RBTools is a set of command line tools and Python API for working with code and document reviews on Review Board.

Today's release of RBTools 5.2 improves compatibility across the product and fixes a few bugs. Highlights include:

• Subversion patches can now be applied when the patch originates from a different part of the repository (such as a different branch or tag).
• Mercurial revision lookups no longer result in unwanted debug output.
• ClearCase repositories can once again be located when using Review Board versions prior to 7.0.1.
• rbt patch --print can now be used when configuring advanced repository path matching using TREES in .reviewboardrc.
• Binary file types can now be detected when the file command isn't available.

See the release notes for the full list of changes.

To learn more about RBTools, see the RBTools downloads page and RBTools 5.2 documentation.

Let's upgrade!

To upgrade RBTools on Linux and macOS, run:

$ pip3 install -U RBTools

A Windows installer for RBTools is also available.

RBTools and Review Board development is funded by Support and Power Pack

If you're using Review Board today, we'd like to see how we can work together. We offer:

• Full-service support contracts to help your IT department keep things running smoothly.
• Power Pack Document Review, Reports, new integrations, and more, with a free 60 day trial.

These help us continue to fund and grow Review Board development. Contact us to discuss how we can work together to help support Review Board at your company.

Review Board 7.0.3 is all about polish. We've tightened up the mobile experience, broadened diff and repository compatibility, improved performance, and added some new features for extension authors.

Better on Mobile

Review Board 7 introduced all-new UI for mobile devices, and we've greatly refined that UI in 7.0.3. Menus now fit snugly on small screens, instead of running off the side. More components respond natively to touch events. Commenting is cleaned up.

While there's still plenty to do, mobile is shaping up.

Better All Around

This release covers a lot of areas:

• Compatibility with a wider range of patch-generation tools
• Tweaks to dark mode
• Faster startup performance
• Faster search indexing performance, particularly when using diff ACL checks
• More reliable upgrades from very old versions of Review Board
• New extension and API capabilities
• Fixes for all sorts of diff rendering edge cases
• Bullet-proofing for repository authentication issues

And plenty more!

All the details can be found in the release notes.

Let's get started!

To learn more about upgrading your server, see our upgrade instructions.

You can also use our official Docker images.

Review Board development is funded by Support and Power Pack

If you're using Review Board today, we'd like to see how we can work together. We offer:

• Full-service support contracts to help your IT department keep things running smoothly.
• Power Pack Document Review, Reports, new integrations, and more, with a free 60 day trial.

These help us continue to fund and grow Review Board development.

For a limited time, get 18% off any new support contracts or Power Pack licenses. Offer now good until the end of January, 2025!

RBTools 5.1 brings a new set of patching improvements and fixes, along with a few new settings you can use to better manage your repositories.

Much-Improved Patching

We've completely rebuilt how RBTools applies patches files and lands changes. The new approach avoids edge cases for repositories like Mercurial, Perforce, and Subversion, and brings wider compatibility across GNU Patch, BSD Patch, and Apple Patch.

Mercurial users will finally be able to land or patch multiple commits in one go, removing the incompatibility between RBTools and Mercurial's own patching tool.

There's also better error handling, with breakdowns on what files failed to patch or simply conflicted with other changes, helping you hand-merge the changes.

If you're building in-house tools that need to land changes, you can now apply patches or customize behavior using the new Patcher implementation.

Centralized Settings Management

TREES

In RBTools 3, we deprecated the largely-hidden TREES setting in .reviewboardrc, which let you map repository paths to Review Board server URLs. We then removed it entirely in RBTools 4.

Bringing this back has been a frequent request. Now, not only can you use TREES again, but you can use it to customize any setting in RBTools, using your own .reviewboardrc!

Here's an example:

TREES = {
    'https://svn.example.com/': {
        'REVIEWBOARD_URL': 'https://reviews.example.com',
    },
    '/home/user/dev': {
        'MARKDOWN': False,
        'TRACKING_BRANCH': 'origin/rewrite',
    }
}

Organizations can also use this in combination with a $RBTOOLS_CONFIG_PATH (Linux/macOS) or %RBTOOLS_CONFIG_PATH% (Windows) environment variable to specify central directories containing shared .reviewboardrc files, to centrally manage RBTools for all developers.

COOKIES_STRICT_DOMAIN_MATCH

If you’re using multiple Review Board servers on the same domain, it can be possible for session cookies (needed for authentication) to conflict with each other. For example, cookies sent from rb.example.com would be used on staging.rb.example.com, and this may not be what you want.

You can now enable strict-domain cookies by enabling COOKIES_STRICT_DOMAIN_MATCH in .reviewboardrc (including in TREES).

