CG: explain what big staff size means in regtests

Regtests about small or easy to overlook changes
should use bigger staff size.

diff --git a/Documentation/contributor/programming-work.itexi b/Documentation/contributor/programming-work.itexi
index 016145d83cfa7b9f0e6690d8946b8e3f176a367d..a76335c8b99e7732f4a9816867d1b5cbd9a60d4a 100644 (file)
--- a/Documentation/contributor/programming-work.itexi
+++ b/Documentation/contributor/programming-work.itexi
@@ -1311,6 +1311,10 @@ Regression tests should generally cover one issue per test.  Several
 short, single-issue regression tests are preferred to a single, long,
 multiple-issue regression test.
 
 short, single-issue regression tests are preferred to a single, long,
 multiple-issue regression test.
 

+If the change in the output is small or easy to overlook, use bigger
+staff size -- 40 or more (up to 100 in extreme cases).  Size 30 means
+"pay extra attention to details in general".
+

 Use existing regression tests as templates to demonstrate the type of
 header information that should be included in a regression test.
 
 Use existing regression tests as templates to demonstrate the type of
 header information that should be included in a regression test.
 

diff --git a/Documentation/contributor/regressions.itexi b/Documentation/contributor/regressions.itexi
index 5de3f8aa918572a3cbe34e9b0b6ec1fda61e2b97..7bca714f2c412b1aa56a77962c98e5fa7731216b 100644 (file)
--- a/Documentation/contributor/regressions.itexi
+++ b/Documentation/contributor/regressions.itexi
@@ -99,8 +99,20 @@ verify that the regression tests have, in fact, run.}
 
 The test comparison shows all of the changes that occurred between
 the current release and the prior release.  Each test that has a
 
 The test comparison shows all of the changes that occurred between
 the current release and the prior release.  Each test that has a

-significant difference in output is displayed, with the old
-version on the left and the new version on the right.
+significant (noticeable) difference in output is displayed, with
+the old version on the left and the new version on the right.
+
+Some of the small changes can be ignored (slightly different slur
+shapes, small variations in note spacing), but this is not always
+the case: sometimes even the smallest change means that something
+is wrong.  To help in distinguishing these cases, we use bigger
+staff size when small differences matter.
+
+Staff size 30 generally means "pay extra attention to details".
+Staff size 40 (two times bigger than default size) or more means
+that the regtest @strong{is} about the details.
+
+Staff size smaller than default doesn't mean anything.

 
 Regression tests whose output is the same for both versions are
 not shown in the test comparison.
 
 Regression tests whose output is the same for both versions are
 not shown in the test comparison.