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How to Contribute to Chayn ⭐

Thank you for taking the time to contribute!

We ❤️ our contributors and strive to give back more than we get. Have feedback on how we can improve? Questions, insight, or other concerns? We invite you to share in our this anonymous form.

Do you want to make a greater impact with Chayn and receive special access to our organization and volunteer opportunities? Please visit our visit our Getting Involved Guide to get started! Don't forget to star this repository ⭐ so we can find more contributors like you!

Table of Contents

Prerequisites

If you are new to GitHub and git version control, here are some resources to help you get started:

Here are prerequisites you should meet before contributing to Chayn's GitHub:

  • git version control configuration
  • a GitHub account
  • fundamental knowledge of the GitHub and git version control flow (fork, clone, push, commit, branches, etc.)

It is not required that you have experience contributing to open-source projects on GitHub! Chayn aims to be a safe space for contributors of all skill-levels to build their skills while making an impact in digital public goods. If this is your first contribution, we recommend saving the cheatsheet linked above for future reference, learning how to navigate the GitHub and git version control docs, and in general -- learn as you go. The Chayn team is here to help. You got this! 💪

Where can I get help?

Chayn maintainers and developers are here to help! We aim to give a safe space for contributors of all skill levels to build their skills while making an impact. 🤝

You can ask Chayn team members questions at any point during your contribution in the following places on GitHub:

  • Issue discussions in an issue you're assigned to or interested in.
  • Pull request discussions for your contribution.
  • Or, create a new issue with the type: question / suggestion label.

Chayn team members usually respond within 3 business days.

What kind of contributions does Chayn want?

Chayn is open to all kinds of contributions, such as:

  • additional software tests / test coverage
  • dependency updates *check Dependabot pull requests
  • code (requested features, bug fixes, quality enhancements, maintenance help)
  • accessibility and language support.
  • no-code (documentation, translations) *see spam policy below for accepted documentation changes.

Chayn's Spam Contribution Policy 🚫

Chayn will reject contributor pull requests if they are defined as spam or not associated with an issue. All pull requests need to be associated with an issue. If you open a pull request without claiming an issue, you will be asked to create an issue for your pull request.

Documentation contributions will only be accepted under these circumstances:

  • is relevant to an open issue.
  • adds additional context to the developer experience, such as environment set-up.
  • describes solutions for common error handling.
  • fixes a typo.

Unwanted documentation changes, such as summarizations, white space edits, or minor grammatical edits will be DENIED (unless there is evidence provided that these changes are for accessibility).

The Contribution Process Guide

Directions for Contributing to Chayn:

  1. Read the README and Code of Conduct
  2. Claim an Issue
  3. Fork the Repo and Create a New Branch
  4. Commit Changes Using Open-Source Standards
  5. Sync Fork if Needed
  6. Push Changes to GitHub
  7. Make a Pull Request to Chayn

1. Read the README and Code of Conduct:.

First, read the project's README for project-specific directions on how to set up your development environment and git flow.

Contributing means you have agreed to our Code of Conduct.

Note: For no-code contributors, if you are editing the README file or any other markdown / text files, it is NOT required to set up environment variables, run the app locally, and pass tests. You can make your changes entirely in the GitHub UI (in the web browser) after forking the Chayn repository you are working on and creating a new feature branch.

2. Claim an Issue:

To claim an issue, either create an issue to be assigned to OR ask to be assigned an existing issue.

  • If multiple people ask to be assigned before a Chayn maintainer can respond, the person who asked first will be assigned.

  • Multiple people are welcome to collaborate on a single issue.

Important!: All pull requests MUST be associated with a claimed issue. We may deny your pull request if it is not associated with an issue that you're assigned to. Please make sure you are assigned an issue BEFORE making your contribution.

Create Issue:

Have an idea for a contribution? Create your own! For more guidance see GitHub Docs: Creating an Issue.

Steps to create an issue to be assigned to:

  1. Check that your issue doesn't already exist.
  2. Follow our issue templates for creating new issues.
  3. If your issue is complex, consider breaking it into multiple smaller issues.
  4. Ask to be assigned your issue in the discussion.

See What kind of contributions does Chayn want? for contribution ideas.

Claim Existing Issue:

To claim an existing issue, comment in the discussions and ask to be assigned. Ideally you should tag the issue author / Chayn team member.

