diff --git a/src/docs/book/contributor.book b/src/docs/book/contributor.book index 2960d4e439..e10ab0866d 100644 --- a/src/docs/book/contributor.book +++ b/src/docs/book/contributor.book @@ -1,33 +1,36 @@ { "name" : "phabcontrib", "title" : "Phabricator Contributor Documentation", "short" : "Phabricator Contributor Docs", "preface" : "Information for Phabricator contributors.", "root" : "../../../", "uri.source" : "https://secure.phabricator.com/diffusion/P/browse/master/%f$%l", "rules" : { "(\\.diviner$)" : "DivinerArticleAtomizer" }, "exclude" : [ "(^externals/)", "(^webroot/rsrc/externals/)", "(^scripts/)", "(^support/)", "(^resources/)", "(^src/docs/user/)", "(^src/docs/tech/)", "(^src/docs/flavor/)" ], "groups" : { "contrib" : { "name" : "Contributor Overview" }, + "detail": { + "name" : "Contributing in Detail" + }, "standards" : { "name" : "Coding Standards" }, "developer" : { "name" : "Developer Guides" } } } diff --git a/src/docs/contributor/bug_reports.diviner b/src/docs/contributor/bug_reports.diviner new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..dd838acb94 --- /dev/null +++ b/src/docs/contributor/bug_reports.diviner @@ -0,0 +1,159 @@ +@title Contributing Bug Reports +@group detail + +Describes how to file an effective Phabricator bug report. + +Overview +======== + +Found a bug with Phabricator? Let us know! This article describes how to file +an effective bug report so we can get your issue fixed or help you work around +it. + +The most important things to do are: + + - check the list of common fixes below; + - make sure Phabricator is up to date; + - make sure we support your setup; + - explain how to reproduce the issue; and + - create a task in + [[ http://secure.phabricator.com/maniphest/task/create/ | Maniphest ]]. + +The rest of this article walks through these points in detail. + +If you have a feature request (not a bug report), see +@{article:Contributing Feature Requests} for a more tailored guide. + +For general information on contributing to Phabricator, see +@{article:Contributor Introduction}. + +Common Fixes +============ + +Before you file a report, here are some common solutions to problems: + + - **Update Phabricator**: We receive a lot of bug reports about issues we have + already fixed in HEAD. Updating often resolves issues. It is common for + issues to be fixed in less than 24 hours, so even if you've updated recently + you should update again. If you aren't sure how to update, see the next + section. + - **Update Libraries**: Make sure `libphutil/`, `arcanist/` and + `phabricator/` are all up to date. Users often update `phabricator/` but + forget to update `arcanist/` or `libphutil/`. When you update, make sure you + update all three libraries. + - **Restart Apache or PHP-FPM**: Phabricator uses caches which don't get + reset until you restart Apache or PHP-FPM. After updating, make sure you + restart. + + +Update Phabricator +================== + +Before filing a bug, make sure you are up to date. We receive many bug reports +for issues we have already fixed, and even if we haven't fixed an issue we'll +be able to resolve it more easily if you file a report based on HEAD. (For +example, an old stack trace may not have the right line numbers, which will +make it more difficult for us to figure out what's going wrong.) + +To update Phabricator, use a script like this one: + + http://www.phabricator.com/rsrc/install/update_phabricator.sh + +This script will require some adjustments depending on how your setup is +configured, which webserver you are using, etc. + +**If you can not update** for some reason, please include the version of +Phabricator you are running in your report. The version is just the Git hash +of your local HEAD. You can find the version by running `git show` in +`phabricator/` and copy/pasting the first line of output, or by browsing to +{nav Config > All Settings} in the web UI and copy/pasting the information +at the top. + + +Supported Issues +================ + +Before filing a bug, make sure you're filing an issue against something we +support. + +**We do NOT support prototype applications.** If you're running into an issue +with a prototype application, you're on your own. For more information about +prototype applications, see @{article:User Guide: Prototype Applications}. + +**We do NOT support third-party packages or instructions.** If you installed +Phabricator (or configured some aspect of it) using a third-party package or by +following a third-party guide (like a blog post), we can not help you. +Phabricator changes quickly and third-party information is unreliable and often +falls out of date. Contact the maintainer of the package or guide you used, +or reinstall following the upstream instructions. + +**We do NOT support custom code development or third-party libraries.** If +you're writing an extension, you're on your own. We provide some documentation, +but can not help you with extension or library development. If you downloaded a +library from somewhere, contact the library maintainer. + +**We do NOT support bizarre environments.