A contribution day
A contribution day is a few hours in which a group makes real contributions together: bug confirmations, translations, help page fixes, small pull requests.
Contents
Before the day
- Collect 10 to 20 small tasks, each finishable in an hour or two (see Task list).
- Ask participants to create a GitHub account and, for code, a test installation from a Git clone on SQLite (Develop with Git).
- Tell participants who will send kernel code about the CLA in advance; it takes time to sign and deliver (The CLA explained).
- Name a contact person for problems (Community safety and privacy).
Timetable
| Time | Part |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | Welcome, code of conduct, how the day works |
| 0:15 | Setup help; pairs formed (one experienced, one new) |
| 0:45 | Work on tasks |
| 2:45 | Each pair shows what they did |
| 3:15 | Open pull requests and issues are listed for follow-up |
Task list
| Kind | Example | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Confirm bugs | Reproduce three open issues on a fresh installation | Reproducing and confirming issues |
| Translations | Finish the untranslated messages of one screen | Contributing translations |
| Help pages | Follow a help page step by step and fix what is wrong | Contributing documentation and help pages |
| Packaging | Add a composer.json to an extension that lacks one, a call on the roadmap | Roadmap |
| Code | A small fix with a test | Contributing code |
| Testing | Install main on a different PHP version or database | Testing releases |
Rules for every contribution
- Prefixed commit messages and the manifest line (
CONTRIBUTING.md). - No secrets or personal data in issues or pull requests.
- AI-assisted work is checked by the person who submits it, and labeled when a substantial part was generated
(
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md). - One change per pull request.
After the day
- Pull requests get review rounds after the day; agree who follows up on each one.
- Publish a short note of what was done, without names unless people agreed.
- Thank participants publicly once the work is merged.
Larger, multi-day events: Proposing a contribution sprint.
Related pages
- Local groups and community events
- Ways to contribute
- Mentoring
- Hands-on workshop outline
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
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