Contribution guidelines

What do I need to know to help?

If you are looking to help to with a code contribution, our project uses mainly HTML, Javascript, CSS, and Jekyll, along with some separate Javascript and Python libraries. For more details and resources on the technologies we use, see the Requirements page.

If you don't feel ready to make a code contribution yet, no problem! You can also check out the documentation issues or the design issues that we have.

What kinds of contributions are needed?

There are many types of contributions that are needed. Here is a short list, with links to the current issues in Github:

  1. Documentation: Adding missing documentation, fixing inaccuracies, and removing out-dated references
  2. Multilingual: Fixing aspects of the platform that are not translated or mistranslated
  3. Accessibility: Making sure the platform's interface is accessible to all users
  4. DX (Developer Experience): Improvements or simplifications of the platform to provide a better developer experience
  5. Enhancements: Any feature not yet implemented that is generally useful
  6. Bugs: Anything on the platform that is not working as intended
  7. Design: Graphic design, imagery, mobile compatibility, typography, etc.

How do I make a contribution?

Never made an open-source contribution before? Wondering how contributions work in our project? Here's a quick rundown!

  1. Find an issue that you are interested in addressing or a feature that you would like to add.
  2. Fork this repository to your local GitHub organization. This means that you will have a copy of the repository under your-GitHub-username/open-sdg.
  3. Clone the repository to your local machine using git clone https://github.com/github-username/open-sdg.git.
  4. Create a new branch for your fix using git checkout -b branch-name-here.
  5. Make the appropriate changes for the issue you are trying to address or the feature that you want to add.
  6. Use git add insert-paths-of-changed-files-here to add the file contents of the changed files to the "snapshot" git uses to manage the state of the project, also known as the index.
  7. Use git commit -m "Insert a short message of the changes made here" to store the contents of the index with a descriptive message.
  8. Push the changes to the remote repository using git push origin branch-name-here.
  9. Submit a pull request to this repository by visiting the URL that GitHub provides in response to the git push above.
  10. Title the pull request with a short description of the changes made and the issue or bug number associated with your change. For example, you can title an issue like so "Added more documentation to resolve #4352".
  11. In the description of the pull request, explain the changes that you made, any issues you think exist with the pull request you made, and any questions you have for the maintainer. It's OK if your pull request is not perfect (no pull request is), the reviewer will be able to help you fix any problems and improve it!
  12. Wait for the pull request to be reviewed by a maintainer.
  13. Make changes to the pull request if the reviewing maintainer recommends them.
  14. Celebrate your success after your pull request is merged!

Where can I go for help?

If you need help, please see details on the Support page.

What does the Code of Conduct mean for me?

Our Code of Conduct means that you are responsible for treating everyone on the project with respect and courtesy regardless of their identity. If you are the victim of any inappropriate behavior or comments as described in our Code of Conduct, we are here for you and will do the best to ensure that the abuser is reprimanded appropriately, per our code.