** If your issue is specific to an +unusual installation environment, we generally will not help you find a +workaround. Install Phabricator in a normal environment instead. Examples of +unusual environments are shared hosts, nontraditional hosts (gaming consoles, +storage appliances), and hosts with unusually tight resource constraints. The +vast majority of users run Phabricator in normal environments (modern computers +with root access) and these are the only environments we support. + +Otherwise, if you're having an issue with a supported first-party application +and followed the upstream install instructions on a normal computer, we're happy +to try to help. + + +Reproducibility +=============== + +The most important part of your report content is instructions on how to +reproduce the issue. What did you do? If you do it again, does it still break? +Does it depend on a specific browser? Can you reproduce the issue on +`secure.phabricator.com`? Feel free to try to reproduce issues on the upstream +install (which is kept near HEAD), within reason -- it's okay to make a few test +objects if you're having trouble narrowing something down or want to check if +updating might fix an issue. + +It is nearly impossible for us to resolve many issues if we can not reproduce +them. For more information, see @{article: Give Feedback! Get Support!}. + + +Create a Task in Maniphest +========================== + +If you're up to date, supported, and have the best reproduction instructions +you can come up with, you're ready to file an issue. + +We'll look at any issue report we can find (we monitor IRC, email, GitHub, +StackOverflow, Quora, Facebook and Twitter), but the upstream Maniphest is +the authoritative bug tracker and the best place to file: + + https://secure.phabricator.com/maniphest/task/create/ + +If you don't want to file there (or, for example, your bug relates to being +unable to log in or unable to file an issue in Maniphest) you can file on any of +the other channels, but we can address reports much more effectively if they're +filed against the upstream than if they're filed somewhere else. + +| Effectiveness | Filing Method | +|---|---| +| Best | Upstream Maniphest | +| Okay | GitHub | +| Ehhh | Quora, StackOverflow, Facebook, email, etc. | +| What | Passive-aggressive tweet | + +If you have a quick question or want to discuss something before filing an +issue, IRC is a great way to get a sanity check first. You can find information +about these channels in @{article: Give Feedback! Get Support!}. + +Next Steps +========== + +Continue by: + + - learning about @{article: Contributing Feature Requests}; or + - reading general support information in + @{article: Give Feedback! Get Support!}; or + - returning to the @{article:Contributor Introduction}. diff --git a/src/docs/contributor/contrib_intro.diviner b/src/docs/contributor/contrib_intro.diviner index 6a2380e802..d9b1f42ed4 100644 --- a/src/docs/contributor/contrib_intro.diviner +++ b/src/docs/contributor/contrib_intro.diviner @@ -1,122 +1,70 @@ @title Contributor Introduction @group contrib Introduction to contributing to Phabricator, Arcanist and libphutil. Overview ======== If you'd like to contribute to Phabricator, this document can guide you though ways you can help improve the project. Writing code is valuable, but often isn't the best or easiest way to contribute. In most cases we are pretty good at fixing easy stuff quickly, so we don't have a big pile of easy stuff sitting around waiting for new contributors. This can make it difficult to contribute code if you only have a little bit of time to spend since most of the work that needs to be done usually requires some heavy lifting. Without writing any code, learning the whole codebase, making a big time commitment, or having to touch PHP, here are some ways you can materially contribute to Phabricator: - Send us an email or drop by IRC just to say "thanks". A big part of the reason we build this software is to help people solve problems, and knowing that our efforts are appreciated is really rewarding. You can find ways to get in touch in @{article:Give Feedback! Get Support!} - Recommend Phabricator to people who you think might find it useful. Our most powerful growth channel is word of mouth, and mentioning or tweeting about Phabricator helps the project grow. If writing a tweet sounds like too much work, you can use one of these form tweets written by our PR department to quickly and easily shill on our behalf. Hail corporate! > Phabricator seems like it's pretty okay > I am not being paid to mention Phabricator in this extemporaneous, completely organic tweet > Phabricator is objectively the best thing. Source: I am a certified, internationally recognized expert. - Report bugs and request features. We may not always be able to fix or build things right away, but knowing about issues users are encountering or features they'd like to see improves our ability to plan and prioritize. For ways to do this, see @{article:Give Feedback! Get Support!