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158 lines
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158 lines
6.4 KiB
Plaintext
===========================
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Advice for new contributors
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===========================
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New contributor and not sure what to do? Want to help but just don't know how
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to get started? This is the section for you.
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.. admonition:: Get up and running!
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If you are new to contributing to Django, the :doc:`/intro/contributing`
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tutorial will give you an introduction to the tools and the workflow.
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This page contains more general advice on ways you can contribute to Django,
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and how to approach that.
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If you are looking for a reference on the details of making code contributions,
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see the :doc:`/internals/contributing/writing-code/index` documentation.
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First steps
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===========
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Start with these steps to discover Django's development process.
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* **Triage tickets**
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If an `unreviewed ticket`_ reports a bug, try and reproduce it. If you
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can reproduce it and it seems valid, make a note that you confirmed the bug
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and accept the ticket. Make sure the ticket is filed under the correct
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component area. Consider writing a patch that adds a test for the bug's
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behavior, even if you don't fix the bug itself. See more at
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:ref:`how-can-i-help-with-triaging`
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* **Look for tickets that are accepted and review patches to build familiarity
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with the codebase and the process**
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Mark the appropriate flags if a patch needs docs or tests. Look through the
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changes a patch makes, and keep an eye out for syntax that is incompatible
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with older but still supported versions of Python. :doc:`Run the tests
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</internals/contributing/writing-code/unit-tests>` and make sure they pass.
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Where possible and relevant, try them out on a database other than SQLite.
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Leave comments and feedback!
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* **Keep old patches up to date**
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Oftentimes the codebase will change between a patch being submitted and the
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time it gets reviewed. Make sure it still applies cleanly and functions as
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expected. Updating a patch is both useful and important! See more on
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:doc:`writing-code/submitting-patches`.
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* **Write some documentation**
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Django's documentation is great but it can always be improved. Did you find
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a typo? Do you think that something should be clarified? Go ahead and
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suggest a documentation patch! See also the guide on
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:doc:`writing-documentation`.
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.. note::
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The `reports page`_ contains links to many useful Trac queries, including
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several that are useful for triaging tickets and reviewing patches as
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suggested above.
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.. _reports page: https://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/Reports
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* **Sign the Contributor License Agreement**
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The code that you write belongs to you or your employer. If your
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contribution is more than one or two lines of code, you need to sign the
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`CLA`_. See the `Contributor License Agreement FAQ`_ for a more thorough
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explanation.
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.. _CLA: https://www.djangoproject.com/foundation/cla/
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.. _Contributor License Agreement FAQ: https://www.djangoproject.com/foundation/cla/faq/
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.. _unreviewed ticket: https://code.djangoproject.com/query?status=!closed&stage=Unreviewed
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Guidelines
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==========
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As a newcomer on a large project, it's easy to experience frustration. Here's
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some advice to make your work on Django more useful and rewarding.
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* **Pick a subject area that you care about, that you are familiar with, or
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that you want to learn about**
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You don't already have to be an expert on the area you want to work on; you
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become an expert through your ongoing contributions to the code.
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* **Analyze tickets' context and history**
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Trac isn't an absolute; the context is just as important as the words.
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When reading Trac, you need to take into account who says things, and when
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they were said. Support for an idea two years ago doesn't necessarily mean
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that the idea will still have support. You also need to pay attention to who
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*hasn't* spoken -- for example, if an experienced contributor hasn't been
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recently involved in a discussion, then a ticket may not have the support
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required to get into Django.
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* **Start small**
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It's easier to get feedback on a little issue than on a big one. See the
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`easy pickings`_.
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* **If you're going to engage in a big task, make sure that your idea has
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support first**
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This means getting someone else to confirm that a bug is real before you fix
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the issue, and ensuring that there's consensus on a proposed feature before
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you go implementing it.
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* **Be bold! Leave feedback!**
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Sometimes it can be scary to put your opinion out to the world and say "this
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ticket is correct" or "this patch needs work", but it's the only way the
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project moves forward. The contributions of the broad Django community
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ultimately have a much greater impact than that of any one person. We can't
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do it without **you**!
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* **Err on the side of caution when marking things Ready For Check-in**
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If you're really not certain if a ticket is ready, don't mark it as
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such. Leave a comment instead, letting others know your thoughts. If you're
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mostly certain, but not completely certain, you might also try asking on IRC
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to see if someone else can confirm your suspicions.
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* **Wait for feedback, and respond to feedback that you receive**
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Focus on one or two tickets, see them through from start to finish, and
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repeat. The shotgun approach of taking on lots of tickets and letting some
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fall by the wayside ends up doing more harm than good.
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* **Be rigorous**
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When we say ":pep:`8`, and must have docs and tests", we mean it. If a patch
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doesn't have docs and tests, there had better be a good reason. Arguments
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like "I couldn't find any existing tests of this feature" don't carry much
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weight--while it may be true, that means you have the extra-important job of
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writing the very first tests for that feature, not that you get a pass from
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writing tests altogether.
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* **Be patient**
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It's not always easy for your ticket or your patch to be reviewed quickly.
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This isn't personal. There are a lot of tickets and pull requests to get
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through.
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Keeping your patch up to date is important. Review the ticket on Trac to
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ensure that the *Needs tests*, *Needs documentation*, and *Patch needs
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improvement* flags are unchecked once you've addressed all review comments.
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Remember that Django has an 8 month release cycle, so there's plenty of time
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for your patch to be reviewed.
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Finally, a well-timed reminder can help. See :ref:`contributing code FAQ
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<new-contributors-faq>` for ideas here.
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.. _easy pickings: https://code.djangoproject.com/query?status=!closed&easy=1
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