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- Submit your code (preferably via GitHub). It is HIGHLY recommended to do so via a GitHub Pull Request (see GitHub's "About Pull Requests", or our notes on Development with Git), which references your newly created ticket by number (e.g. DS-1234). If you are uncomfortable with Git/GitHub, you may instead attach a patch to the ticket you created. Be warned that the review/approval process for patch files is often much slower, as we first must locate someone to create a Pull Request on your behalf.
- Review your own code. Does it follow our Contribution Checklist? Does it need Documentation? If you are using any third party tools/APIs, do they all have an acceptable Open Source License (see Licensing see Licensing of Contributions)? The Committers will also be reviewing these aspects of your code, but if you can catch these gaps or issues up front it can speed up the process of correcting them.
- Respond to feedback. If the Committers ask questions or make suggestions for changes, please try to be responsive. The Committers are all volunteers and are trying to help as best we can, but the process moves more quickly if you can try to be responsive as well.
- Help rework/update code as needed. If suggestions for changes are made, if you can rework the code, it speeds up the process. If you submitted your code as a Pull Request, you can just quickly add changes/updates to the branch linked to from your Pull Request.
- Ask questions. If there is a long delay in the Committers responding, or if you aren't sure of the status of your contribution, please ask. We'd be glad to explain whether the delay is just because we are all busy, or if there's something else we are waiting on.
- Pay attention to release deadlines. As the next DSpace release approaches, the Committers will announce a "Contribution Deadline" for the upcoming release (usually the release schedule & deadlines are emailed to all lists in July/August). In order to keep releases on-time, the Committers must set a date after which they can no longer accept new feature contributions. Although you may add code contributions year round, they will only be considered for a specific release if they are contributed before that release's contribution deadline.
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- Please be sure to share your plans with the DSpace Library Simplified community on the 'dspace-devel' listslack (or via one of the weekly Developer weekly Developer Meetings) before embarking on any sizable development effort. This will ensure you achieve your goals in a way that is consistent with the DSpace SimplyE architecture and plans of the rest of the community. It will minimize the chances of a scenario where you have invested a large amount of time and effort into a body of code that does not fit in with the DSpace SimplyE architecture or the consensus of the community.
- Develop incrementally; try and implement and contribute a basic form of your feature as soon as possible, rather than aiming to implement a complete and 'polished' solution. This will help ensure you're on the right track with regards to the rest of the DSpace theLibrary Simplified community and SimplyE platform. The sooner your code is part of the core code base, the less time you will have to spend 'chasing' the main code base, i.e. keeping your changes up-to-date with that core code base.
- Obtain the SimplyE code using GitHub (see also Development with Git). This will make code management much easier. It's very simple to do; see Developer Guidelines and Tools.
- Read Code Contribution Guidelines (this page) and Code Style Guide to ensure you are following DSpace style guide conventions. This will ensure your code is more likely to be immediately accepted as part of out-of-the-box DSpaceSimplyE.
- Ensure that any third-party tools/libraries that you plan to utilize are released under compatible open source licenses. See the Licensing the Licensing of Contributions section Contributions section below.
- For Larger Initiatives/Codebases: If you are building out a much larger project, we highly recommend notifying the community of the work early on via an email to __________. This can help find collaborators or get early feedback. We also recommend you develop your project in GitHub, as it provides easier ways to review/collaborate with other developers.
But, my code's not ready!
Don't worry! Think of it like this: open source software development is like a conversation. The conversation has to start somehow. Here's what you can do right now: create a JIRA issue, explaining your idea, and make a new branch, using that issue number in the branch name. Now, commit your new code to that branch, and push it up to your fork on GitHub. Now, the conversation has already started, and people have a way to discuss your idea in a meaningful fashion–referring to the JIRA issue number, perhaps reviewing and commenting on your branch on GitHub. It would probably be a good idea to link to your work in progress branch from the JIRA issue, as it will make finding you work, and the process of reviewing it, easier. Before you know it, you'll be ready to make a pull request, and your work will already have champions within the DSpace community, all because you put it out there and made it available for review early.
Sounds like fun, doesn't it? That's because it is fun. Come, join the conversation!
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Once your code is ready, you must make your code available to the DSpace SimplyE Committers Group for review. The easiest way for us to review your code is by putting your code into GitHub (just create your own account – it's free!). Then, submit a "Pull Request" to our GitHub repository (see Development with Git). Alternatively, if you are not yet comfortable with GitHub, you may create a patch (and upload it to our DSpace Issue our Issue Tracker). However, please be aware that submitting a patch may delay the review process (see below note)
In either case, you must also create a new ticket in our DSpace Issue our Issue Tracker. This ensures that the DSpace SimplyE Developers are notified of your contribution, and acts as a place for us to comment on the work or make suggestions for improvements.
Code Standards
Code contributions that meet certain standards are much more likely to be accepted immediately. For a list of our current standards, please read through the Code the Code Contribution Standards section Standards section below.
To ensure your contribution is reviewed more quickly, send us a GitHub Pull Request!
When making a code contribution, at the very least you should create a new ticket in our DSpace Issue our Issue Tracker. In that issue you should provide information as to why you feel this code is a worthwhile contribution (e.g. describe the bug it fixes or a use case that it meets). You can submit your code as an attachment to that ticket (not recommended, see below), or submit it as a Pull Request to our GitHub code repository (highly recommended).
We highly recommend submitting a GitHub Pull Request (see Development with Git for hints/tips), which mentions the ticket by number (e.g. DS-1234). In order to add any new feature to DSpaceSimplyE, a Pull Request must be generated (by someone). So, if you are able to create and submit the Pull Request, it makes it that much easier for the Committers to review and accept the changes. If you are unable to create the Pull Request, then the review process may be delayed, as we will need to locate a "steward" for your contribution, i.e. someone who is willing and able to create the necessary Pull Request on your behalf.
Keep in Mind the "Feature Contribution Deadline" for the Next Release
When the next release of DSpace SimplyE is getting close, the Committers will set a "Feature Contribution Deadline" date, after which no new feature submissions will be accepted for that release. The reason for this is that the Committers need time to review & stabilize the current code before the next release can be completed. Make sure to check the Next the Next Release Status page Status page for details on when the next "Feature Contribution Deadline" is. Please note that bug fixes are still accepted after the "Code Contribution Deadline", as they will help to stabilize the upcoming release.
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What are we reviewing for?
When we review your code, we are mostly ensuring it generally follows our Code our Code Contribution Standards. However, there are a few other things we generally check for:
- The code is stable and has no stability or security concerns
- The code is properly using existing APIs, etc.
- The code is not too specific to one institution's local policies or workflows. (I.e. we will review the code to ensure it looks to be generally useful to most institutions, or configurable enough such that others can change it to match their own local policies/workflows)
- Any third-party tools/libraries used by your code have compatible open source licenses. See Licensing See Licensing of Contributions
3. Reworking Code (if necessary) & Next Steps
After the code review & feedback, interested Committers may help you to rework the code (if needed). They'll also provide you with next steps on getting the code into DSpaceSimplyE. If it can be accepted immediately, it will be. If not, we'll try to help figure out the best route forward.
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