Public Lab is on Github at: https://github.com/publiclab
## First time contributors
New to open source/free software? Here are some resources to get you started:
* http://www.firsttimersonly.com/
* http://www.charlotteis.co.uk/making-your-first-pull-request/
* A very in-depth guide: https://egghead.io/series/how-to-contribute-to-an-open-source-project-on-github
* https://guides.github.com/activities/contributing-to-open-source/
* On our [PublicLab.org GitHub repository](https://github.com/publiclab/plots2), we've listed some "good for first timers" bugs to fix here: https://github.com/publiclab/plots2/labels/first-timers-only
* We also have a slightly larger list of easy-ish but small and self contained issues: https://github.com/publiclab/plots2/labels/help-wanted
## Resources
* the basic GitHub Flow workflow: https://guides.github.com/introduction/flow/
* guidance on rebasing: https://www.atlassian.com/git/tutorials/merging-vs-rebasing
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### Contributing for non-coders
Not interested (or not yet interested) in coding, but still want to help out? Have a project you really need to get your work done, and trying to encourage coders to tackle it?
You can still help out; in fact, **helping to clearly describe and document problems and new feature proposals is at least as important as writing the code itself**.
When creating or editing an issue, try to:
1. Clearly describe the problem, linking to pages where it can be observed, or where a new feature might live. Include screenshots to be very specific!
2. (for bugs) If you don't know the problem, do what you can to help others narrow it down: provide contextual information like your browser, OS, and what you were doing when it happened. Did it used to work? Does it still, but only sometimes? Help them reproduce it!
3. Propose a solution. Whether or not you code, describing what **should** or **could** happen, or even what you expected to happen is always helpful to someone looking to fix it. This can be as simple as "It should show a notification." or "There should be a way to hide it."
Once an issue is well documented, we can tag it with `help-wanted` to get the word out that we're looking for someone to try to fix it. If you're not sure if it's ready, ask [on the plots-dev list](#Sign+up)
Finally, if your issue is well documented, try to get involved in some outreach to new contributors to match someone with the project! Tell them what it'll help you achieve and why you'd appreciate help. And coordinate with the [plots-dev discussion list](#Sign+up) to get the word out.
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### Preparing issues for newcomers
Related to the above, even if you are a coder, we need help "rolling out the red carpet" (as the [Hoodie project](http://hood.ie) calls it) for new contributors, to grow our contributor base. The steps in [Contributing for non-coders](#Contributing+for+non-coders) are a good starting point, but as a coder, you can also deep-link to the relevant lines of code, with Github links and pointers like:
> Then, the keyword `:medium` in JavaScript on this line must be changed to `:large` too: https://github.com/publiclab/plots2/blob/master/app/assets/javascripts/dragdrop.js#L64 -- does that make sense to you?
This is especially great for attracting coders who are not only new to our code but new to coding in general!
Learn more about [how to make a good `first-timers-only` issue here](/notes/warren/10-31-2016/create-a-welcoming-first-timers-only-issue-to-invite-new-software-contributors).
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## Reviewers
Mentoring for [Summer of Code programs](/gsoc) has a lot in common with being a software "reviewer" with Public Lab throughout the year; to welcome and support our community of coders, we need to:
* always be kind and respectful! (remember our [Code of Conduct!](/conduct))
* help people to become better coders and don't make them feel bad
* encourage people to open a PR with their work even if it's not finished
* go through recent PRs to help people who are stuck
* use emojis!
Some specific things you can do:
* add links to relevant lines of code to help people see where to start, or for an example of a similar feature
* suggest writing a test to *protect your work* from future issues
* tag things as `break-me-up` if it's possible to do a project in separate simpler parts
Here are some guides to different ways to help others contribute:
## Activities
[activities:soc]
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## Summer of Code
Lots of development on Public Lab software happens as part of the [Rails Girls Summer of Code and Google Summer of Code programs](/soc), that latter supported generously by Google.
Looking at the [GSoC Ideas list](/wiki/gsoc-ideas) is a great place to find projects which our community really needs to get done, whether or not you're in the program.
Read more at our [Summer of Code page](/soc)!
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### Installation videos
#### MapKnitter