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diff --git a/docs/CONTRIBUTE.md b/docs/CONTRIBUTE.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..cbda0c046 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/CONTRIBUTE.md @@ -0,0 +1,247 @@ +# Contributing to the curl project + +This document is intended to offer guidelines on how to best contribute to the +curl project. This concerns new features as well as corrections to existing +flaws or bugs. + +## Learning cURL + +### Join the Community + +Skip over to [https://curl.haxx.se/mail/](https://curl.haxx.se/mail/) and join +the appropriate mailing list(s). Read up on details before you post +questions. Read this file before you start sending patches! We prefer +questions sent to and discussions being held on the mailing list(s), not sent +to individuals. + +Before posting to one of the curl mailing lists, please read up on the +[mailing list etiquette](https://curl.haxx.se/mail/etiquette.html). + +We also hang out on IRC in #curl on irc.freenode.net + +If you're at all interested in the code side of things, consider clicking +'watch' on the [curl repo on github](https://github.com/curl/curl) to get +notified on pull requests and new issues posted there. + +### License and copyright + +When contributing with code, you agree to put your changes and new code under +the same license curl and libcurl is already using unless stated and agreed +otherwise. + +If you add a larger piece of code, you can opt to make that file or set of +files to use a different license as long as they don't enforce any changes to +the rest of the package and they make sense. Such "separate parts" can not be +GPL licensed (as we don't want copyleft to affect users of libcurl) but they +must use "GPL compatible" licenses (as we want to allow users to use libcurl +properly in GPL licensed environments). + +When changing existing source code, you do not alter the copyright of the +original file(s). The copyright will still be owned by the original creator(s) +or those who have been assigned copyright by the original author(s). + +By submitting a patch to the curl project, you are assumed to have the right +to the code and to be allowed by your employer or whatever to hand over that +patch/code to us. We will credit you for your changes as far as possible, to +give credit but also to keep a trace back to who made what changes. Please +always provide us with your full real name when contributing! + +### What To Read + +Source code, the man pages, the [INTERNALS +document](https://curl.haxx.se/dev/internals.html), +[TODO](https://curl.haxx.se/docs/todo.html), +[KNOWN_BUGS](https://curl.haxx.se/docs/knownbugs.html) and the [most recent +changes](https://curl.haxx.se/dev/sourceactivity.html) in git. Just lurking on +the [curl-library mailing +list](https://curl.haxx.se/mail/list.cgi?list=curl-library) will give you a +lot of insights on what's going on right now. Asking there is a good idea too. + +## Write a good patch + +### Follow code style + +When writing C code, follow the +[CODE_STYLE](https://curl.haxx.se/dev/code-style.html) already established in +the project. Consistent style makes code easier to read and mistakes less +likely to happen. Run `make checksrc` before you submit anything, to make sure +you follow the basic style. That script doesn't verify everything, but if it +complains you know you have work to do. + +### Non-clobbering All Over + +When you write new functionality or fix bugs, it is important that you don't +fiddle all over the source files and functions. Remember that it is likely +that other people have done changes in the same source files as you have and +possibly even in the same functions. If you bring completely new +functionality, try writing it in a new source file. If you fix bugs, try to +fix one bug at a time and send them as separate patches. + +### Write Separate Changes + +It is annoying when you get a huge patch from someone that is said to fix 511 +odd problems, but discussions and opinions don't agree with 510 of them - or +509 of them were already fixed in a different way. Then the person merging +this change needs to extract the single interesting patch from somewhere +within the huge pile of source, and that gives a lot of extra work. + +Preferably, each fix that correct a problem should be in its own patch/commit +with its own description/commit message stating exactly what they correct so +that all changes can be selectively applied by the maintainer or other +interested parties. + +Also, separate changes enable bisecting much better when we track problems +and regression in the future. + +### Patch Against Recent Sources + +Please try to get the latest available sources to make your patches against. +It makes the lives of the developers so much easier. The very best is if you +get the most up-to-date sources from the git repository, but the latest +release archive is quite OK as well! + +### Documentation + +Writing docs is dead boring and one of the big problems with many open source +projects. Someone's gotta do it. It makes it a lot easier if you submit a +small description of your fix or your new features with every contribution so +that it can be swiftly added to the package documentation. + +The documentation is always made in man pages (nroff formatted) or plain +ASCII files. All HTML files on the web site and in the release archives are +generated from the nroff/ASCII versions. + +### Test Cases + +Since the introduction