} + - For details on reporting bugs, see @{article:Contributing Bug Reports}. + - For details on requesting features, see @{article:Contributing Feature + Requests}. - Give us feedback on planned features. Most of what we'll build in the next 6-12 months currently exists on the [[ Roadmap ]] or in Maniphest. Telling us about use cases you have can help us build better products when the time comes to write the code. - Hang out in IRC, and maybe answer a question or two. IRC is a completely legit place for serious hackers to hang out anyway, but while you're there you might see someone ask a question that you know the answer to. Helping them out (or pointing them to the right documentation) is a big help to us. You can find details about the IRC channel in @{article:Give Feedback! Get Support!} If all of this sounds nice but you really just want to write some code, that's -awesome too. The rest of this document (and the other articles in this section -of the documentation) can help you get started. +awesome too. To get started with contributing code, see +@{article:Contributing Code}. -= Legal Stuff = +Next Steps +========== -Before we can accept source code contributions, you need to submit a -[[ https://secure.phabricator.com/L28 | Contributor License Agreement ]]. Your -changes can not be accepted until you sign the agreement. +Continue by: -If you haven't signed it by the time you send changes for review, you'll be -reminded to sign it at that time. - -If you're submitting work on behalf of a company (like your employer), the -company can sign the [[ https://secure.phabricator.com/L30 | Corporate -Contributor License Agreement ]] instead. - -Both agreements are substantially similar to the Apache Foundation's CLAs. They -protect Phacility and users of Phabricator by making sure we have permission to -distribute your changes under an open source license. - -= Not Sure Where To Get Started? = - -Because we're usually quick to fix easy bugs and issues, we often don't have a -very good backlog of starter tasks. - -You can try searching in Maniphest for tasks tagged with "Easy", which might -have something, but a lot of time this list is small and the tasks on it aren't -very fun or interesting even if they aren't technically too difficult. - -In general, the best way to contribute is to come to us with a problem you -encountered or something you're interested in building, and then work with us -to find a solution to it or a plan to build it. We can help turn a hacky patch -into something that's upstreamable, and you'll get a fix or feature you want. - -You can also look though the rest of the open tasks for something more -substantive that you're interested in. This will give you a better chance of -finding something that's relevant to you, but many tasks are large or blocked -by other large tasks. - -If you do find something, feel free to leave a comment like "I'm interested in -working on this, is this something I could reasonably help with?". We're happy -to walk through things, break larger tasks down into more detail, provide -pointers to similar changes and the right places in the codebase to get started, -and generally figure out how to attack a problem. - -You can also just come find us in IRC and ask how to get started. - -= Submitting Patches = - -To submit patches against libphutil, Arcanist or Phabricator, create a commit -and use `arc` to send it for review (probably with `epriestley` as a reviewer): - - $ arc diff - -You can also submit a pull request on GitHub, but Differential is strongly -preferred. - -= Suggested Reading = - -You should read the relevant coding convention documents before you submit a -change. If you're a new contributor, you don't need to worry about this too -much. Just try to make your code look similar to the code around it, and we -can help you through the details during review. - - - @{article:General Coding Standards} (for all languages) - - @{article:PHP Coding Standards} (for PHP) - - @{article:Javascript Coding Standards} (for Javascript) + - learning about bug reports in @{article:Contributing Bug Reports}; + - learning about feature requests in @{article:Contributing Feature Requests}; + - learning about code contributions in @{article:Contributing Code}; or + - getting in touch with @{article:Give Feedback! Get Support!