h2. How to get involved

The two main ways to get in touch with other developers are through the [#fluid-work irc channel on irc.freenode.net|http://wiki.fluidproject.org/display/fluid/IRC+Channel] and the [fluid-work mailing list|http://fluidproject.org/getinvolved/mailing-lists/]. Feel free to ask question, make comments, and join in on discussions.

For links to all of Fluid's collaborative tools, see [Get Involved| http://fluidproject.org/getinvolved/].

h2. Source code

Fluid Infusion uses a git repository hosted on [github| https://github.com/fluid-project/infusion] for source code management. All of the code that is included in an Infusion release lives in the master branch. The project repository should always be in a working state. [Daily builds|http://build.fluidproject.org/] are generated and releases are all cut from the master branch of the project repository.

h2. Making Pull Requests

If you have a [github account| https://github.com] and a fork of the [Fluid Infusion repository| https://github.com/fluid-project/infusion], you can submit Pull requests directly through github. When sending a Pull Request, please send the request from a branch named after the jira issue it addresses (e.g. FLUID-xxxx). Also include all relevant information in the comments. If you know who you want to look at your Pull Request you can mention them using the [@githubID| https://github.com/blog/821-mention-somebody-they-re-notified] syntax. Please also post a link and description of your Pull Request on the jira issue and as a message to the [fluid-work| http://fluidproject.org/getinvolved/mailing-lists/] mailing list.

(see: [Sending Pull Requests| http://help.github.com/pull-requests/])

h2. Making Patches

Patches are a useful means of sharing code changes without having to commit into the repository. Since patches are just plain text files, they can attached to JIRA issues, included as an attachment to e-mails, etc.

When creating a patch you should try to make the name descriptive, so that others will be easily able to know what it does. By convention Fluid community members tend to name the files with the JIRA number with a .patch suffix (i.e. {{FLUID-123.patch}}).

git format-patch master --stdout > FLUID-xxxx.patch
{code}

(see: [git-format-patch| http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-format-patch.html])

h3. How to share patches

Once you have created a patch you'll want to share it back to the community. The easiest way to keep track of patches is to attach them straight to the JIRA that they are for. If you can't use JIRA for any reason, you can email your patch directly to the fluid-work mailing list.

Once you've posted your patch, sending a note to the fluid-work list and/or pinging someone in the #fluid-work irc channel is a great way to get the community looking at your patch.

h2. Becoming a Committer

The first step to becoming a committer is by making yourself familiar to the community (see: [Get Involved| http://fluidproject.org/getinvolved/]).

When you are ready to contribute code:
# Send a message to the fluid-work list indicating that you are interested in contributing code
** A committer will volunteer to be your mentor
** Your mentor will ensure that your code\-either patches or pull requests\-gets reviewed.
# You will need to sign and return a [Contributor License Agreement|Fluid Licensing]

Code should, where possible, be accompanied by unit tests and regular code review should be expected and solicited. For more information, see the [Coding and Commit Standards] page.