1# Contributing to Picolibc
2
3We welcome contributions of all forms, including patches to code and
4documentation, issue reports, or just kind words.
5
6## Getting Current Source Code
7
8Picolibc sources are maintained in git and hosted in two places.
9
10 1. [keithp.com](https://keithp.com/cgit/picolibc.git/). This is the
11    'canonical' source location.
12
13 2. [github](https://github.com/keith-packard/picolibc). This should
14    exactly mirror the code at keithp.com. I've placed it here to
15    make contributing to Picolibc easier for people familiar with github.
16
17You can create a local copy of the repository with git clone:
18
19	$ git clone git://keithp.com/git/picolibc.git
20
21or
22
23	$ git clone https://github.com/keith-packard/picolibc.git
24
25## Meson
26
27Picolibc uses the [meson](https://mesonbuild.com/) build tool. You'll
28need to make sure that's installed before you start trying to build
29the software.
30
31## Building Picolibc from Source
32
33As Picolibc is designed to be used for embedded systems, getting that
34configured correctly can be a challenge. Learn more about that in the
35[build](doc/build.md) page.
36
37## Formatting Source Code
38
39Picolibc code comes from a multitude of sources using an enormous
40range of styles. As picolibc tries to retain compatibility with newlib
41so that bug fixes can be shared between projects, we can't easily
42reformat all of the existing code. Here are suggestions on how to
43preserve compatibility while still being able to write readable code:
44
45 1. Whitespace-only changes are not helpful, please don't submit
46    changes that are only fixing formatting.
47
48 2. Try to adopt local coding styles as much as you can manage by
49    matching code within the same files.
50
51 3. For brand-new files, please use the global .editorconfig settings
52    if possible:
53
54     * no literal tab characters, only spaces
55     * 4-space indentation for nested elements
56     * no trailing whitespace
57     * utf-8 encoding
58
59## Patch Submission
60
61You can submit patches in a couple of ways:
62
63 1. Mail to the picolibc list (see below). This can be tricky as it
64    requires a friendly email system, and you'll have to subscribe to
65    the mailing list before it will let you post anything
66    (sigh). Here's a simple example sending the latest patch in your
67    local repository to the list:
68
69	$ git send-email --to picolibc@keithp.com HEAD^
70
71 2. Generate a pull-request in github.
72
73    1. Fork the picolibc project into your own github account
74    2. Push patches to that repository
75    3. While viewing your repository, click on the 'New pull request'
76       button and follow the instructions there.
77
78## Issue Tracking
79
80We're using the issue tracker on Github for now; if you have issues,
81please submit them to the
82[Picolibc Issue Tracker](https://github.com/keith-packard/picolibc/issues)
83
84## Mailing List
85
86Picolibc has a mailing list, hosted at keithp.com. You can
87[subscribe here](https://keithp.com/mailman/listinfo/picolibc).
88This is a public list, with public archives. Participants are expected
89to abide by the [Picolibc Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md).
90
91## Code of Conduct
92
93Picolibc uses the [Contributor Covenant](https://www.contributor-covenant.org/),
94which you'll find in the source tree as [CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md).
95Please help make picolibc a kind and welcoming environment by following
96those rules.
97