} diff --git a/src/docs/contributor/contributing_code.diviner b/src/docs/contributor/contributing_code.diviner new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..52b96d18fe --- /dev/null +++ b/src/docs/contributor/contributing_code.diviner @@ -0,0 +1,256 @@ +@title Contributing Code +@group detail + +Describes how to contribute code to Phabricator. + +Overview +======== + +If you're planning to send a patch to Phabricator, this guide can help you +through the process. The most important parts of contributing code to +Phabricator are: + + - File a task with a bug report or feature request //before// you write code. + - We rarely accept patches which we haven't discussed first. + - We do not accept patches against prototype applications. + - You must sign the CLA. + - We do not accept GitHub pull requests. + - Some alternative approaches are available if your change isn't something + we want to bring upstream. + +The rest of this article describes these points in more detail, and then +provides guidance on writing and submitting patches. + +If you just want to contribute some code but don't have a specific bug or +feature in mind, see the bottom of this document for tips on finding ways to get +started. + +For general information on contributing to Phabricator, see +@{article:Contributor Introduction}. + + +Coordinate First +================ + +Before sending code, you should file a bug report or feature request describing +what you'd like to write. For details on how to do this, see these articles: + + - @{article:Contributing Bug Reports} + - @{article:Contributing Feature Requests} + +When you file a task, mention that you'd like to write the code to fix it. We +can help contextualize your request or bug and guide you through writing an +upstreamable patch, provided it's something that's upstreamable. If it isn't +upstreamable, we can let you know what the issues are and help find another +plan of attack. + +You don't have to file first (for example, if you spot a misspelling it's +normally fine to just send a diff), but for anything even moderately complex +you're strongly encouraged to file first and coordinate with the upstream. + + +Rejecting Patches +================= + +If you send us a patch without coordinating it with us first, it will probably +be immediately rejected, or sit in limbo for a long time and eventually be +rejected. The reasons we do this vary from patch to patch, but some of the most +common reasons are: + +**Unjustifiable Costs**: We support code in the upstream forever. Support is +enormously expensive and takes up a huge amount of our time. The cost to support +a change over its lifetime is often 10x or 100x or 1000x greater than the cost +to write the first version of it. Many uncoordinated patches we receive are +"white elephants", which would cost much more to maintain than the value they +provide. + +As an author, it may look like you're giving us free work and we're rejecting it +as too expensive, but this viewpoint doesn't align with the reality of a large +project which is actively supported by a small, experienced team. Writing code +is cheap; maintaining it is expensive. + +By coordinating with us first, you can make sure the patch is something we +consider valuable enough to put long-term support resources behind, and that +you're building it in a way that we're comfortable taking over. + +**Not a Good Fit**: Many patches aren't good fits for the upstream: they +implement features we simply don't want. You can find more information in +@{article:Contributing Feature Requests}. Coordinating with us first helps +make sure we're on the same page and interested in a feature. + +The most common type of patch along these lines is a patch which adds new +configuration options. We consider additional configuration options to have +an exceptionally high lifetime support cost and are very unlikely to accept +them. Coordinate with us first. + +**Not a Priority**: If you send us a patch against something which isn't a +priority, we probably won't have time to look at it. We don't give special +treatment to low-priority issues just because there's code written: we'd still +be spending time on something lower-priority when we could be spending it on +something higher-priority instead. + +If you coordinate with us first, you can make sure your patch is in an area +of the codebase that we can prioritize. + +**Overly Ambitious Patches**: Sometimes we'll get huge patches from new +contributors. These can have a lot of fundamental problems and require a huge +amount of our time to review and correct. If you're interested in contributing, +you'll have more success if you start small and learn as you go. + +We can help you break a large change into smaller pieces and learn how the +codebase works as you proceed through the implementation, but only if you +coordinate with us first. + +**Generality**: We often receive several feature requests which ask for similar +features, and can come up with a general approach which covers all of the use +cases. If you send us a patch for //your use case only//, the approach may be +too specific. When a cleaner and more general approach is available, we usually +prefer to pursue it. + +By coordinating with us first, we can make you aware of similar use cases and +opportunities to generalize an approach. These changes are often small, but can +have a big impact on how useful a piece of code is. + +**Infrastructure and Sequencing**: Sometimes patches are written against a