Contributing

Contributing

The project is open source and a teaching project: the site, the build, the checks and the tooling are here to read and reuse. A post, a bug fix or a clearer doc are all welcome. The authoritative text is CONTRIBUTING.md and the Code of Conduct; this page is the short path.

Before you start

• Every change starts from an issue. Open one, or comment on an existing one. The pull request links it with Refs #N or Closes #N.
• Proposing a post? Use the "Post proposal" issue template and wait for a reply before you write a long one. See Writing a post.

Make a change

1. Fork the repository and branch from main.
2. Make the smallest change that does the job. Add or update a test when you change behavior.
3. Run the checks. scripts/gate.sh --fast runs only what your changed files touch; scripts/gate.sh runs everything CI runs. See Getting started.
4. Open a pull request with the template filled in. CI runs the build, the checks and the security scans; the single required check is CI green.

Rules that never bend

• No secrets, tokens or credentials. No .env files.
• No private data: a real callsign, grid square, employer, hostname, serial number or asset tag. Use placeholders.
• No third-party scripts, styles, fonts, embeds or analytics in the pages. The Content Security Policy blocks them and CI checks for them.
• The house wording rule: never the short form of cryptocurrency.
• American English, and no em dashes.
• Raw WordPress exports and unscrubbed drafts are never committed.
• Never weaken, skip or narrow a check to get green. If a check is wrong, say so in the issue and fix the check in its own change.

Adding or changing a check

A check ships with its test, including a case that must fail. Wire both into .github/workflows/ci.yml and into scripts/gate.sh in the same pull request. Read Build checks and budgets first.

Editing this wiki

The wiki is Markdown under docs/wiki/ and changes in pull requests like any other file. python3 -I scripts/check-wiki.py fails when a page links to a file that does not exist, names a repository path that does not exist, uses an em dash or a home-folder path, or when a required page is missing; its test is scripts/test-check-wiki.sh. scripts/publish-wiki.sh <wiki-clone> mirrors the pages into a clone of the GitHub wiki and rewrites Page.md links to full wiki addresses (tested by scripts/test-publish-wiki.sh). Conventions:

• Link to another wiki page with its file name, for example [Getting started](Getting-started.md).
• Link to a repository file with a full address of the form https://github.com/ChiefGyk3D/no-php-no-cry/blob/main/<path>. The check resolves it against the working tree, and the link works the same once the pages are copied to the GitHub wiki.
• Put commands and repository paths in backticks or a fenced block, so the check reads them. Only paths that start with a known top-level folder are judged.
• Describe what is on main. For a feature in an open pull request, write a clearly marked "lands with PR #N" note and remove it when the pull request merges.

Reporting a security problem

Do not open a public issue for a vulnerability. Use the repository's private vulnerability reporting (the Security tab, "Report a vulnerability") if it is enabled. If it is not, open an issue that says only that you have a security report and ask for a private way to send it, with no details.