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Code Contribution Workflow

Table of Contents

Introduction

This page describes the workflow for making a contribution to PlasmaPy via a pull request. This page assumes that you have finished the steps for :ref:`getting ready to contribute`.

If you run into any problems, please feel free to reach out to us in our `Matrix chat room`_ or during our weekly `office hours`_. Thank you for contributing!

Tip

Issues labeled as a good first issue are a great place to get started with contributing.

Making a code contribution

Create a new branch

  1. :ref:`Open a terminal <opening-a-terminal>`.

  2. Navigate to the :file:`PlasmaPy/` directory that contains the clone of your repository.

  3. Download the current status of `PlasmaPy's GitHub repository`_ and your fork by running:

    git fetch --all

  4. Create and switch to a new branch by running:

    git checkout -b new-branch-name upstream main

    where new-branch-name is changed to the name of the new branch. Here upstream is the name of the remote and main is the name of the original branch.

    Tip

    Use descriptive branch names like update-contribution-workflow.

  5. Connect your local branch to your fork of PlasmaPy on GitHub_ by running:

    git push --set-upstream origin new-branch-name

Add and commit changes

Next we can go through the cycle of making changes, which can be repeated multiple times.

  1. Edit a file and save the changes.

  2. In a terminal, run:

    git add filename

    where :samp:`{filename}` is replaced with the name of the edited file(s). Use git add * to add all files in the directory (except for files specified in :file:`.gitignore`. This step lets us line up the changes that we want to record as a snapshot in history.

  3. To commit the changes, run:

    git commit -m "<commit message>"

    where :samp:`{<commit message>}` is replaced with a descriptive commit message such as "Add gyroradius function". Committing a change is like preserving a snapshot of what each file looks like at this point in history.

    If it has been installed, pre-commit will perform automated checks and possibly make some automated changes. If pre-commit fails, then it'll be necessary to do the git add and git commit steps once more.

  4. To push the changes to GitHub, run:

    git push

Tip

Try using the git status command after each step to get a better idea of what is happening.

Note

The git workflow can be thought of as the process of mailing a package.

  • git add is like packing the contents of a package into a box. This step allows you to choose which changes to include in the next commit.
  • git commit is like sealing and labeling the package, and putting it in the outgoing mail.
  • git push is like sending the package off to its destination (i.e., GitHub).

Creating a pull request

  1. Run git push to make sure that branch on GitHub is up-to-date.

  2. Go to `PlasmaPy's GitHub repository`_.

  3. If you recently pushed new changes, a pale yellow box will appear near the top of the screen. In that box, click :guilabel:`Compare & pull request`.

    Note

    If you did not recently push any new changes, click on :guilabel:`New pull request` and then the link saying "compare across forks." Select PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy for "base repository" and main for "base". Choose your fork of PlasmaPy for "head repository" and the name of the branch for "compare". Then click on :guilabel:`Create pull request`.

  4. Add a descriptive title, such as Add a function to calculate particle gyroradii.

  5. Write a description for the pull request. Describe the changes, and why they are being made. Include information that you think would be helpful for reviewers, future users, and future contributors..

    Tip

    If your pull request will resolve an issue, include :samp:`Closes #{ISSUE-NUMBER}` in the pull request description, where :samp:`{ISSUE-NUMBER}` is replaced with the number of the issue.

  6. Select :guilabel:`Create pull request`.

    Tip

    If the pull request isn't ready for review, select the :guilabel:`▼` next to :guilabel:`Create pull request` to enable you to create a draft pull request instead.

  7. :ref:`Add a changelog entry <add-changelog>`, except for minor changes like typo fixes.

    Note

    After the pull request has been created, it can be updated by using git push to update the corresponding branch on GitHub.

  8. If this is your first contribution, please add yourself to the author list in |CITATION.cff|_ (which uses `Citation File Format`_) to make sure that you get credit for your contribution. The entry should be of the form:

    - given-names: <given names>
  family-names: <family names>
  affiliation: <affiliation>
  orcid: https://orcid.org/<ORCiD-iD>
  alias: {missing_github_username}

    All fields are optional except alias, which is your GitHub username. We encourage contributors to sign up for an ORCID iD: a unique, persistent identifier used by researchers, authors, and open source contributors.

At this stage, a reviewer will perform a code review, unless it has been marked as a draft pull request. Thank you for contributing!