Reading a decision ================== Open a decision from the search results to read it and to see how far you can trust it. This page explains what is on the page and what the banners mean. .. figure:: /_static/screenshots/record-pending-reviewer.png :alt: A decision record page with the document on the left, and on the right a sidebar showing Pending approval status with Accept and Reject buttons. A decision page: banners on top, the document on the left, and the "About this decision" sidebar on the right. Page layout ----------- Header The title, the source and project, and where the text came from. If errata exist, a link such as "1 erratum · View errata" jumps to them. A "2 warnings" or "1 error" chip appears here when the file has problems; see `Problems in the file`_. Banners Notices about the decision as a whole; see `Banners`_. The document The decision itself, as its authors wrote it. Errata Below the document, any corrections reported for it. See :doc:`errata`. "About this decision" sidebar Everything that is not the document itself. On a phone the sidebar moves below the document. Banners ------- "This decision is obsolete, see ..." A newer decision replaced this one. Follow the link and read that one instead. "This decision was updated, see ..." A newer decision changed part of this one. Read the newer decision alongside this one. "This is an erratum for ..." Shown on a correction's own page; see :doc:`errata`. "The last poll of ... failed ..." The catalog could not refresh this decision from its source, so you are reading the last copy it successfully collected. It may be out of date. "Last indexed ... (older than the freshness threshold)" The catalog has not refreshed this decision for a while. It is probably still right, but it has not been confirmed recently. "A different revision of this ADR was accepted" An earlier version was accepted, but the text changed since. The text you are reading needs its own decision. "The published revision of this ADR differs from this candidate" You are reading a proposal that is not the same as what is currently published. Follow the link to compare. "Competing candidates" Several proposals exist for the same decision. A decision on one never affects another. .. figure:: /_static/screenshots/record-obsolete-with-errata.png :alt: A decision page with a banner saying it is obsolete and a link to its replacement, and an Errata section below the text. An obsolete decision, with a link to its replacement. .. figure:: /_static/screenshots/record-stale-banner.png :alt: A record page with a warning banner saying the last poll of the source failed and the content may be out of date. A warning that the catalog could not refresh this decision. The sidebar ----------- Approval The status chip, for example "Pending approval" or "Accepted — published", with a one-sentence explanation. If you are a reviewer, the **Accept** and **Reject** buttons are here too; see :doc:`reviewing`. Everyone else sees why they cannot decide, for example "Only reviewers can approve this." Metadata The decision's identifier (UUID), its decision date, and its kind (decision or erratum). Select the copy button to copy the identifier. If the author did not write a date, the page says "Not recorded". When it can guess a date from the file name, it labels the date as inferred. Provenance Where the decision came from: source, project, file path and ref (shown as **Path & ref**), a link to the **Source location** where available, and when the catalog last refreshed it (**Freshness**). Related decisions Links to decisions this one updates or obsoletes. Select a title to open it. A link reading "Ambiguous" means more than one decision matches and the catalog did not guess. Referenced by Links in the other direction: later decisions that update or obsolete this one. Other revisions Other versions of the same decision, such as a candidate from another ref next to the published version. Legacy sign-off (unverified) See `Legacy sign-off`_. Published, candidate and which is current ----------------------------------------- The title line shows "Candidate" with its ref if you are looking at a proposal. A published decision is the version your team has published. If both exist, **Other revisions** links between them. After a candidate is published, the published version appears with the same text. If a reviewer already accepted that exact text, the published version is accepted too, and keeps the same decision history. .. figure:: /_static/screenshots/review-accepted-published.png :alt: A record page with the status Accepted - published and a card listing another revision that was accepted as a candidate. A published decision whose candidate was accepted earlier. Problems in the file -------------------- The catalog shows every decision it finds, even if the file has problems, and a problem in one file never affects another. Problems are listed in a **Validation issues** card next to a chip in the title: Warning Something to tidy, but the decision still works. For example, the file uses an old field name or lists a link to a decision that cannot be found. Error Something that stops the catalog from working with the file properly. For example, the header is not valid or the identifier is missing. A decision with an error shows the status **Blocked**, with the text "This content can't be decided until its problems are fixed." Ask the author to fix the file; the page updates the next time the catalog reads it. :doc:`writing-adrs` lists the fields that are expected. .. figure:: /_static/screenshots/record-blocked-invalid-yaml.png :alt: A record page with a red error chip, a validation issue about invalid YAML and a Blocked approval status. A blocked decision, with the problem explained. Legacy sign-off --------------- Some older decisions carry a "signed off by" line written by hand in the file. The catalog shows it as **Legacy sign-off (unverified)**. It is only text: nobody checked who wrote it, so it never counts as an approval. Only a recorded acceptance by a reviewer does. .. figure:: /_static/screenshots/record-legacy-warnings.png :alt: A decision record with a Validation issues card listing two warnings about legacy fields above the decision text. Two warnings about older fields on a decision. Next: :doc:`errata` or :doc:`reviewing`.