docs/source/developers/guide/index.rst - arrow - Git at Google

 .. Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
 .. or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
 .. distributed with this work for additional information
 .. regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
 .. to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
 .. "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
 .. with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at

 ..   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

 .. Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
 .. software distributed under the License is distributed on an
 .. "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
 .. KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
 .. specific language governing permissions and limitations
 .. under the License.


 .. SCOPE OF THIS SECTION
 .. Make an introduction to the Guide for New Contributors.
 .. Add an introduction to the project, why to get involved
 .. and a quick checklist of the contributing process.
 .. Add the Table of Contents. All detailed explanations
 .. should be added as a link in the content.


 .. _guide-introduction:

 ***********************
 New Contributor's Guide
 ***********************

 This guide is a resource for contributing to
 Apache Arrow for new contributors.

 No matter what your current skills are, you can try and make
 your first time contribution to Arrow.

 Starting to contribute to a project like Apache Arrow can be
 intimidating. Taking small steps will make this task
 easier.


 Why contribute to Arrow?
 ========================
 There can be various reasons why you might want to contribute
 to Arrow:

 * You find the project interesting and would like to try making
   a contribution to learn more about the library and grow your skills.

 * You use Arrow in a project you are working on and you would like
   to implement a new feature or fix a bug you encountered.

 Read more about the project in the :ref:`architectural_overview` section.

 .. note::

  Contributors at Apache Arrow are following ASF's
  `Code of Conduct <https://www.apache.org/foundation/policies/conduct.html>`_.

 .. _quick-ref-guide:

 Quick Reference
 ===============

 Here are the basic steps needed to get set up and contribute to Arrow.
 This is meant both as a checklist and also to provide an overall picture of the process.

 For complete instructions please follow :ref:`step_by_step` (a
 step-by-step guide) or R and Python :ref:`tutorial-index` for an example
 of adding a basic feature.


 #. **Install and set up Git, and fork the Arrow repository**

    See detailed instructions on how to :ref:`set-up` Git and fork the
    Arrow repository.

 #. **Build Arrow**

    Arrow libraries include a wide range of functionalities and may require
    the installation of third-party packages, depending on which build
    options and components you enable. The C++ build guide
    has suggestions for commonly encountered issues - you can find it
    :ref:`here <cpp-development>`.
    Anytime you are stuck, feel free to reach out via
    appropriate :ref:`communication` channel.

    See a short description about the building process of
    :ref:`PyArrow or the R package<build-arrow-guide>` or go straight to detailed
    instructions on how to build one of Arrow libraries in the
    `documentation <https://arrow.apache.org/docs/>`_ .

 #. **Run the tests**

    We should run the tests to check if everything is working correctly. For example,
    you can run the tests from a terminal for Python

    .. code-block:: console

       $ pytest pyarrow

    or in R console for R

    .. code-block:: R

       devtools::test()

    See also the section on :ref:`testing`.

 #. **Find an issue (if needed), create a new branch and work on the problem**

    **Finding an issue**

    You might already have a bug to fix in mind, or a new feature that you want to
    implement. But if you don't and you need an issue to work on, then you may need
    help finding it. Read through the :ref:`finding-issues`  section to get some ideas.

    **Finding your way through the project**

    The first step when starting a new project is the hardest and so we've
    wrote some guides to help you with this.

    You can start by reading through :ref:`arrow-codebase` section.

    **Communication**

    Communication is very important. You may need some help solving problems
    you encounter on the way (this happens to developers all the time). Also,
    if you have a GitHub issue you want to solve, then it is advisable to let the team
    know you are working on it and may need some help.

    See possible channels of :ref:`communication`.

 #. **Once you implemented the planned fix or feature, write and run tests for it**

    See detailed instructions on how to :ref:`test <testing>`. Also run the linter
    to make sure the code is :ref:`styled <styling>` correctly before proceeding
    to the next step!

 #. **Push the branch on your fork and create a Pull Request**

    See detailed instructions on :ref:`create_pr`. If you have used AI tools
    to help generate your contribution, please also read our guidance on
    :ref:`ai-generated-code`.


 If you are ready you can start with building Arrow or choose to follow
 one of the :ref:`tutorial-index` on writing an R binding or Python feature.

 Different ways to contribute
 ============================

 There are lots of ways to contribute to the project besides writing code!

 * Improving the **documentation** is a great way to start contributing!
   For more information visit :ref:`documentation` section of the guide.

 * **Apache Arrow Cookbooks** are a collection of recipes for solving various problems
   and completing different tasks using Apache Arrow. They are also a great way to start
   contributing. For more information visit
   `How to contribute to Apache Arrow Cookbook <https://github.com/apache/arrow-cookbook/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md>`_
   located in the Apache Arrow Cookbook repository.

 You are also welcome to take a look at :ref:`other-resources` section.

