Gemini Code Assist: How to customize a public style guide and apply it to your whole team

Key Concepts:

• Gemini Code Assist for GitHub
• Public Style Guides (e.g., Angular Style Guide)
• Custom Style Guide Modifications
• Code Review Automation
• GitHub Pull Requests (PRs)
• /geemini command

Using Gemini Code Assist for GitHub with Custom Style Guides

1. The Problem:

• Teams often adopt public style guides (like the Angular Style Guide) but find some rules impractical.
• Example: The rule of keeping everything to its own file if it's under 400 lines is sometimes impractical (e.g., small stylesheets).

2. The Solution: Gemini Code Assist

• Gemini Code Assist for GitHub allows teams to:
  • Consume a public style guide.
  • Make custom modifications to the style guide.
  • Use the combined style guide to automate code reviews for the entire team.
• It's free and only requires a GitHub account.

3. Step-by-Step Implementation:

• Step 1: Create a Gemini Folder:
  • In the root of your repository, on the main branch, create a folder named gemini.
• Step 2: Create the Style Guide File:
  • Inside the gemini folder, create a file named style guide.md (or any text file).
• Step 3: Link to the Public Style Guide:
  • In the style guide.md file, link to the public style guide you're using (similar to specifying a base image in a Dockerfile).
• Step 4: Add Custom Rules:
  • Add a section (e.g., "Prioritize these rules above everything else").
  • List all your team's custom modifications in this section.

4. How it Works in Practice:

• When a Pull Request (PR) is created, Gemini Code Assist automatically:
  • Summarizes the changes.
  • Reviews the changes based on the combined style guide (public + custom).

5. Triggering Reviews and Help:

• To re-trigger the review process (e.g., on a draft PR or after changes):
  • Use the command /geemini followed by your request.
• To get a list of available commands:
  • Type /geemini help.

6. Example Scenario:

• The team wants to allow small stylesheets to be included directly in the template instead of in a separate file.
• This rule modification is added to the style guide.md file under the "Prioritize these rules" section.
• Gemini Code Assist will now allow this practice during code reviews.

7. Conclusion:

Gemini Code Assist provides a streamlined way to enforce consistent code style across a team by combining public style guides with custom rules. This automation simplifies code review and ensures adherence to agreed-upon standards.