For example:

COOKIES_STRICT_DOMAIN_MATCH = True

For compatibility reasons, this is off by default.

Plus...

• Improved compatibility and stability for uploading binary files in commits.
• New metadata options in rbt status-update set.
• Compatibility fixes for older versions of Review Board.

See the release notes for the full list of changes.

To learn more about RBTools, see the RBTools downloads page and RBTools 5.1 documentation.

18% off for Review Board's 18th Birthday!

As a reminder, we're offering 18% off all new Power Pack licenses and support contracts for Review Board's 18th birthday.

This sale lasts until the end of 2024, and will help us ensure the future of Review Board for years to come.

Administrators who also review code: This release is for you.

Mercurial users: You, too.

Administrators, Review and Rejoice!

We never had the best experience for administrators who need to review code. When looking at a review request with a draft in progress, the administrator would see some information from the draft, some from the published review request. Commenting didn't work until the draft was published. It was... subpar.

We've completely reworked this experience.

Now, if you're reviewing code, you'll get the same experience as everyone else. You'll see only what's published. If there's a draft, or you need to make changes, you can switch over to a draft mode and see what the user's working on.

Stronger Mercurial Support

Managing your repositories with Mercurial? We've done a lot this release to make your workflows work better:

• Multi-commit review requests are better supported. A lot of corner cases from Mercurial's design have been worked around and fixed.
• Commits introducing binary files can now be uploaded, and those files reviewed in the diff viewer.

We have more Mercurial goodness coming in the next major release of RBTools.

Plus...

• Wider compatibility for downloaded Git and Mercurial diffs.
• Compatibility fixes for the latest Perforce for Python releases.
• Fixes for sending e-mails when DMARC DNS records aren't in a standard format.
• Various improvements throughout the review request UI.

All the details can be found in the release notes.

Let's get started!

To learn more about upgrading your server, see our upgrade instructions.

You can also use our official Docker images.

Review Board development is funded by Support and Power Pack

If you're using Review Board today, we'd like to see how we can work together. We offer:

• Full-service support contracts to help your IT department keep things running smoothly.
• Power Pack Document Review, Reports, new integrations, and more, with a free 60 day trial.

These help us continue to fund and grow Review Board development.

Dark Mode has arrived in Power Pack!

You can now review documents and analyze reports in the late hours of the night (when you should probably be sleeping) without bright light searing your eyes.

This is a free upgrade for all Power Pack users, and requires Review Board 7.0.1 or higher.

Power Pack 5.3 also comes with:

• An important security fix for viewing PDFs (pdf.js CVE-2024-4765).
• Automatic scroll lock when viewing diffs of documents.
• Better compatibility with Review Board 7.

For the complete list of changes and installation instructions, see the release notes.

What else does Power Pack do?

• PDF document review and diffing, allowing you to review documents, schematics, designs, contracts, and code all in one place.
• Report generation, giving you insight into code review practices in your organization.
• Advanced server management for scalability, database management, and splitting/merging installs.
• Eenterprise source code management systems, including AWS CodeCommit, Azure DevOps/TFS, Bitbucket Server, Keysight SOS, GitHub Enterprise, and ClearCase.

Review Board development is funded by Power Pack

You can try Power Pack free for 60 days or purchase a license for your Review Board server.

Review Board 7.0.1 fixes some important compatibility issues, and makes further improvements to the UI, building upon what we started in Review Board 7.

Let's dig in.

RBTools 5 Compatibility Fixes

In Review Board 7.0, posting changes against Git or ClearCase repositories using RBTools 5 could sometimes result in an error. This depended entirely on your RBTools and Review Board configuration and affected users who didn't specify an explicit repository in .reviewboardrc on a server without Power Pack.

This was due to a bug in our API combined with an oversight in RBTools 5. We recommend updating to 7.0.1 as soon as possible to avoid any issues posting changes for review.

Document Review Fixes

For users leveraging Review Board 7 with Power Pack for Document Review, you can once again move and resize your draft comments on documents. This had regressed in 7.0 but is now fixed.

UI Improvements

We've been working on further updates to Review Board 7's UI:

• Improved font sizes in the page header.
• Fixed a few button interactions (enabling/disabling extensions or deleting items from the database in the Administration UI).
• Introduced a whole new condition rule editor for configuring integrations.

Plus...

• Better stability when your cache server goes down.
• Asana integration fixes.
• Wider compatibility for building extensions with or without static media.
• Fixes for crashes when viewing some interdiffs.
• New API and extension improvements as part of the Review Board Platform.

All the details can be found in the release notes.

