You have found a bug or you have an idea for a cool new feature? Contributing code is a great way to give something back to
the open source community. Before you dig right into the code there are a few guidelines that we need contributors to
follow so that we can have a chance of keeping on top of things.
Getting Started
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+ Make sure you have a [JIRA account](https://issues.apache.org/jira/).
+ Make sure you have a [GitHub account](https://github.com/signup/free).
+ If you're planning to implement a new feature it makes sense to discuss you're changes on the [dev list](https://commons.apache.org/mail-lists.html) first. This way you can make sure you're not wasting your time on something that isn't considered to be in Apache Commons Lang's scope.
+ Submit a ticket for your issue, assuming one does not already exist.
+ Clearly describe the issue including steps to reproduce when it is a bug.
+ Make sure you fill in the earliest version that you know has the issue.
+ Fork the repository on GitHub.
Making Changes
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+ Create a topic branch from where you want to base your work (this is usually the master/trunk branch).
+ Make commits of logical units.
+ Respect the original code style:
+ Only use spaces for indentation.
+ Create minimal diffs - disable on save actions like reformat source code or organize imports. If you feel the source code should be reformatted create a separate PR for this change.
+ Check for unnecessary whitespace with git diff --check before committing.
+ Make sure your commit messages are in the proper format. Your commit message should contain the key of the JIRA issue.
+ Make sure you have added the necessary tests for your changes.
+ Run all the tests with `mvn clean verify` to assure nothing else was accidentally broken.
Making Trivial Changes
----------------------
For changes of a trivial nature to comments and documentation, it is not always necessary to create a new ticket in JIRA.
In this case, it is appropriate to start the first line of a commit with '(doc)' instead of a ticket number.
Submitting Changes
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+ Sign the [Contributor License Agreement][cla] if you haven't already.
+ Push your changes to a topic branch in your fork of the repository.
+ Submit a pull request to the repository in the apache organization.
+ Update your JIRA ticket and include a link to the pull request in the ticket.