How to Select Issues:

Scan our issue labels to find issues that suit you:

  • The good first issue and first-timers-friendly labels are best for new contributors.
  • The help wanted label indicates that Chayn is inviting contributors to help. While contributors can contribute to any unassigned issue, issues with this label are specifically looking for help outside of Chayn's dev team.
  • The complexity: beginner label is for issues that take less than 1 day to complete, and require little to no prior experience with the codebase.
  • The complexity: moderate label is for issues that may take 1-2 days to complete, and will require some knowledge of the codebase.
  • The complexity: advanced is for issues that may take more time, possibly 3+ days. These will require more in-depth knowledge of the codebase. Contributors are strongly encouraged to report progress while working on complex issues.

We suggest starting with issues labeled good first issue or complexity: beginner to get comfortable with the codebase before moving onto more complex issues.

Issue Limit Policies

To ensure we give a fair opportunity to everyone, Chayn maintainers may limit the number of issues you can be assigned. This allows us to manage our open-source contributions at a sustainable pace and ensure there are always open issues for everyone.

  • Only 1 issue of a specific complexity level in a single repository may be assigned to a contributor at a time. To be assigned another, you must complete or close your previous issue. For example, a contributor can have 1 beginner issue, 1 intermediate issue, and 1 complex issue open in a single repository at a time. But they cannot have 3 beginner issues open, or 2 intermediate issues open at once in a single repository.
  • Issues may be capped at any time and for any reason, such as reserving for events like volunteer programs or Hacktoberfest.

Abandoned Contribution Policy:

We understand that life happens! If you can no longer finish a contribution, please comment to let us know so we can swiftly reassign.

  • After 60 days of no activity, your issue or pull request will be labeled stale and you will be prompted to respond in the discussions.
  • If there is no response, we will unassign the issue and close your pull request.

3. Fork the Repo and Create a New Branch:

First, read the Git Flow and Deployment section in your project's README file to learn of any project-specific requirements. Generally, the git flow is the same among all repositories, however, each project may slightly vary.

Next, follow the five-step process below to create your own copy of Chayn's code to work on.

Make Your Own Copy of Chayn's Code To Work On:

  1. Fork the Chayn repository you want to make changes on in GitHub:

    • In the GitHub web browser, navigate to the Chayn repository you want to contribute to, then select "Fork" in the top-right menu. For more in-depth guidance, read this forking guide in the GitHub Docs: How to Fork a Repo.
    • Ensure that you are forking from the default branch. Depending on the project, the default branch may not be main. In general, GitHub will automatically fork the default branch, but it's important to verify the default branch for your project in the README file.

  2. Create a new feature branch on your fork. This feature branch will be where you make changes.

    • Navigate to your forked repository (found on your GitHub profile in your list of repositories) then select the drop-down menu of branches in the top-left corner. There will be an option to create a new branch. For more in-depth guidance, read this guide on creating new branches in the GitHub Docs: Branching Guide.
    • We recommend naming your new feature branch intuitively:
      • Branch naming option 1: use label and description, such as dependencies/update-node.
      • Branch naming option 2: use your GitHub name and descriptive title, such as chayntech/update-node.

  3. Clone the fork to your computer where you will run the application locally. Cloning will be an option in the top right drop-down menu titled "Code" on your forked repo. If making no-code changes to markdown / text files, you can bypass this step and edit directly in GitHub inside your new feature branch. For more guidance on cloning, visit this GitHub guide: How to Clone a Repo.

  4. Switch to your feature branch locally before making code changes by running the following command:

git checkout <feature-branch-name>

To create new branches locally, run this git command to create a new branch and switch to it:

git checkout -b <feature-branch-name>
  1. Verify that you working in the correct feature branch by running this command (you should see your feature branch as the selected branch):
git branch

For more guidance on managing branches with git version control, visit this guide: Git Basic Branching.

What if I Clone from Chayn's Repo and Not My Fork?

Cloning from a forked repository is necessary because contributors do not have permission to push directly to Chayn's repositories. To verify that your cloned repo is from your fork, use the git remote -v command and check that your forked repo is set as the origin.

For more guidance on updating your remote origin, please visit this guide on GitHub: Getting Started with Managing Remote Repositories.

4. Commit Changes Using Open-Source Standards:

Whether you are a beginner developer or experienced, we recommend all contributors use open-source best practices by following the six standards listed below.

How to Properly Commit Changes:

  1. Keep commits small and distinct. A PR can have multiple commits, but only if each commit is distinctive and relevant in the PR.

  2. Comment your code to describe what it's doing, especially if making extensive code changes.

  3. Run linters to properly format your code before making commits. Directions for running linters are in the repository's README file.