piece +of infrastructure with major planned changes. We don't want to accept these +because they'll make the infrastructure changes more difficult to implement. + +Coordinate with us first to make sure a change doesn't need to wait on other +pieces of infrastructure. We can help you identify technical blockers and +possibly guide you through resolving them if you're interested. + + +No Prototype Changes +==================== + +With rare exceptions, we do not accept patches for prototype applications for +the same reasons that we don't accept feature requests or bug reports. To learn +more about prototype applications, see +@{article:User Guide: Prototype Applications}. + + +You Must Sign the CLA +===================== + +Before we can accept source code contributions, you need to submit a +[[ https://secure.phabricator.com/L28 | Contributor License Agreement ]]. Your +changes can not be accepted until you sign the agreement. + +If you haven't signed it by the time you send changes for review, you'll be +reminded to sign it at that time. + +If you're submitting work on behalf of a company (like your employer), the +company can sign the [[ https://secure.phabricator.com/L30 | Corporate +Contributor License Agreement ]] instead. + +Both agreements are substantially similar to the Apache Foundation's CLAs. They +protect Phacility and users of Phabricator by making sure we have permission to +distribute your changes under an open source license. + + +No Pull Requests +================ + +We do not accept pull requests on GitHub: + + - We can not monitor who has signed CLAs on GitHub. You must sign the CLA + to contribute, and we can't tell if you've signed it or not when you send + us a pull request. + - Pull requests do not get lint and unit tests run, so issues which are + normally caught statically can slip by. + - Phabricator is code review software, and developed using its own workflows. + Pull requests bypass some of these workflows (for example, they will not + trigger Herald rules to notify interested parties). + - GitHub is not the authoritative master repository and we maintain a linear + history, so merging pull requests is cumbersome on our end. + - If you're comfortable enough with Phabricator to contribute to it, you + should also be comfortable using it to submit changes. + +Instead of sending a pull request, use `arc diff` to create a revision on the +upstream install. Your change will go through the normal Phabricator review +process. + +(GitHub does not allow repositories to disable pull requests, which is why +it's technically possible to submit them.) + + +Alternatives +============ + +If you've written code but we're not accepting it into the upstream, some +alternative approaches include: + +**Maintain a local fork.** This will require some ongoing effort to port your +changes forward when you update, but is often very reasonable for simple +changes. + +**Develop as an application.** Many parts of Phabricator's infrastructure are +modular, and modularity is increasing over time. A lot of changes can be built +as external modules or applications without forking Phabricator itself. There +isn't much documentation or support for this right now, but you can look at +how other applications are implemented, and at other third-party code that +extends Phabricator. + +**Rise to prominence.** We're more willing to accept borderline changes from +community members who are active, make multiple contributions, or have a history +with the project. This is not carte blanche, but distinguishing yourself can +make us feel more comfortable about supporting a change which is slightly +outside of our comfort zone. + + +Writing and Submitting Patches +================== + +To actually submit a patch, run `arc diff` in `phabricator/`, `arcanist/`, or +`libphutil/`. When executed in these directories, `arc` should automatically +talk to the upstream install. You can add `epriestley` as a reviewer. + +You should read the relevant coding convention documents before you submit a +change. If you're a new contributor, you don't need to worry about this too +much. Just try to make your code look similar to the code around it, and we +can help you through the details during review. + + - @{article:General Coding Standards} (for all languages) + - @{article:PHP Coding Standards} (for PHP) + - @{article:Javascript Coding Standards} (for Javascript) + +In general, if you're coordinating with us first, we can usually provide +guidance on how to implement things. The other articles in this section also +provide information on how to work in the Phabricator codebase. + +Not Sure Where To Get Started? +============================== + +If you don't have a specific bug or feature in mind and just want to write +some code, you can try to find something simple to get started with. + +Because we're usually quick to fix easy bugs and issues, we often don't have a +very good backlog of starter tasks. + +You can try searching in Maniphest for