of the test suite, we can quickly verify that the main +features are working as they're supposed to. To maintain this situation and +improve it, all new features and functions that are added need to be tested +in the test suite. Every feature that is added should get at least one valid +test case that verifies that it works as documented. If every submitter also +posts a few test cases, it won't end up as a heavy burden on a single person! + +If you don't have test cases or perhaps you have done something that is very +hard to write tests for, do explain exactly how you have otherwise tested and +verified your changes. + +## Sharing Your Changes + +### How to get your changes into the main sources + +Ideally you file a [pull request on +github](https://github.com/curl/curl/pulls), but you can also send your plain +patch to [the curl-library mailing +list](https://curl.haxx.se/mail/list.cgi?list=curl-library). + +Either way, your change will be reviewed and discussed there and you will be +expected to correct flaws pointed out and update accordingly, or the change +risk stalling and eventually just get deleted without action. As a submitter +of a change, you are the owner of that change until it has been merged. + +Respond on the list or on github about the change and answer questions and/or +fix nits/flaws. This is very important. We will take lack of replies as a +sign that you're not very anxious to get your patch accepted and we tend to +simply drop such changes. + +### About pull requests + +With github it is easy to send a [pull +request](https://github.com/curl/curl/pulls) to the curl project to have +changes merged. + +We prefer pull requests to mailed patches, as it makes it a proper git commit +that is easy to merge and they are easy to track and not that easy to loose +in a flood of many emails, like they sometimes do on the mailing lists. + +When you ajust your pull requests after review, consider squashing the +commits so that we can review the full updated version more easily. + +### Making quality patches + +Make the patch against as recent sources as possible. + +If you've followed the tips in this document and your patch still hasn't been +incorporated or responded to after some weeks, consider resubmitting it to +the list or better yet: change it to a pull request. + +### Write good commit messages + +A short guide to how to write commit messages in the curl project. + + ---- start ---- + [area]: [short line describing the main effect] + -- empty line -- + [full description, no wider than 72 columns that describe as much as + possible as to why this change is made, and possibly what things + it fixes and everything else that is related] + -- empty line -- + [Bug: URL to source of the report or more related discussion] + [Reported-by: John Doe - credit the reporter] + [whatever-else-by: credit all helpers, finders, doers] + ---- stop ---- + +Don't forget to use commit --author="" if you commit someone else's work, +and make sure that you have your own user and email setup correctly in git +before you commit + +### Write Access to git Repository + +If you are a very frequent contributor, you may be given push access to the +git repository and then you'll be able to push your changes straight into the +git repo instead of sending changes as pull requests or by mail as patches. + +Just ask if this is what you'd want. You will be required to have posted +several high quality patches first, before you can be granted push access. + +### How To Make a Patch with git + +You need to first checkout the repository: + + git clone https://github.com/curl/curl.git + +You then proceed and edit all the files you like and you commit them to your +local repository: + + git commit [file] + +As usual, group your commits so that you commit all changes that at once that +constitutes a logical change. + +Once you have done all your commits and you're happy with what you see, you +can make patches out of your changes that are suitable for mailing: + + git format-patch remotes/origin/master + +This creates files in your local directory named NNNN-[name].patch for each +commit. + +Now send those patches off to the curl-library list. You can of course opt to +do that with the 'git send-email' command. + +### How To Make a Patch without git + +Keep a copy of the unmodified curl sources. Make your changes in a separate +source tree. When you think you have something that you want to offer the +curl community, use GNU diff to generate patches. + +If you have modified a single file, try something like: + + diff -u unmodified-file.c my-changed-one.c > my-fixes.diff + +If you have modified several files, possibly in different directories, you +can use diff recursively: + + diff -ur curl-original-dir curl-modified-sources-dir > my-fixes.diff + +The GNU diff and GNU patch tools exist for virtually all platforms, including +all kinds of Unixes and Windows: + +For unix-like operating systems: + + - [https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/patch/](https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/patch/) + - [https://www.gnu.org/software/diffutils/](https://www.gnu.org/software/diffutils/) + +For Windows: + + - [http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/patch.htm](http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/patch.htm) + - [http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/diffutils.htm](http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/diffutils.htm) |