# Contribute to GitLab

This guide details how to use issues and pull requests to improve GitLab.

## Closing policy for issues and pull requests

GitLab is a popular open source project and the capacity to deal with issues and pull requests is limited. Out of respect for our volunteers, issues and pull requests not in line with the guidelines listed in this document may be closed without notice.

Please treat our volunteers with courtesy and respect, it will go a long way towards getting your issue resolved.

Issues and pull requests should be in English and contain appropriate language for audiences of all ages.

## Issue tracker

To get support for your particular problem please use the channels as detailed in [the getting help section of the readme](https://github.com/gitlabhq/gitlabhq#getting-help). Professional [support subscriptions](http://www.gitlab.com/subscription/) and [consulting services](http://www.gitlab.com/consultancy/) are available from [GitLab.com](http://www.gitlab.com/).

The [issue tracker](https://github.com/gitlabhq/gitlabhq/issues) is only for obvious bugs or misbehavior in the latest [stable or development release of GitLab](MAINTENANCE.md). When submitting an issue please conform to the issue submission guidelines listed below. Not all issues will be addressed and your issue is more likely to be addressed if you submit a pull request which partially or fully addresses the issue.

Do not use the issue tracker for feature requests. We have a specific [feedback and suggestions forum](http://feedback.gitlab.com) for this purpose.

Please send a pull request with a tested solution or a pull request with a failing test instead of opening an issue if you can. If you're unsure where to post, post to the [Support Forum](https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/gitlabhq) or [Stack Overflow](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/gitlab) first. There are a lot of helpful GitLab users there who may be able to help you quickly. If your particular issue turns out to be a bug, it will find its way from there.

### Issue tracker guidelines

**[Search](https://github.com/gitlabhq/gitlabhq/search?q=&ref=cmdform&type=Issues)** for similar entries before submitting your own, there's a good chance somebody else had the same issue. Show your support with `:+1:` and/or join the discussion. Please submit issues in the following format (as the first post):

1. **Summary:** Summarize your issue in one sentence (what goes wrong, what did you expect to happen)
2. **Steps to reproduce:** How can we reproduce the issue, preferably on the [GitLab Vagrant virtual machine](https://github.com/gitlabhq/gitlab-vagrant-vm) (start with: `vagrant destroy && vagrant up && vagrant ssh`)
3. **Expected behavior:** Describe your issue in detail
4. **Observed behavior**
5. **Relevant logs and/or screenshots:** Please use code blocks (\`\`\`) to format console output, logs, and code as it's very hard to read otherwise.
6. **Output of checks**
    * Results of GitLab [Application Check](doc/install/installation.md#check-application-status) (`sudo -u git -H bundle exec rake gitlab:check RAILS_ENV=production`); we will only investigate if the tests are passing
    * Version of GitLab you are running; we will only investigate issues in the latest stable and development releases as per the [maintenance policy](MAINTENANCE.md)
    * Add the last commit sha1 of the GitLab version you used to replicate the issue (obtainable from the help page)
    * Describe your setup (use relevant parts from `sudo -u git -H bundle exec rake gitlab:env:info RAILS_ENV=production`)
7. **Possible fixes**: If you can, link to the line of code that might be responsible for the problem

## Pull requests

We welcome pull requests with fixes and improvements to GitLab code, tests, and/or documentation. The features we would really like a pull request for are listed with the [status 'accepting merge/pull requests' on our feedback forum](http://feedback.gitlab.com/forums/176466-general/status/796455) but other improvements are also welcome.

### Pull request guidelines

If you can, please submit a pull request with the fix or improvements including tests. If you don't know how to fix the issue but can write a test that exposes the issue we will accept that as well. In general bug fixes that include a regression test are merged quickly while new features without proper tests are least likely to receive timely feedback. The workflow to make a pull request is as follows:

1. Fork the project on GitHub
1. Create a feature branch
1. Write [tests](README.md#run-the-tests) and code
1. Add your changes to the [CHANGELOG](CHANGELOG)
1. If you have multiple commits please combine them into one commit by [squashing them](http://git-scm.com/book/en/Git-Tools-Rewriting-History#Squashing-Commits)
1. Push the commit to your fork
1. Submit a pull request
2. [Search for issues](https://github.com/gitlabhq/gitlabhq/search?q=&ref=cmdform&type=Issues) related to your pull request and mention them in the pull request description

We will accept pull requests if:

* The code has proper tests and all tests pass (or it is a test exposing a failure in existing code)
* It can be merged without problems (if not please use: `git rebase master`)
* It does not break any existing functionality
* It's quality code that conforms to the [Ruby](https://github.com/bbatsov/ruby-style-guide) and [Rails](https://github.com/bbatsov/rails-style-guide) style guides and best practices
* The description includes a motive for your change and the method you used to achieve it
* It is not a catch all pull request but rather fixes a specific issue or implements a specific feature
* It keeps the GitLab code base clean and well structured
* We think other users will benefit from the same functionality
* If it makes changes to the UI the pull request should include screenshots
* It is a single commit (please use `git rebase -i` to squash commits)

For examples of feedback on pull requests please look at already [closed pull requests](https://github.com/gitlabhq/gitlabhq/pulls?direction=desc&page=1&sort=created&state=closed).