contributing

One of my first contributions to a project (that wasn't some team of people I had met prior) was FCC (FreeCodeCamp) with a couple of random ones for my first Hacktober. I've been wanting to contribute again and after doing a React refresher (checking out what's new/etc, things I didn't get to encounter/use at work) I figured why not contribute to that. So, I made some notes as I went along at what I could 'fix' and today when I sat down to get started I realized I had left my notes behind (lol), but more importantly I wasn't sure how I did it last time... did I fork it? What did I do first?

Turns out, yes, that is exactly first stop... fork it.

• fork it

• clone it (your fork) -- if you've ever worked with a team this step should be familiar territory as the steps that follow.

• create a folder on your machine on where it will go and run the git clone cmd

  • you may see that your fork is behind some commits, if so, git pull from original repo.
    • example: git pull <https://github.com/somebody/whatever-project-name.git main
    • you can then update your fork with git push

• create a branch, give it some form of description

  • git checkout -b whatever-you-decide-to-name-your-branch-goes-here
    • this creates the branch (-b is shorthand for branch) and puts you on it due to checkout

• make your changes; add, commit, push

  • git push may not be enough, you may get a message similar to git push --set-upstream origin your-branch-name
    • what does this mean? It means you will establish a connection between local branch and branch on the remote repository (in this case, the forked repository on GitHub)

• create a PR (pull request)

  • 👀 there should be a green button for you to press somewhere

• describe what your PR is about (what changes it entails)

  • let people know purpose, changes made, etc. It is possible there may be a template to follow on the project/repo, if not, try to be as descriptive as possible.

    Below is what I submitted recently. Honestly, I was having trouble deciding what/how much to include. The last time I did one of these I was on a project where there was a template to include information wanted/expected.

    PR Title:

    addresses minor issues in the lessons/documentation

    PR Body:

    Purpose:
    PR addresses minor issues in the lessons/documentation: typos, grammar, and occasional syntax or version issue. The goal is to improve overall clarity and readability of course lessons.
    
    Changes Made:
    - Corrected typos/spelling.
    - Fixed grammatical errors to improve readability/clarity.
    - Adjusted syntax (redux-lesson 14) on one example, due to reassignment, eg: const >> let.
    - Added note to module installation (c8-testing-lesson 15) about possibly encountering an error where (for the sake of following along the lesson) the original version used would likely be necessary.
    

• once done, submit away

  • it's ok, don't be scared :D

Now you wait on feedback...

• keep an eye out for any questions/concerns/etc about your changes and be prepared to appease/explain/etc

• changes approved? your PR will be merged in. Take a moment, do a happy dance or whatever your vibe is and repeat the process either on the same project or another one you may have found in the wild.

Something I came across after?... during?... while? (I don't remember now :D) submitting my PR - this how to contribute guide!