Source File Copyright Conventions and Guidelines
Every source code file in our code bases (whether it’s for Horizon or another project) should have a comment block at the top which includes copyright information, followed by a license portion. The copyright portion looks like this for a Java source file that is part of the main Horizon code base:
1 /*******************************************************************************
2 * This file is part of OpenNMS(R).
3 *
4 * Copyright (C) 2009-2026 The OpenNMS Group, Inc.
5 * OpenNMS(R) is Copyright (C) 1999-2026 The OpenNMS Group, Inc.
6 *
7 * OpenNMS(R) is a registered trademark of The OpenNMS Group, Inc.Lines 4 and 5 in the example contain the copyright dates. Line 4 is specific to the current file. Line 5 applies to the code base as a larger work. Developers may need to update one or both lines any time they make changes to a file.
Copyright date change matrix
Here are the two lines with identifiers for the years in brackets to help with the matrix that illustrates what should change in different scenarios.
1 * Copyright (C) 2009[A]-2026[B] The OpenNMS Group, Inc.
2 * OpenNMS(R) is Copyright (C) 1999[C]-2026[D] The OpenNMS Group, Inc.The following matrix assumes that the developer is updating the file in the year 2026 (Gregorian calendar). When year B or D are empty, the dash after the year is not required, as in the following:
1 * Copyright (C) 2026 The OpenNMS Group, Inc.
2 * OpenNMS(R) is Copyright (C) 2026 The OpenNMS Group, Inc.| Scenario | Year A | Year B | Year C | Year D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Adding a new file to the OpenNMS code base |
2026 |
(empty) |
1999 |
2026 |
Updating an existing file in the OpenNMS code base, if that file was added in 2004 |
2004 |
2026 |
1999 |
2026 |
Adding a new file to a code base created the same year |
2026 |
(empty) |
2026 |
(empty) |
Updating an existing file in a code base created the same year |
2026 |
(empty) |
2026 |
(empty) |