CKAN is open source and contributions are welcome. However, we have some guidelines for check-ins to ensure that all developers can work well together.

 1. Work on the right branch - see VersionsAndBranching
 1. Write tests for all changes. Unit tests go into ckan/tests/{area}/ and functional tests go into ckan/tests/functional/ . Tests describe intent and stop the code regressing in the future.
 1. Run all the tests before you commit your code. It only takes 5 minutes

Starting out:
 * Before you can commit changes to the OKF repo, you'll need access rights - ask for these on [[CkanDiscuss|ckan-discuss]].

Life-cycle of a change:
Unless it is a terribly minor change:
 * Create a ticket with your suggestion and design detail as necessary
 * Send a link to the ticket to [[CkanDiscuss|ckan-discuss]] and ask for suggestions
 * Do it, whilst leaving the repo in a good state at all times (i.e. builds and works). Use another branch or bitbucket if necessary.
 * Announce it on [[CkanDiscuss|ckan-discuss]] and close the ticket when done.

Don't break the build:
 * Keep an eye on [[http://buildbot.okfn.org/waterfall|buildbot]] to make sure you don't break the build. If you're a regular developer, ask to be added to the buildbot emails. Don't wait to be nagged by other frustrated developers ;-)
 * If you break the build, please fix it quickly. If it may take time then email [[CkanDiscuss|ckan-discuss]] to let others know what the plan is.