Can I actually contribute code to the CI core?

[eluser]relequestual[/eluser]
I've used CI for a few projects now, and I'm just picking it up professionally again. I'm in the process of developing a number of scripts which enable CI to be set up to various configurations. I'm also interested in trying to fix some core bugs, but I have a number of concerns.

The sticky post in this forum links to a dead user voice forum...

The github repo has a number of branches, and it's unclear which are in active development (to me anyway).

The github repo seems to have a large number of pull requests which haven't had an update for quite some time.

I guess my question really is, will my time investigating how to commit bug fixes be worth it, or will it be wasted?

Your thoughts and comments are welcome, especially if you commit code to the core.

[eluser]PhilTem[/eluser]
I guess it depends on how good your changes can be incorporated into the CI core files by EllisLab. If it can't be done easily they probably won't accept your pull request. If you make changes that break other things, they won't accept the pull request.

However, if you want to contribute, checkout the develop branch to a new branch on which you will perform your changes. Then commit that branch and file a pull request. That's usual procedure. Though no one can actually guarantee that your pull requests will be accepted but the EllisLab team

[eluser]Narf[/eluser]
Follow the style guide and if the code is good - it will go in. New features usually require some discussion though and might get rejected.

Latest code is in the develop branch and that what you should base your work on. Make sure the bug isn't already fixed in there as there's an enormous amount of issues that are already fixed in it.

Many of those pull requests that you've mentioned have gotten outdated due to their authors not following the above pointers or simply not caring to update them. As you understand - that's beyond our control.

[eluser]relequestual[/eluser]
Thanks for clearing stuff up Narf. Regarding the pull requests, can't you close them from your end if the author doesn't reply after x amount of time? (I've not personally had any incoming pull requests to my code)

[eluser]Aken[/eluser]
Yes, they can close them at will. But most often focus their attention on other things. Besides, it's better if there's actually a conclusion somewhere rather than just closing something inactive, even if it's just a simple "I don't care about this pull request anymore" from the author.

You can help inactive pull requests by commenting / notifying the author to remind them about it, so that it can be updated appropriately. The more participation by the community, the better and faster things work, usually.

[eluser]relequestual[/eluser]
Good point. I don't know if I have the authority to comment on pull requests like that unless I've comitted code myself, but I guess there is no harm in nudging the author of old requests with no activity. I'll give it a go and see how many I can get closed =] thanks!

[eluser]PhilTem[/eluser]
Or you could just check out the outdated pull request and update it to match the new CI version or coding standards. That way you can contribute to CI without initially going in too deeply

[eluser]Narf[/eluser]
[quote author="relequestual" date="1353366029"]Good point. I don't know if I have the authority to comment on pull requests like that unless I've comitted code myself, but I guess there is no harm in nudging the author of old requests with no activity. I'll give it a go and see how many I can get closed =] thanks![/quote]

Everybody can comment on everything.

[quote author="PhilTem" date="1353367897"]Or you could just check out the outdated pull request and update it to match the new CI version or coding standards. That way you can contribute to CI without initially going in too deeply [/quote]

I like your enthusiasm, but please don't reply to everything just for the sake of it. You can't update somebody else's PR.