Contributing on GitHub

When I first started contributing to projects on GitHub, I had a difficult time with keeping my work and the original project in sync. Eventually, I found a way that works for me.

Step 1: Fork the Repository

I do this with the GitHub fork button. As an example, if I wanted to contribute to https://github.com/pjreddie/darknet, I would fork it resulting in my own copy at https://github.com/salcode/darknet.

Step 2: Clone My Repository Locally

At this point, I make a copy of my repository locally with the command.

git clone git@github.com:salcode/darknet.git

and then I move into the project directory with

cd darknet/

Step 3: Add the Upstream Repository

Now we have my GitHub repository associated with my local install as origin. I can double-check this by running

git remote -v

To add the upstream repository (pjreddie/darknet), I can run

git remote add upstream git@github.com:pjreddie/darknet.git

Now when I run git remote -v, I see both my origin remote and the upstream remote.

Step 4: Work on a New Branch

The key for me in the whole process is to never work on a branch that appears on the upstream remote. In this case the only branch on upstream is master. So I’m going to create a new branch by copying master, I’ll prefix my branch name with my initials and include the relevant issue number at the end of the branch whenever possible.

git checkout -b sf/improve-image-detection-22

Now, I do all of my work in the sf/improve-image-detection-22 branch.

Step 5: Keeping Up To Date with Upstream Changes

The original project will continue to change as I work on my own code. To bring those changes into my local branch I do the following.

# Update the `master` branch to match the current `upstream/master`
git checkout master
git pull upstream master

# Bring the changes in master into my current branch
git checkout sf/improve-image-detection-22
git rebase master

At this point, my branch sf/improve-image-detection-22 should have all of the commits from upstream/master with my commits added as the most recent commits.

Step 6: Create a Pull Request

After pushing my branch to my GitHub repository

# Push my branch to https://github.com/salcode/darknet
git checkout sf/improve-image-detection-22
git push

I can go to the original repository in my browser (pjreddie/darknet) and GitHub will allow me to create a Pull Request (PR).

Depending on how soon the original author reviews my PR, I may need to “refresh” my PR by repeating steps 5 and 6.

Image Credit

feelphotoz on Pixabay

Sal Ferrarello (@salcode)

Sal is a PHP developer with a focus on the WordPress platform. He is a conference speaker with a background including Piano Player, Radio DJ, Magician/Juggler, Beach Photographer, and High School Math Teacher. Sal can be found professionally at WebDevStudios, where he works as a senior backend engineer.