You would like to contribute to dpkg? Perfect, here a few simple steps to get you started.
Contents
Initial setup
Click here and fill the form to subscribe to our mailing list (debian-dpkg@lists.debian.org). You'll have to confirm your subscription by replying to a mail.
Click here and fill the form to subscribe to dpkg via the Package Tracking System. You just have to update the email field, leave the rest unchanged. You'll have to confirm your subscription by replying to a mail. After that you'll receive the bug traffic but also the Git commit notices.
- If you use IRC, join #debian-dpkg on irc.debian.org (OFTC) and put it in your auto-join list. Feel free to introduce yourself.
- Clone the 2Â required Git repositories:
$ git clone git://git.debian.org/dpkg/dpkg.git $ git clone git://git.debian.org/dpkg/pkg-tests.git
Add some useful remote repositories (those of GuillemJover and RaphaelHertzog):
$ cd dpkg $ git remote add guillem git://git.hadrons.org/git/debian/dpkg/dpkg.git $ git remote add buxy git://git.debian.org/~hertzog/dpkg.git $ git fetch guillem && git fetch buxy $ cd ../pkg-tests $ git remote add guillem git://git.hadrons.org/git/debian/dpkg/pkg-tests.git $ git remote add buxy git://git.debian.org/~hertzog/pkg-tests.git $ git fetch guillem && git fetch buxy
Send a mail to debian-dpkg@lists.debian.org to present you and to inform us that you want to try to help.
Learn how to submit a patch
If you're new to git, here's a short tutorial for this specific task. Don't stop at this, you should really learn Git. Start with this tutorial. You should learn how to manage "topic branches", how to rebase them, etc.
- Start from a clean copy of the master branch:
$ git checkout -b pu/mybranch master
- Do your changes and commit the result (multiple times if you want to split them over multiple commits):
$ vim .... $ git add ... $ git commit
- Generate the corresponding patches:
$ git format-patch master
- Send the *.patch files just generated by email to the corresponding bug. Tag the bug "patch".
Find something to do
Help triage/reproduce the bugs.
Provide non-regression tests to be merged in pkg-tests.git
Provide patches for confirmed bugs.
Help us review and update patches, see ReviewMergeQueue.
Help us complete the projects on our roadmap.
Triage bugs
You can help us deal with the flow of incoming bugs:
- Fix the easy bugs (like those that only require changing the documentation) by yourself and provide a patch that the maintainers can quickly apply.
Try to reproduce the reported problems. If you manage to reproduce it, tag the bug confirmed (bts tag <bugnumber> + confirmed). If possible propose a non-regression test that can be used to reproduce it and to verify if a patch works as expected.
- If there's not enough information to properly reproduce the problem, ask the submitter to provide the missing information and tag the bug "moreinfo" in the mean time.
Of course, you're welcome to do the same on old bugs too! In fact, that's where the help would be most useful.
Contribute a non-regression test
TODO: short introduction + tutorial for the creation of a sample test in pkg-tests.git