Quick Reference for Contributing to Open Source

Adapted from this Guide from DataSchool

Finding a Project

https://goodfirstissues.com/
https://www.codetriage.com/
https://up-for-grabs.net/
https://firstcontributions.github.io/
http://www.pullrequestroulette.com/

Setup Steps (Once Per Project)

1. In GitHub, fork project repo

2. From your personal repo, clone code
   

   git clone [URL]
   

3. Verify your repo is the origin remote
   

   git remote -v
   

4. Add project repo by cloning code
   

   git remote add upstream [URL]
   

Contribution Steps (Once Per Change)

1. Pull latest project changes
   

   git pull upstream main
   

2. Comment on issue requesting to be assigned (or assign yourself if allowed)

3. Create new branch for your development
   

   git checkout -b [branch-name]
   

4. Make changes, add, and commit; link PR to the issue by writing "Resolves #[issue-number]"

   • Be sure to follow any contributing guidelines or formatting specific to the project

   git add .
git commit -m "Resolves #123; message here"
   

5. Push to fork
   

   git push origin [branch-name]
   

6. In GitHub, click 'Compare & Pull Request'

7. Review details and click 'Create Pull Request'

Wait for comments/corrections or for project owner to approve the change

1. After merge, delete branch from fork on GitHub and from local
   

   git checkout main
git branch -D [branch-name]
   

2. To sync fork with project, Pull latest changes from upstream to local
   

   git pull upstream main
   

3. Push local to origin fork
   

   git push origin main