Your First Pull Request

Here's a quick tutorial on creating your first pull request.

1. Fork the project, clone your fork, and configure the remotes:

   # Clone your fork of the repo into the current directory
   git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/FabricTools.git
   # Navigate to the newly cloned directory
   cd FabricTools
   # Assign the original repo to a remote called "upstream"
   git remote add upstream https://github.com/sqlcollaborative/FabricTools.git

2. If you cloned a while ago, get the latest changes from upstream:

   git checkout develop
   git pull upstream develop

3. Create a new topic branch (off the main project develop branch) to contain your feature, change, or fix:

   git checkout -b feature/<topic-branch-name>

4. Commit in small useful to understand chunks. Each commit should represent a single logical change. Use descriptive commit messages that explain the "why" behind the change, not the "what".

For example, instead of a commit message like "fixed bug", use "fixed issue with user login not redirecting correctly after password reset".

A single commit message should not refer to a significant number of files or changes. If you find yourself making a large commit, you should break it down into smaller commits that each address a specific aspect of the change.

You can use GitHub CoPilot to help write your commit messages by clicking on the sparkles in the commit message box. This will generate a commit message based on the changes you made. You can then edit the message to make it more descriptive if you want. This uses the prompt in the .github/copilot-commit-message-instructions.md file.

Use GitHub CoPilot to write your commit messages by clicking on the sparkles in the commit message box. This will generate a commit message based on the changes you made. You can then edit the message to make it more descriptive if you want. This uses the prompt in the .github\copilot-commit-message-instructions.md file.

Add this to your VS Code settings to enable it:

"github.copilot.chat.commitMessageGeneration.instructions": [
        {
            "file": ".github/copilot-commit-message-instructions.md"
        }
],

5. Push your topic branch up to your fork:

   git push origin <topic-branch-name>

6. Open a Pull Request with a clear title and description.

7. Make sure to link to any relevant issues in the pull request description. This helps maintainers understand the context and purpose of your changes. Keep an eye on the pull request for any feedback or requests for changes from maintainers. Be responsive and make any necessary adjustments to your code.

It's TOUGH. Getting feedback on your code is hard, but it's a necessary part of the process. Don't take it personally, and remember that the goal is to improve the codebase and make it better for everyone.

8. Done!

Tutorial used from: pointcloudlibrary