tasks tagged with #easy, which might +have something, but a lot of time this list is small and the tasks on it aren't +very fun or interesting even if they aren't technically too difficult. + +In general, the best way to contribute is to come to us with a problem you +encountered or something you're interested in building, and then work with us +to find a solution to it or a plan to build it. We can help turn a hacky patch +into something that's upstreamable, and you'll get a fix or feature you want. + +You can also look though the rest of the open tasks for something more +substantive that you're interested in. This will give you a better chance of +finding something that's relevant to you, but many tasks are large or blocked +by other large tasks. + +If you do find something, feel free to leave a comment like "I'm interested in +working on this, is this something I could reasonably help with?". We're happy +to walk through things, break larger tasks down into more detail, provide +pointers to similar changes and the right places in the codebase to get started, +and generally figure out how to attack a problem. + + +Next Steps +========== + +Continue by: + + - returning to the @{article:Contributor Introduction}. diff --git a/src/docs/contributor/feature_requests.diviner b/src/docs/contributor/feature_requests.diviner new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..ec75deaf2a --- /dev/null +++ b/src/docs/contributor/feature_requests.diviner @@ -0,0 +1,189 @@ +@title Contributing Feature Requests +@group detail + +Describes how to file an effective Phabricator feature request. + +Overview +======== + +Have a feature you'd like to see in Phabricator? This article describes how +to file an effective feature request. + +The most important things to do are: + + - understand the upstream; + - make sure your feature makes sense in the project; + - align your expectations around timelines and priorities; + - describe your problem, not your solution; and + - file a task in + [[ http://secure.phabricator.com/maniphest/task/create/ | Maniphest ]]. + +The rest of this article walks through these points in detail. + +If you have a bug report (not a feature request), see +@{article:Contributing Bug Reports} for a more tailored guide. + +For general information on contributing to Phabricator, see +@{article:Contributor Introduction}. + + +Understanding the Upstream +========================== + +Before filing a feature request, it may be useful to understand how the +upstream operates. + +The Phabricator upstream is [[ https://www.phacility.com | Phacility, Inc ]]. +We maintain total control over the project and roadmap. There is no democratic +process, voting, or community-driven decision making. This model is better +at some things and worse at others than a more community-focused model would +be, but it is the model we operate under. + +We have a cohesive vision for the project in the long term, and a general +roadmap that extends for years into the future. While the specifics of how +we get there are flexible, many major milestones are well-established. + +Although we set project direction, the community is also a critical part of +Phabricator. We aren't all-knowing, and we rely on feedback to help us identify +issues, guide product direction, prioritize changes, and suggest features. + +Feature requests are an important part of this, but we ultimately build only +features which make sense as part of the long term plan. + +Since it's hard to absorb a detailed understanding of that vision, //describing +a problem// is often more effective than //requesting a feature//. We have the +context to develop solutions which fit into our plans, address similar use +cases, make sense with the available infrastructure, and work within the +boundaries of our product vision. For more details on this, see below. + + +Target Audiences +================ + +Some feature requests support very unusual use cases. Although we are broadly +inclusive of many different kinds of users and use cases, we are not trying +to make the software all things to all users. Use cases which are far afield +from the things the majority of users do with Phabricator often face substantial +barriers. + +Phabricator is primarily targeted at software projects and organizations with +a heavy software focus. We are most likely to design, build, and prioritize +features which serve these organizations and projects. + +Phabricator is primarily targeted at software professionals and other +professionals with adjacent responsibilities (like project management and +operations). Particularly, we assume users are proficient computer users and +familiar with software development concepts. We are most likely to design, build +and prioritize features which serve these users. + +Phabricator is primarily targeted at professionals working in teams on full-time +projects. Particularly, we assume most users will use the software regularly and +are often willing to spend a little