# How to contribute

PythonNet is developed and maintained by unpaid community members so well
written, documented and tested pull requests are encouraged.

## Getting Started

* Make sure you have a [GitHub account](https://github.com/signup/free)
* Submit a ticket for your issue, assuming one does not already exist.
  * Clearly describe the issue including steps to reproduce when it is a bug.
  * Make sure you include what Python version and operating system you are using.
* Fork the repository on GitHub

## Making Changes

* Create a topic branch from where you want to base your work.
  * This is usually the develop branch.
  * Only target release branches if you are certain your fix must be on that
    branch.
  * To quickly create a topic branch based on develop; `git checkout -b
    fix/develop/my_contribution develop`. Please avoid working directly on the
    `master` branch.
* Make commits of logical units.
* Check for unnecessary whitespace with `git diff --check` before committing.
* Make sure your commit messages are in the proper format.
* Make sure you have added the necessary tests for your changes.
* Run _all_ the tests to assure nothing else was accidentally broken.


## Submitting Changes

* Push your changes to a topic branch in your fork of the repository.
* Submit a pull request to the repository in the pythonnet organization.
* After feedback has been given we expect responses within two weeks. After two
  weeks we may close the pull request if it isn't showing any activity.

# Additional Resources

* [General GitHub documentation](https://help.github.com/)
* [GitHub pull request documentation](https://help.github.com/send-pull-requests/)