What is Open Source Contribution Guide Template?

A contribution guide template for open-source projects helps new contributors understand how to contribute effectively, reducing barriers and increasing the number of contributions. This template outlines a comprehensive guide on contributing to your project.

Table of Contents

1. [Introduction](#introduction)
2. [Getting Started](#getting-started)
3. [Code Contributions](#code-contributions)
4. [Documentation Contributions](#documentation-contributions)
5. [Reporting Issues](#reporting-issues)
6. [Review Process](#review-process)
7. [Communication Channels](#communication-channels)

### Introduction

Welcome to our open-source project! We're excited to have you on board and appreciate your interest in contributing to our community.

### Getting Started

Before contributing, please:

• Familiarize yourself with the project: Read the documentation, explore the codebase, and understand the project's goals and scope.
• Set up a development environment: Install the necessary tools and dependencies to work on the project.
• Join our community: Participate in discussions on our communication channels (see below) to get a feel for our community.

### Code Contributions

If you're interested in contributing code, please:

1. Choose an issue or feature: Select an open issue or propose a new feature to work on.
2. Create a branch: Use the `git checkout -b <branch-name>` command to create a new branch for your changes.
3. Make changes: Implement your changes and test them thoroughly.
4. Commit changes: Follow our commit guidelines (see below) when committing your code.
5. Submit a pull request: Use the `git push` command to push your changes to the remote repository, then submit a pull request.

### Commit Guidelines

• Use a clear and concise commit message: Describe the changes you made and why.
• Follow our coding style: Adhere to our project's coding conventions (e.g., naming conventions, indentation).

### Documentation Contributions

If you're interested in contributing documentation, please:

1. Choose an area of focus: Select a specific aspect of the project that needs improvement.
2. Create a branch: Use the `git checkout -b <branch-name>` command to create a new branch for your changes.
3. Make changes: Update or add documentation as needed, following our documentation style (see below).
4. Commit changes: Follow our commit guidelines when committing your code.
5. Submit a pull request: Use the `git push` command to push your changes to the remote repository, then submit a pull request.

### Reporting Issues

If you encounter any issues while contributing or using our project:

1. Check existing issues: Search for similar issues on our issue tracker.
2. Create a new issue: If you can't find an existing issue related to your problem, create a new one with as much detail as possible.

### Review Process

All code and documentation contributions will undergo a review process before being merged into the main branch:

1. Code reviews: Our team members will review your code for quality, adherence to our coding conventions, and overall impact.
2. Documentation reviews: Our documentation maintainers will review your changes to ensure they align with our project's style and accuracy.

### Communication Channels

To stay in touch and get help:

• Mailing list: Join our mailing list for announcements, discussions, and support questions.
• Issue tracker: Report issues, track progress, and engage with other contributors on our issue tracker.
• Chat room: Participate in our chat room (e.g., Slack, Discord) for real-time conversations.

By following this guide, you'll be well on your way to becoming an active contributor to our open-source project. We're excited to see what you can bring!

Example Use Case

Suppose a new contributor wants to contribute code to the project's feature branch. They:

1. Choose an issue or feature: Select the “Improve user authentication” issue.
2. Create a branch: Use `git checkout -b improve-authentication`.
3. Make changes: Implement their changes and test them thoroughly.
4. Commit changes: Follow our commit guidelines, with a clear and concise message describing their changes.
5. Submit a pull request: Push their changes to the remote repository and submit a pull request for review.

Commit Guidelines Example

```markdown feat: improve user authentication

- Fixed bug causing incorrect login credentials - Improved error handling for failed logins - Updated documentation with new authentication flow ```

This example follows our commit guidelines, providing a clear and concise description of the changes made.