Let's get started!

To learn more about upgrading your server, see our upgrade instructions. You can also use our official Docker images.

If you need assistance with your server, we can help under a support contract.

They say it’s darkest just before the dawn. And whether that’s when you’re most productive, or in the middle of a warm, sunny day, Review Board 7 will help you see the code, documents, images, and reviews in an all-new light.

Review Board 7 introduces Dark Mode, all-new support for reviewing images directly in the Diff Viewer, Microsoft Teams integration, mobile-friendly diff review, and lots more.

And we’re not just releasing Review Board 7 today. We’re also releasing RBTools 5 and Review Bot 4, which help unleash the full power of Review Board 7’s new features.

Dark Mode

There's nothing worse than staying up late to review code and feeling blinded by your screen. With Dark Mode in Review Board 7, you can reduce eye strain and work comfortably no matter the time of day. This sleek new look not only helps in low-light environments but also adds a modern, stylish touch to your code reviews.

You can activate Dark Mode in My Account -> Appearance. You can also have Review Board automatically match your system theme, keeping it in sync with all your other applications.

Dark Mode is currently in beta as we continue to fine-tune its look and expand its availability throughout the product. It's not available yet in the Administration UI, Reports, or Document Review, but those updates are coming soon.

Image Review in the Diff Viewer

Projects aren’t made entirely of code and text files. Images can be a crucial part of your commits, too, often containing essential design updates, new artwork, or visual elements that define your feature. While this used to require uploading these images separately as file attachments, now they can be seen directly in the Diff Viewer with the rest of your change.

To upload images as part of your change, you’ll need to use the new RBTools 5 release and a Git, Mercurial, Perforce, or Subversion repository. This will ensure new images and changes to existing images are included with your code.

Once uploaded, images can be viewed and diffed using several modes:

• Two-Up: Shows the old and the new images side-by-side.
• Color Difference: Changes in colors are shown like an X-Ray, helping you spot even the smallest changes to an image.
• Split Mode: Overlays both images, using a slider to show or hide parts of each image.
• Onion Skin: Like Split Mode, but adjusting the transparency of the new image on top of the old.

Microsoft Teams Integration

Staying on top of code reviews is now easier with our new Microsoft Teams integration. Slack and Discord users have enjoyed live notifications of review request activity for years, and now, Teams users can too.

New and updated review requests, as well as any reviews or replies, are sent directly to your Teams channels. This keeps your team informed and responsive, no matter where they are.

An unlimited number of rules can be configured, helping you keep individual channels informed based on repositories, branches, or any other criteria. You can even keep sensitive review requests out of public channels automatically.

Mobile Diff Review

Reviewing code on the go is now easier with our improved Mobile Diff Review. On small screens, the diff viewer automatically switches to a single column, presenting changes in a mobile-friendly way without the need for side-by-side comparisons. This ensures a smooth and efficient review process, even when you're away from your desk.

Plus…

• A more polished and accessible UI throughout the product.
• Improved Jenkins CI compatibility.
• Configurable timeouts for CI builds.
• Updated default settings for the Dashboards for new users.
• Better Markdown review compatibility.
• Backed by Django 4.2 LTS for long-term security and support for your server.
• Increased stability, faster performance, and many, many bug fixes.

And that’s just Review Board! We have improvements in RBTools 5 and Review Bot 4 that we haven’t even talked about yet.

To learn more, see the release notes for:

• Review Board 7
• RBTools 5
• Review Bot 4

Ready to upgrade?

For most users of Review Board 5 or 6, Review Board 7 will be a drop-in replacement with minimal downtime.

Still, make sure you have a backup of your database and site directory, and please perform a test upgrade on a test server. Then follow the upgrade instructions.

If you’re using Docker, follow our Docker instructions to deploy new containers. Review Board 7’s official Docker images are based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and Python 3.11.

Talk to us about Review Board Support to keep your server running smoothly and your developers happy.

Review Board 7 is coming soon. To get ready, we're putting out a series of releases that you can upgrade to today, starting with Power Pack 5.2.3.

What is Power Pack?

Power Pack is licensed add-on for Review Board, offering:

• PDF document review and diffing, allowing you to review documents, schematics, designs, contracts, and code all in one place.
• Report generation, giving you insight into code review practices in your organization.
• Advanced server management for scalability, database management, and splitting/merging installs
• Support for enterprise source code management systems, including AWS CodeCommit, Azure DevOps/TFS, Bitbucket Server, Cliosoft SOS, GitHub Enterprise, HCL VersionVault, and IBM Rational ClearCase.

You can try Power Pack free for 60 days or purchase a license for your server.

