# Contributing changes This guide shows you how to contribute a change to Launchpad. ## Discuss the change To begin with, it is usually helpful to discuss the change you’d like to make, in a [bug](https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad) or [directly with the Launchpad team](https://ubuntu.com/docs/launchpad/help/index.html.md#get-help). ## Fork the Launchpad repository Navigate to the Launchpad project page and go to the “Code” tab. [https://code.launchpad.net/launchpad](https://code.launchpad.net/launchpad) Click “Fork it to your account” to create a copy of the project in your Launchpad account. Assuming you have added your SSH keys to launchpad, you can then clone your fork of the repository: ```bash git clone git+ssh://~@git.launchpad.net/~/launchpad cd launchpad ``` ## Add the Launchpad repository as a remote This will be useful to pull in changes from the main Launchpad repository. ```bash git remote add launchpad git+ssh://git.launchpad.net/launchpad ``` ## Make your changes Create a branch from a reasonable point, such as `master`. ```bash git checkout -b ``` Make your changes on the branch. Be sure to test them locally by setting up a local [Launchpad development instance](https://ubuntu.com/docs/launchpad/developer/how-to/get-started/running/index.html.md#set-up-and-run-launchpad-advanced). Make sure you add or update existing unit tests for your changes. When it comes to commit messages, please follow these guidelines: - The title should be short, but descriptive. - The title should use imperative wording, e.g. “Add character limit to bug title’s summary field”. - The title should always start with a capitalized word and should not end with a full stop. - If required, give more context about the motivation of the change in the commit body. - Any line length should not exceed 72 characters for better readability, except for hyperlinks. - Where relevant, it should contain a reference to a Launchpad bug, e.g. LP: #2086655. ## Run the unit tests Before proposing your change, run the tests that cover it. For example, to run the whole suite from the top of the Launchpad repository: ```bash xvfb-run bin/test -vvc ``` See [Running tests](https://ubuntu.com/docs/launchpad/developer/how-to/testing/running-tests/index.html.md#running-tests) for how to run specific tests, select layers, and speed up runs. ## Run the pre-commit hook If you followed the instructions to [set up and run Launchpad](https://ubuntu.com/docs/launchpad/developer/how-to/get-started/running/index.html.md#set-up-and-run-launchpad-advanced), you should already have `pre-commit` installed and have the [pre-commit git hook](https://ubuntu.com/docs/launchpad/developer/how-to/get-started/running/index.html.md#pre-commit) installed. If not, complete these steps before proceeding. ## Push your changes Once you are happy with your changes, stage and commit them, and then push to your fork. ## Create a merge proposal Once your commit has been pushed to a personal git repository, you can follow the direct link in the post-push message to create a merge proposal. Alternatively, in a web browser, visit ```bash https://code.launchpad.net/~/+git ``` Remember to replace your username in the URL. Navigate to the personal repository to which you pushed your changes, and then to the branch containing your commit. Select `Propose for merging`, provide a reasonable commit message, and description of your changes. ## What comes next? Once you have created a merge proposal, a Launchpad maintainer will inspect your merge proposal and approve or reject the changes. There may be comments that require you to make amendments to your proposed changes, which you can do by repeating this workflow. However, once your changes are approved, your changes will be merged into the `master` branch of the Launchpad code base! Once your changes are merged into the `master` branch, they get deployed to the QA staging site automatically. You can QA your changes there: [https://qastaging.launchpad.net/](https://qastaging.launchpad.net/)