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Better document how platform names work

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Metadata

Project
charmcraft
Number
#2087
Type
issue
State
open
Author
lengau
Labels
Created
Updated
Closed

Current evaluation

Docs request to clarify how charmcraft platform names work, especially for multi-base platforms and when a specific name is needed vs. an arbitrary one like 'fred'. The platforms reference now states names are arbitrary and adds naming rules (PR #2590), so it appears addressed.

Suggested action: close stale

Reason: The platforms reference (docs/reference/platforms.rst) now states 'The platform name is an arbitrary string' (so 'fred' is fine) and provides recommended naming conventions, and PR #2590 'docs: add platform naming rules' added a dedicated Naming rules section — directly addressing the request for clearer documentation on when a specific name is required. With no maintainer engagement beyond the Jira bot comment for ~381 days and the documentation work already merged, the original problem is no longer outstanding.

Impact: 35 Quick Win: 29.75 Staleness: 70 Complexity: 15 Confidence: 62 Support Request: 10

Issue body

### What needs to get done Currently it can be confusing to a user how platform names work, especially with multi-base platforms. We need clearer documentation around when you need a specific platform name and when `fred` is fine. ### Why it needs to get done See: https://github.com/canonical/charmcraft/pull/2080#discussion_r1917251250

Evaluation history

Date Model Scores Action Summary
qwen/qwen3.8-27b
Impact: 35
Quick Win: 29.75
Staleness: 70
Complexity: 15
Confidence: 62
Support Request: 10
close stale Docs request to clarify how charmcraft platform names work, especially for multi-base platforms and when a specific name is needed vs. an arbitrary one like 'fred'. The platforms reference now states names are arbitrary and adds naming rules (PR #2590), so it appears addressed.
qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b
Staleness: 85
Complexity: 15
Confidence: 80
Support Request: 10
needs triage Request to improve documentation on platform naming conventions, particularly for multi-base platforms. Currently unlabelled and inactive for over a year with no maintainer response.
qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6
Staleness: 85
Complexity: 15
Confidence: 80
Support Request: 10
needs triage Request to improve documentation on platform naming conventions, particularly for multi-base platforms, following recent user confusion. Currently unlabelled and inactive for over a year.
qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6
Staleness: 85
Complexity: 15
Confidence: 85
Support Request: 10
close stale Request to improve documentation on platform name usage, particularly for multi-base platforms. Open for over a year with minimal interaction and no labels.
qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6
Staleness: 70
Complexity: 15
Confidence: 60
Support Request: 0
needs triage Improve documentation clarifying platform name usage, especially for multi-base platforms and when to use fred versus specific names. Open for 514 days, tracked internally as CRAFT-3919. Awaiting documentation updates.

Update history

No update history recorded yet.

Related work

  • Related To: canonical/charmcraft#2080 (confidence 70%)

    The issue body cites a discussion on PR #2080 (platforms reference) as the origin of the confusion about platform names.

  • Likely Fixed By: canonical/charmcraft#2590 (confidence 65%)

    PR 'docs: add platform naming rules' added the Naming rules section to the platforms reference, matching this issue's request for clearer platform-name documentation.

Related issues

Issue Project State Summary Similarity
#2080 docs: add platforms reference and how-to charmcraft merged Merged documentation updates for Charmcraft platforms, bases, and architectures, covering multi-base support. Approved by three reviewers, passed CI checks, and resolved issue #2009.
74%
#1963 Clarify that each `platform` entry is a 1:1 mapping to output `charm` files charmcraft closed Closed and resolved by updating the charmcraft.yaml schema documentation to clarify that each platform entry generates a separate charm file.
71%