  4. Run tests and check that they pass. Directions for running tests are in the repository's README file.

    Important Note about Tests: We are currently making upgrades to our products performances. Therefore, some tests may need to be ran multiple times before they pass, and some may not pass at all. We recommend frequently running tests as you make code changes, then at your own discretion, deciding which tests fail due to your code changes, and fixing them so that they pass. Please reach out to Chayn staff in issue discussions if you encounter any issues with tests. Thank you for your patience!

  5. Check that no secrets (sensitive API keys and environment variables) and no unwanted, irrelevant files are commited. Everything you commit to Chayn will be public, please be vigilant about not commiting sensitive information. Be sure to update .gitignore as needed, making sure to clean the .gitignore cache whenever new files are added to it. Learn more about properly using the .gitignore file to ignore specific files in this GitHub guide: Ignoring Files Guide.

  6. Write readable commit messages as demonstrated below:

How to Write Readable Commit Messages:

Basic Anatomy of a Commit Message:

git commit -m <title> -m <description>

Commit Title:

  • (< 50 char) first line is the commit title. This should be capitalized and contain a short, one-line summary.
  • Blank line to separate title from body. This ensures “git log” can parse logs correctly.

Commit Description:

  • (< 72 char) explains the why of a commit rather than how.
  • To keep commit messages readable, your commit message should wrap text to avoid long, single lines of text.
  • See link for more detail on structuring commits.

Example: Git Commit Message (Good):

fix: fix foo to enable bar

Fix bug preventing users from submitting the subscribe form

Example: Git Commit Message (Bad):

fixed bug on landing page

Note: While following these directions perfectly is not expected, Chayn maintainers may ask you to implement these standards during your pull request review.

5. Sync Your Fork if Needed:

If the default branch of the Chayn repository you forked from has been updated (referred to as the "upstream repository"), it is recommended to keep your forked repository up to date with these changes.

How Can I Tell if the Upstream Repository has been Updated?

Navigate to the GitHub UI (in the web browser) and view your forked repository, you will see a notification alerting you that your fork has less commits than the the upstream. See an example in the guide linked below.

How Do I Update my Fork?

We highly recommend referring to this guide in GitHub's docs on how to sync your fork: GitHub Docs: Syncing Your Fork. You can sync your fork using the GitHub UI (web browser), command line, or GitHub's CLI by following the directions in the GitHub Docs.

In addition to following the guide linked above, always make sure that your default branch is up-to-date first before your feature branch. After syncing your default branch with the upstream, then merge those updates into your feature branch.

Next, verify that the git history on your feature branch is correctly synced with the upstream. One way to do this is to use the git log command to check commit history. In your feature branch history, you should see the updated commits pulled from upstream, then your new commits, followed by a merge commit.

Finally, please resolve any merge conflicts by manually editing the conflicting files and deciding how the conflicting changes should be merged. You can refer to the resources linked below for more guidance on how to handle merge conflicts.

For more guidance on updating forks, read the following guides:

Note: We understand merge conflicts can feel scary for new devs! While we encourage contributors to update their forks prior to pull request, please do not hesitate to submit a pull request despite fork syncing issues or merge conflicts. If you have any questions or concerns, please let Chayn maintainers know in GitHub. Chayn maintainers are here to help!

6. Push Changes to GitHub:

Before pushing changes to GitHub, please check that you have followed the standards listed in the Commit Changes Using Open-Source Standards section of this document.

In addition to following the best practices listed here, we ask that you carefully ensure that there are no secrets and unwanted files being pushed.

We recommend using the git status command to verify that the right files are being pushed.

For more guidance on pushing changes to GitHub, read the following guides:

7 . Make a Pull Request to Chayn:

For a more in-depth guide on creating pull requests, please refer to this guide in the GitHub Docs: Creating a Pull Request Guide. We recommend opening a pull request in the GitHub UI (GitHub in the web browser.)

Important Note: Check that you are forking against the correct default branch in the upstream Chayn repository. While GitHub should automatically fork against the default branch, if the default branch is not called main (some Chayn repositories use the develop branch as the default), GitHub is known to accidentally fork against main instead of the correct default branch. However, this is not a common issue.

Next, complete the tasklist in the pull request template. This is a brief tasklist that is only viewable when creating a pull request.

Finally, submit your pull request, and be available for discussions that may arise and to make suggested changes that may be required before merging.

Get merged and celebrate! 🎉

Woohoo! Once your PR is merged, your changes will be public on GitHub!

Thank you for contributing to Chayn! 👏

If you enjoyed the contributing to Chayn, give our repo a star to help our projects reach more developers like you! ⭐