What's New in Power Pack 5.2.3

Power Pack 5.2.3 now supports Review Board 3 through 7, and makes the following improvements:

• When paid licenses expire, they'll convert to a free perpetual 2-user license.
• Installation issues with certain combinations of boto3, urllib3, and requests package dependencies have been fixed.
• Fixed an issue with draft comment visibility on PDFs.

For the complete list of changes and installation instructions, see the release notes.

We’ve launched a new installer for Review Board, with support for over 50 different system environments.

With a single command, you can be up and running in minutes, on nearly any Linux system, providing a virtually hassle-free experience, whether you’re installing Review Board for the first time or moving your install to a new server.

Using the new installer

It’s as simple as running the following as root:

$ curl https://install.reviewboard.org | python3

Or, if you prefer not to use curl and have pipx installed:

$ pipx run rbinstall

The installer will check your system for the latest compatible release of Review Board. From there, you can get an overview of the commands the installer will run, and then run them.

The installer also sets up:

• Automated code review with Review Bot, which can automatically review code using a wide variety of code checking tools, saving your engineers time during review and catching important issues quickly.

• A free 2-user tier of Power Pack, providing:

  Document Review, to help review your documentation, mockups, schematics, and designs alongside your code.

  Reports/Analytics, to gain a better understanding of how well your teams are using code review to improve your products.

  Additional repository support, letting you integrate with Azure DevOps, GitHub Enterprise, ClearCase, Cliosoft SOS, and other solutions you may depend on.

Automated/Unattended installs

The installer was built with automation in mind. You can set up entire fleets by running a single command:

$ curl https://install.reviewboard.org | python3 - --noinput

Or, with pipx:

$ pipx run rbinstall --noinput

To learn more, see the Unattended Installs documentation.

Docker is another great option

If you’re looking to simplify maintenance even further, we have official Docker images available.

This is a simple option for spinning up new Review Board servers for deployment or testing, complete with Review Bot and Power Pack. No manual installation required, and kept up-to-date as we release new versions.

Fully supported

Support for the installer, Docker images, and your whole deployment are included with a Review Board support contract.

This comes with 24/7 coverage for any emergencies or assistance you need, keeping you protected and ensuring you’re never on your own when things go wrong. We’re here for any questions you have, any problems you encounter, and any guidance you need.

If your server is currently unprotected, contact us about a support contract to take care of that today.

Learn more

See our guide to the Review Board Installer to learn how to run the installer, automate installation, and prepare older Linux distributions for installation. It’ll help ensure a seamless install the next time you’re setting up Review Board.

Have any questions or feedback about the installer? We’d love to hear from you! Contact us at questions@beanbaginc.com.

Today's releases fix an important security vulnerability we've found in-house, and improve stability overall in Review Board 6.

API Security Fix

We discovered a security issue with two of our APIs while performing an in-house performance audit of our code. This allows a user with legitimate access to a Review Board server to craft a specific API request that returns diff content they wouldn't normally have permission to access (draft diffs or published diffs associated with a private repository or invite-only review group).

Users cannot exploit this bug without legitimate access to the Review Board server (or the Local Site server partition, if used).

We aren't aware of this vulnerability being used in the wild. It requires making use of an optional header when accessing these APIs, plus knowledge of internal database APIs for published diffs.

As part of fixing this security issue, we've done the following:

1. We sent patches (and custom builds as needed) to our customers with Premium Support contracts.
2. We audited the remainder of our APIs. This type of issue was not found anywhere else.
3. We improved our testing infrastructure so that this type of issue would be found automatically going forward.

We recommend that everyone upgrade to the appropriate release of Review Board.

Review Board 6 Stability

We've addressed a few regressions introduced in Review Board 6.0:

• Manually uploading diffs (either to new or existing review requests) should now work on all types of repositories.
• Batch publishing will now work when using Local Site server partitions.
• Empty reviews will no longer be posted if creating a review, leaving comments, and then deleting the comments.
• Switching between search engine backends no longer require restarting the web server.
• Logging in from the Log Out page now takes you to the dashboard, instead of logging you back out.
• Some minor UI issues in the Administration UI have been fixed.

Upgrading

If you're using our official releases, follow the upgrade instructions in the release notes below:

• Review Board 6.0.2
• Review Board 5.0.7
• Review Board 4.0.13
• Review Board 3.0.26

If you're using releases provided by your Linux distribution or a third-party, you will need to inquire with them about your upgrade options and support.

If you need assistance with your server, we can help under a support contract. This entitles you to on-going support for your server, custom builds, backported fixes, pre-release security patches, and solutions tailored for your company's needs.