How to contribute

In this page you can find a guide on how to use the Gitlab UI to start new issues and create merge requests.

Create issues

Everytime you need an information but you can't find it on the Handbook, or you find it but it is unclear or uncomplete, you can open an issue: in this way you raise the problem and start a discussion. To open a new issue follow these steps:

1. Go to the Handbook home page.
2. Select the "Issues" section in the left column.
3. Select the "New issue" botton in the top right corner.
4. Choose a template in the template dropdown menu: bug if you want to report something that you thing is wrong, feature if you would like something to be added or modified.
5. Edit the page according to your needs. Remember to use the labels (in the right column) if you want to bring the issue to the attention of some circle (for example HR, training, finance...).
6. Once you are happy with the result, publish your issue by selecting the "Create issue" button, in the bottom of the page.
7. To keep track of your issue, you can go to the issue section in the left column, you'll find your issue with an associated number.

Modify the Handbook - Open new branches

If you find an issue - your own or someone else's - that you want to solve, you can open a new branch to solve it. To open a new branch and apport your changes you have to:

1. Select "Branches" from the "Code" section in the left column.
2. Select the "New branch" button in the top right corner.
3. Choose a branch name and create your branch. As a best practice, start with feature/ when adding or modifying a page, and with fix/ when solving a bug. Adding the related issue number in the branch name helps keep the repository organized.
4. Now that your branch has been created, you can edit it. Make sure that you are in your branch by checking that the selected branch in the homepage is the one you created.
5. Select the file you want to change and press the "Edit" button in the top right corner. Select the "Edit single file" option and modify the page according to your needs.
6. Once you are happy with the result, commit your changes by pressing the "Commit changes" in the top right corner. Edit the commit message with a brief resume of the changes you made and commit.

Open merge requests

Finally, when you want to integrate your changes to the Handbook you need to open a merge request:

1. Select the "Merge requests" section in the left column.
2. Press the "New merge request" botton in the top right corner.
3. Select as source branch the one you want to merge, then press "Compare branches and continue".
4. Custom your merge request: add a title and modify the description by resuming all the changes you made. Select the standard template and fill the fields that you need. Remember to select an assigner to make sure that the merge request will be approved. If you don't know who is responsible, check on Holaspirit.
5. Check the "Delete source branch" box before selecting "Create merge request" to make sure that your work branch will be deleted once the changes will have been added to the Handbook.

Now your merge request is ready to be reviewed and merged! An Handbook Maintainer will help you reviewing, resolving any critical issues and merging your proposal.