Skip to content

Before Contributing (Code)

Tony edited this page Aug 5, 2026 · 8 revisions

If you're not experienced with contributing to Github projects, I recommend watching a few tutorial videos first and getting familiar with the concepts.

Team

  • Toni (gdscript) is the project lead. Reach out to her if you need help with Github/Godot.
  • drywall is good with Blender. Idk just sayin.

Branches

When creating a new branch (for making a specific change), base it on ###-Next and name it ###-slop-yourbranchnamehere

Main

The Main branch contains the latest "stable" code. This is the code that made it past playtesting without any critical issues.

XXX-Next

This is the unstable code. ###-Next is numbered according to the current "checkpoint" we're working on. Checkpoints try to achieve a limited collection of project goals.

Slop and Tidy

New branches for implementing stuff should be based on ###-Next.

  • The naming convention should be ###-slop-yourbranchnamehere
  • Your branch should achieve one goal. Small contributions = Good. Resist the urge to make a bunch of unrelated changes. This will help ensure that we're not running into merge conflicts.

Cleaning up your code as you go is advised, but sometimes we gotta refactor anyway.

  • These branches are named ###-tidy-specificnamehere

Coding Style

I developed my coding style during Godot 3. They didn't have a standardized coding style back then so everyone made up their own. Here's mine:

https://github.com/programnoir/GDTemplate/wiki/Coding-Style-Guidelines

I'm expecting some deviation in contributions, but the more everything matches up, the better.

How to Contribute Code

  1. Navigate to https://github.com/programnoir/Blackline
  2. Select the Branch drop down menu. Under the Branches tab, switch from "Main" to "###-Next"
  3. Select the green Code drop down menu. Under the Local tab, select Open with Github Desktop
  4. In Github Desktop, set up your local copy of the project wherever feels best for you.
  5. In Github Desktop, select Branch -> New Branch and base your new branch off of "###-Next". This new branch will be your quarantined code space.
  • Your new branch's name should be "###-slop-yourbranchnamehere"
  1. At the top of Github Desktop, make sure "Current Branch" has your branch's name.
  2. Make your changes to the project.
  3. "Save" your changes using the Commit to [your branch name here] button in the bottom left corner of Github Desktop.
  4. When you're ready to propose your changes, publish your branch (should be a button in the middle of the screen) and then select Create Pull Request.

Clone this wiki locally