How to Contribute Patches to FreeSWITCH
=======================================

Download the Source Code
------------------------

    git clone https://stash.freeswitch.org/scm/fs/freeswitch.git
    cd freeswitch

Ensure Git is Setup
-------------------

    # tell git your full name and email address; make sure to use your
    # real name and not a username
    ./scripts/setup-git.sh

Create Your Patch
-----------------

    # create a topic/feature branch in your local repository
    git checkout -b myfeature

    # make your change
    emacs .

    # commit the results locally; see below for how to write a good
    # commit message
    git commit -va

    # create more commits as needed such that each commit represents a
    # logically separate change
    #while true; do emacs .; git commit -va; done

    # review changes; ensure your author name is correct
    git log -p

    # create patch files
    git format-patch origin/master..HEAD

    # you'll now have a number of *.patch files in your current
    # directory

    # navigate to the FreeSWITCH JIRA
    chromium http://jira.freeswitch.org/

    # create an account in JIRA and create a new issue;
    # attach the patch file(s) you created to the issue

Guidelines for a Good Commit
----------------------------

To the extent possible and appropriate, address only one issue per
commit.  When we review your commit, anything that doesn't need to be
there will only create confusion.

This means that, for example, unrelated refactoring or whitespace
cleanups should generally happen in separate commits.  Whitespace
cleanup commits should not change anything other than whitespace, and
refactoring commits should strive to preserve identical behavior.

However, don't go overboard.  A commit should do some identifiable
thing completely.  If you're adding a new module, the build changes
for that module should go in the commit that adds the module itself.
If you're adding a feature, the feature should work after applying
that commit.

We don't need to see your missteps and corrections.  Use `git rebase
-i` to squash those out of your history before submitting the commit
series to us.  It should look like you got everything right the first
time.

Use `git log -p` to verify that each diff is correct and minimal, and
that your git author name is correct and complete.

Writing a Good Commit Message
-----------------------------

Your commit message consists of two parts: the subject and the body.

The subject is like the subject in an email message.  It should be
short -- typically less than 50 characters -- and it should concisely
describe the purpose or effect of your change.

If you're having a difficult time writing a short subject for your
commit, perhaps your commit should be broken into smaller separate
commits.

The commit body can be longer and can consist of multiple paragraphs.
The text of the body should be hard wrapped to 68-72 characters.  (In
Emacs you can hard wrap text with `M-q`.)

When writing the commit body, describe in detail the problem that your
commit aims to solve, how your commit solves the problem, and any
changes in behavior that result from your change, such as new
variables, command flags, or breaks in backward compatibility.

Your commit message should be written in the present tense in
imperative style.  Your message should talk about what the patch
*does*, not what you *did* to write it.

The commit subject is the first line of your commit message, then
there is an empty line, then your commit body starts.  A good commit
message might look like this:

> Add frobinator support to mod_sofia
> 
> Without proper frobinator support users had to make multiple calls
> to shell scripts to do the sort of frobbing needed in high call
> volume environments.
> 
> With this change, we now link to libfrob and support the IETF
> draft-cross-voip-frobbing API.
> 
> After appropriate amounts of frobbing have been done, a new variable
> `frobbing_done` is set in the caller's channel.
> 
> FS-XXXX #resolve

Patches Related to JIRA Issues
------------------------------

When your patch is related to an issue logged in JIRA, add the
identifier for the issue (e.g. FS-XXXX) to the body of your commit
message at the beginning of a line, typically the last line or just
before "Signed-off-by:" and "Thanks-to:" lines.  This helps our JIRA
bot do useful things by relating the commit to the issue.

If you believe your patch resolves the issue in question, follow the
issue number with a space and the "--resolve" directive as in the
example above.

Do As We Say...
---------------

When you look in our git history, you'll find not all commits follow
the guidelines here.  Don't be fooled by this.  These guidelines are
what we want, and your commits should follow them.

It's always difficult to counsel, "do as we say and not as we do," but
the truth is that the format of your commits will be held to a
different standard than the commits of people who have written the
majority of the code in FS.  For one thing, your commits will be
reviewed, so following a careful format helps us to review and merge
your patches quickly and efficiently.

We want a clean and sensible git history, and over time more
contributors will be following the guidelines here.

Where to Go for Help
--------------------

If you have any questions or run into any roadblocks please reach out
to us.  You can send an email to our development mailing list:

> http://lists.freeswitch.org/mailman/listinfo/freeswitch-dev

Note that while you're free to send a patch to that list for questions
or for review, patches sent to the mailing list will not be considered
for inclusion.  Patches that you want included in FreeSWITCH must be
submitted to JIRA.

You can also reach us on freenode.net at:

> #freeswitch-dev

Finally, feel free to join us in our weekly conference call.  Many of
the core developers are often on the call and you'll have an
opportunity at the beginning or end of the call to ask your questions:

> http://wiki.freeswitch.org/wiki/Weekly_Conference_Call