Ways to contribute

You, as an end-user of Matplotlib can make a valuable contribution because you can

.. _new_contributors:

New contributors

There is no pre-defined pathway for new contributors - we recommend looking at

existing issue and pull request discussions, and following the conversations

during pull request reviews to get context. Or you can deep-dive into a subset

of the code-base to understand what is going on.

.. _new_contributors_meeting:

New contributors meeting

.. _contributor_incubator:

The incubator is our non-public communication channel for new contributors. It

is a private gitter_ (chat) room moderated by core Matplotlib developers where

you can get guidance and support for your first few PRs. It's a place where you

can ask questions about anything: how to use git, GitHub, how our PR review

process works, technical questions about the code, what makes for good

documentation or a blog post, how to get involved in community work, or get a

"pre-review" on your PR.

To join, please go to our public community_ channel, and ask to be added to

``#incubator``. One of our core developers will see your message and will add you.

.. _gitter: https://gitter.im/matplotlib/matplotlib

.. _community: https://gitter.im/matplotlib/community

.. _first_contribution:

First contributions

If this is your first open source contribution, or your first time contributing to Matplotlib,

and you need help or guidance finding a good first issue, look no further. This section will

guide you through each step:

1. Navigate to the `issues page <https://github.com/matplotlib/matplotlib/issues/>`_.

2. Filter labels with `"Difficulty: Easy" <https://github.com/matplotlib/matplotlib/labels/Difficulty%3A%20Easy>`_

& `"Good first Issue" <https://github.com/matplotlib/matplotlib/labels/good%20first%20issue>`_ (optional).

3. Click on an issue you would like to work on, and check to see if the issue has a pull request opened to resolve it.

* A good way to judge if you chose a suitable issue is by asking yourself, "Can I independently submit a PR in 1-2 weeks?"

4. Check existing pull requests (e.g., :ghpull:`28476`) and filter by the issue number to make sure the issue is not in progress:

* If the issue has a pull request (is in progress), tag the user working on the issue, and ask to collaborate (optional).

* If a pull request does not exist, create a `draft pull request <https://docs.github.com/en/pull-requests/collaborating-with-pull-requests/proposing-changes-to-your-work-with-pull-requests/about-pull-requests#draft-pull-requests>`_ and follow the `pull request guidelines <https://matplotlib.org/devdocs/devel/pr_guide.html>`_.

5. Please familiarize yourself with the pull request template (see below),

and ensure you understand/are able to complete the template when you open your pull request.

Additional information can be found in the `pull request guidelines <https://matplotlib.org/devdocs/devel/pr_guide.html>`_.

.. dropdown:: `Pull request template <https://github.com/matplotlib/matplotlib/blob/main/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md>`_

:open:

.. literalinclude:: ../../.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md

:language: markdown

.. _get_connected:

Get connected

When in doubt, we recommend going together! Get connected with our community of

active contributors, many of whom felt just like you when they started out and

are happy to welcome you and support you as you get to know how we work, and

where things are. You can reach out on any of our :ref:`communication-channels`.

For development questions we recommend reaching out on our development gitter_

chat room and for community questions reach out at community_.

.. _gitter: https://gitter.im/matplotlib/matplotlib

.. _community: https://gitter.im/matplotlib/community

.. _managing_issues_prs:

Choose an issue

In general, the Matplotlib project does not assign issues. Issues are

"assigned" or "claimed" by opening a PR; there is no other assignment

mechanism. If you have opened such a PR, please comment on the issue thread to

avoid duplication of work. Please check if there is an existing PR for the

issue you are addressing. If there is, try to work with the author by

submitting reviews of their code or commenting on the PR rather than opening

a new PR; duplicate PRs are subject to being closed. However, if the existing

PR is an outline, unlikely to work, or stalled, and the original author is

unresponsive, feel free to open a new PR referencing the old one.

Matplotlib repository to your own computer, or alternatively using

.. grid-item::

.. grid:: 1

:gutter: 1

.. grid-item::

:octicon:`info;1em;sd-text-info` :ref:`Is this my first contribution? <new_contributors>`

.. grid-item::

:octicon:`question;1em;sd-text-info` :ref:`Where do I ask questions? <get_connected>`

.. grid-item::

:octicon:`git-pull-request;1em;sd-text-info` :ref:`How do I choose an issue? <managing_issues_prs>`

.. grid-item::

:octicon:`codespaces;1em;sd-text-info` :ref:`How do I start a pull request? <how-to-pull-request>`