# Contributing

Thank you for considering making contributions to Ethermint! Start by taking a look at this [coding repo](https://github.com/tendermint/coding) for overall information on repository workflow and standards.

Please follow standard github best practices: fork the repo, branch from the tip of develop, make some commits, and submit a pull request to develop. See the [open issues](https://github.com/cosmos/ethermint/issues) for things we need help with!

Please make sure to use `gofmt` before every commit - the easiest way to do this is have your editor run it for you upon saving a file. Additionally please ensure that your code is lint compliant by running `make lint`

Looking for a good place to start contributing? How about checking out some [good first issues](https://github.com/cosmos/ethermint/issues?q=is%3Aopen+is%3Aissue+label%3A%22good+first+issue%22)

## Forking

Please note that Go requires code to live under absolute paths, which complicates forking.
While your fork should live at `https://github.com/<username>/ethermint`,
the code should not exist at  `$GOPATH/src/github.com/<username>/ethermint`.
Instead, you should use `git remote` to add the fork as a new remote for the original repo,
`$GOPATH/src/github.com/cosmos/ethermint `, and do all the work there.

For instance, to create a fork and work on a branch of it, One would:

  * Create the fork on github, using the fork button.
  * Go to the original repo checked out locally (i.e. `$GOPATH/src/github.com/cosmos/ethermint`)
  * `git remote rename origin upstream`
  * `git remote add origin git@github.com:<username>/ethermint.git`

Now `origin` refers to my fork and `upstream` refers to the Ethermint version.
So I can `git push -u origin <branch>` to update my fork, and make pull requests to Ethermint from there.
Of course, replace `<username>` with your git handle.

To pull in updates from the origin repo, run

    * `git fetch upstream`
    * `git rebase upstream/develop` (or whatever branch you want)

Do not make Pull Requests to `master`, they will not be considered.

## Dependencies

We use [`dep`](https://github.com/golang/dep) to manage dependencies.

That said, the master branch of every Cosmos repository should just build
with `go get`, which means they should be kept up-to-date with their
dependencies so we can get away with telling people they can just `go get` our
software.

Since some dependencies are not under our control, a third party may break our
build, in which case we can fall back on `dep ensure` (or `make
deps`). Even for dependencies under our control, `dep` helps us to
keep multiple repos in sync as they evolve. Anything with an executable, such
as apps, tools, and the core, should use `dep`.

Run `dep status` to get a list of vendor dependencies that may not be
up-to-date.

## Testing

All repos should be hooked up to [CircleCI](https://circleci.com/).

If they have `.go` files in the root directory, they will be automatically
tested by circle using `go test -v -race ./...`. If not, they will need a
`circle.yml`. Ideally, every repo has a `Makefile` that defines `make test` and
includes its continuous integration status using a badge in the `README.md`.

## Branching Model and Release

User-facing repos should adhere to the branching model: http://nvie.com/posts/a-successful-git-branching-model/.
That is, these repos should be well versioned, and any merge to master requires a version bump and tagged release.

Libraries need not follow the model strictly, but would be wise to.

Ethermint utilizes [semantic versioning](https://semver.org/).

### Development Procedure:
- the latest state of development is on `develop`
- `develop` must never fail `make test`
- `develop` should not fail `make lint`
- no --force onto `develop` (except when reverting a broken commit, which should seldom happen)
- create a development branch either on github.com/cosmos/ethermint, or your fork (using `git remote add origin`)
- [squash your commits](https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-android/wiki/Squash-All-Commits-Related-to-a-Single-Issue-into-a-Single-Commit) into an individual commit
- before submitting a pull request, begin `git rebase` on top of `develop`

### Pull Merge Procedure:
- ensure pull branch is rebased on develop
- [squash your commits](https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-android/wiki/Squash-All-Commits-Related-to-a-Single-Issue-into-a-Single-Commit) into an individual commit
- run `make test` and `make test-cli` to ensure that all tests pass
- merge pull request

### Release Procedure:
- start on `develop`
- prepare changelog/release issue
- bump versions
- push to release-vX.X.X to run CI
- merge to master
- merge master back to develop

### Hotfix Procedure:
- start on `master`
- checkout a new branch named hotfix-vX.X.X
- make the required changes
  - these changes should be small and an absolute necessity
  - add a note to CHANGELOG.md
- bump versions
- push to hotfix-vX.X.X to run the extended integration tests on the CI
- merge hotfix-vX.X.X to master
- merge hotfix-vX.X.X to develop
- delete the hotfix-vX.X.X branch