tweaks to page on patch files

docs/patch-files.md

@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+# Patch files
+
+## What are patch files (patches)?
+
+A patch file, or just *patch* for short, is a text file that can be used to modify an existing software sources.
+They are often used to fix bugs, but can also be used to improve the usability or performance.
+
+## Including patches in an easyconfig file
+
+Patches can be provided via the `patches` easyconfig parameter (list). A
+patch can be defined as:
+
+- a `string`,
+- a `tuple` of 2 elements, or
+- a `dict`
+
+The most straight-forward use-case is `string`, which contains the name
+of the patch file (and must have `.patch` extension).
+
+A `tuple` adds the possibility to specify the subdirectory in which the patch should be applied.
+This is mostly needed if a patch file adds new files or it is generally
+not possible to determine the appropriate directory to apply the patch in.
+The first element of this tuple is
+the name of patch file. The second element is either the *patch level* (as an integer value)
+which is used in the patch command (`patch -p<level>`), or a directory relative to the unpacked source directory.
+
+!!! note
+    `tuple` also has a special use case if the patch file has any other extension than `.patch`.
+    In this case, the first tuple element is the name of a file which should be
+    copied to the unpacked source directory, and the second element is
+    the target path, where the files should be copied to (relative to
+    the unpacked source directory). See below for an example of this use case.
+
+A `dict` value can be used pass additional arguments to the `patch` command.
+For example, the `--binary` flag may be needed for patch files
+with CRLF endings. For a `dict` value the `filename` key is required.
+`level` and `opts` are supported (optional) keys.
+
+!!! note
+    Specifying only `filename` in `dict` is the same as using a plain `string` definition.
+    Specifying `filename` and `level` is same as using a `tuple`
+    definition.
+
+Example:
+
+```python
+patches = [
+  # a simple patch file
+  'example.patch',
+
+  # when creating only new files by patch file, you need to specify the level:
+  ('example-add-files.patch', 1),
+
+  # apply the patch in a (sub-)subdirectory inside the source tree
+  ('example-subfolder.patch', 'src/subfolder'),
+
+  # copy file to target_path folder
+  ('Makefile', 'path/to/target/'),
+
+  # specify patch file and optionally level and opts for patch command
+  {'filename': 'example.patch', 'level': 1, 'opts': '--binary'}
+]
+```
+
+## Creating a patch file
+
+To create a patch file to use with EasyBuild, follow the steps below.
+
+### 1) Copy unpacked sources
+
+Start by copying the unpacked sources, before making any changes, so we can determine which changes were made:
+
+```bash
+cp -a unpacked_sources unpacked_sources.orig
+
+```
+
+### 2) Make necessary changes
+
+Make the necessary changes in the `unpacked_sources` directory.
+
+### 3) Create patch file
+
+Create the patch file by comparing the original sources with the modified sources using the `diff` command:
+
+```bash
+diff -ruN unpacked_sources.orig unpacked_sources > example.patch
+```
+
+The `-ruN` options here are important:
+- `r` instructs the `diff` command to look for changes between the specified directories *recursively*;
+- `u` indicates that `diff` should produce a *unified* diff as output;
+- `N` indicates that files only found in one directory should be treated as new files;
+
+### 4) Add description, author, reference
+
+Please also add a description on top of the patch file, along with the author and/or reference to the source of the patch.
+
+For example:
+
+```diff
+example of a patch description
+author: John Doe (Earth University)
+diff -ru unpacked_sources.orig/example.c unpacked_sources/example.c
+--- unpacked_sources.orig/example.c	2011-08-05 05:08:07.000000000 +0200
++++ unpacked_sources/example.c	2024-03-14 12:31:16.218067000 +0100
+...
+```

docs/writing-easyconfig-files.md

@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ Remarks:
 - patches need to be EasyBuild-compatible
     - unified diff format (`diff -ruN`)
     - patched locations relative to unpacked sources
-- see [Patches][patches] for more information on `patches`
+- for more information on `patches`, see [separate page on patch files](patch-files.md)
 - see [Checksums][common_easyconfig_param_sources_checksums] for more information on `checksums`
 - `sources` is usually specified as a list of strings representing
     filenames for source files, but other formats are supported too, see
@@ -160,6 +160,9 @@ checksums = ['ac7534163a09e21a5fa763e4e16dfc119bc84043f6e6a807aba666518f8df440']
     a string template `%(version)s` can be used, see also
     [Dynamic values for easyconfig parameters][easyconfig_param_templates].
 
+#### Patches {: #common_easyconfig_param_sources_patches }
+
+See [separate page dedicated to creating and using patch files](patch-files.md).
 
 #### Checksums {: #common_easyconfig_param_sources_checksums }
 

mkdocs.yml

@@ -81,9 +81,9 @@ nav:
       - GitHub integration: integration-with-github.md
       - Implementing easyblocks: implementing-easyblocks.md
       - Local variables in easyconfigs: easyconfig-files-local-variables.md
+      - Patch files: patch-files.md
       - Unit tests: unit-tests.md
-      - Framework Overview: framework-overview.md
-      - Patches: patches.md
+      - Framework overview: framework-overview.md
   - Experimental features:
       - (overview): experimental-features.md
       - Creating container images/recipes: containers.md