 **We want to encourage everyone to contribute to Arrow!**

 Full Table of Contents
 ======================

 .. toctree::
    :maxdepth: 3

    architectural_overview
    communication
    step_by_step/index
    documentation
    tutorials/index
    resources
	.. Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
	.. or more contributor license agreements. See the NOTICE file
	.. distributed with this work for additional information
	.. regarding copyright ownership. The ASF licenses this file
	.. to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
	.. "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
	.. with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at

	.. http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

	.. Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
	.. software distributed under the License is distributed on an
	.. "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
	.. KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the
	.. specific language governing permissions and limitations
	.. under the License.


	.. SCOPE OF THIS SECTION
	.. Make an introduction to the Guide for New Contributors.
	.. Add an introduction to the project, why to get involved
	.. and a quick checklist of the contributing process.
	.. Add the Table of Contents. All detailed explanations
	.. should be added as a link in the content.


	.. _guide-introduction:

	***********************
	New Contributor's Guide
	***********************

	This guide is a resource for contributing to
	Apache Arrow for new contributors.

	No matter what your current skills are, you can try and make
	your first time contribution to Arrow.

	Starting to contribute to a project like Apache Arrow can be
	intimidating. Taking small steps will make this task
	easier.


	Why contribute to Arrow?
	========================
	There can be various reasons why you might want to contribute
	to Arrow:

	* You find the project interesting and would like to try making
	a contribution to learn more about the library and grow your skills.

	* You use Arrow in a project you are working on and you would like
	to implement a new feature or fix a bug you encountered.

	Read more about the project in the :ref:`architectural_overview` section.

	.. note::

	Contributors at Apache Arrow are following ASF's
	`Code of Conduct <https://www.apache.org/foundation/policies/conduct.html>`_.

	.. _quick-ref-guide:

	Quick Reference
	===============

	Here are the basic steps needed to get set up and contribute to Arrow.
	This is meant both as a checklist and also to provide an overall picture of the process.

	For complete instructions please follow :ref:`step_by_step` (a
	step-by-step guide) or R and Python :ref:`tutorial-index` for an example
	of adding a basic feature.


	#. Install and set up Git, and fork the Arrow repository

	See detailed instructions on how to :ref:`set-up` Git and fork the
	Arrow repository.

	#. Build Arrow

	Arrow libraries include a wide range of functionalities and may require
	the installation of third-party packages, depending on which build
	options and components you enable. The C++ build guide
	has suggestions for commonly encountered issues - you can find it
	:ref:`here <cpp-development>`.
	Anytime you are stuck, feel free to reach out via
	appropriate :ref:`communication` channel.

	See a short description about the building process of
	:ref:`PyArrow or the R package<build-arrow-guide>` or go straight to detailed
	instructions on how to build one of Arrow libraries in the
	`documentation <https://arrow.apache.org/docs/>`_ .

	#. Run the tests

	We should run the tests to check if everything is working correctly. For example,
	you can run the tests from a terminal for Python

	.. code-block:: console

	$ pytest pyarrow

	or in R console for R

	.. code-block:: R

	devtools::test()

	See also the section on :ref:`testing`.

	#. Find an issue (if needed), create a new branch and work on the problem

	Finding an issue

	You might already have a bug to fix in mind, or a new feature that you want to
	implement. But if you don't and you need an issue to work on, then you may need
	help finding it. Read through the :ref:`finding-issues` section to get some ideas.

	Finding your way through the project

	The first step when starting a new project is the hardest and so we've
	wrote some guides to help you with this.

	You can start by reading through :ref:`arrow-codebase` section.

	Communication

	Communication is very important. You may need some help solving problems
	you encounter on the way (this happens to developers all the time). Also,
	if you have a GitHub issue you want to solve, then it is advisable to let the team
	know you are working on it and may need some help.

	See possible channels of :ref:`communication`.

	#. Once you implemented the planned fix or feature, write and run tests for it

	See detailed instructions on how to :ref:`test <testing>`. Also run the linter
	to make sure the code is :ref:`styled <styling>` correctly before proceeding
	to the next step!

	#. Push the branch on your fork and create a Pull Request

	See detailed instructions on :ref:`create_pr`. If you have used AI tools
	to help generate your contribution, please also read our guidance on
	:ref:`ai-generated-code`.


	If you are ready you can start with building Arrow or choose to follow
	one of the :ref:`tutorial-index` on writing an R binding or Python feature.

	Different ways to contribute
	============================

	There are lots of ways to contribute to the project besides writing code!

	* Improving the documentation is a great way to start contributing!
	For more information visit :ref:`documentation` section of the guide.

	* Apache Arrow Cookbooks are a collection of recipes for solving various problems
	and completing different tasks using Apache Arrow. They are also a great way to start
	contributing. For more information visit
	`How to contribute to Apache Arrow Cookbook <https://github.com/apache/arrow-cookbook/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md>`_
	located in the Apache Arrow Cookbook repository.

	You are also welcome to take a look at :ref:`other-resources` section.

	We want to encourage everyone to contribute to Arrow!

	Full Table of Contents
	======================

	.. toctree::
	:maxdepth: 3

	architectural_overview
	communication
	step_by_step/index
	documentation
	tutorials/index
	resources