more time up front to get a more efficient +workflow in the long run. We are most likely to design, build and prioritize +features which serve these use cases. + +Phabricator is not limited to these kinds of organizations, users and use cases, +but features which are aimed at a different group of users (like students, +casual projects, or inexperienced computer users) may be harder to get +upstreamed. Features aimed at very different groups of users (like wedding +planners, book clubs, or dogs) will be much harder to get upstreamed. + +In many cases, a feature makes something better for all users. For example, +suppose we fixed an issue where colorblind users had difficulty doing something. +Dogs would benefit the most, but colorblind human users would also benefit, and +no one would be worse off. If the benefit for core users is very small these +kinds of features may be hard to prioritize, but there is no exceptional barrier +to getting them upstreamed. + +In other cases, a feature makes something better for some users and worse for +other users. These kinds of features face a high barrier if they make the +software better at planning weddings and worse at reviewing code. + + +Setting Expectations +==================== + +We have a lot of users and a small team. Even if your feature is something we're +interested in and a good fit for where we want the product to go, it may take +us a long time to get around to building it. + +We work full time on Phabricator, and our long-term roadmap has many years worth +of work. Your feature request is competing against thousands of other requests +for priority. + +In general, we try to prioritize work that will have the greatest impact on the +most users. Many feature requests are perfectly reasonable requests, but have +very little impact, impact only a few users, and/or are complex to develop and +support relative to their impact. It can take us a long time to get to these. + +Even if your feature request is simple and has substantial impact for a large +number of users, the size of the request queue means that it is mathematically +unlikely to be near the top. + +You can find some information about how we prioritize in T4778. In particular, +we reprioritize frequently and can not accurately predict when we'll build a +feature which isn't very near to top of the queue. + +As a whole, this means that the overwhelming majority of feature requests will +sit in queue for a long time without any updates, and that we won't be able to +give you any updates or predictions about timelines. One day, out of nowhere, +your feature will materialize. That day may be a decade from now. You should +have realistic expectations about this when filing a feature request. + +If you want a concrete timeline, you can build the feature yourself. See +@{article:Contributing Code} for details and alternatives to working with the +upstream. + + +Describe Problems +================= + +When you file a feature request, it is really helpful to describe the problem +you're facing first, not just your desired solution. + +Often, your problem may have a lot in common with other similar problems. If we +understand your use case we can compare it to other use cases and sometimes find +a more powerful or more general solution which solves several problems at once. + +At other times, we'll have a planned solution to the problem that might be +different from your desired solution but accomplish the same goal. Understanding +the root issue can let us merge and contextualize things. + +Sometimes there's already a way to solve your problem that might just not be +obvious. + +Finally, your proposed solution may not be compatible with the direction we +want to take the product, but we may be able to come up with another solution +which has approximately the same effect and does fit into the product direction. + +If you only describe the solution and not the problem, we can't generalize, +contextualize, merge, reframe, or offer alternative solutions or workarounds. + + +Create a Task in Maniphest +========================== + +If you think your feature might be a good fit for the upstream, have reasonable +expectations about it, and have a good description of the problem you're trying +to solve, you're ready to file a feature request: + + https://secure.phabricator.com/maniphest/task/create/ + +You can file feature requests in places other than Maniphest (like GitHub), but +we can address them far more effectively if you file them in the upstream. +Feature requests filed elsewhere will generally be moved to the upstream. + +If you have a quick question or want to discuss something before filing a +request, IRC is a great way to get a quick answer. You can find information +about IRC and other support channels in @{article: Give Feedback! Get Support!}. + + +Next Steps +========== + +Continue by: + + - learning about @{article: Contributing Bug Reports}; or + - reading general support information in + @{article: Give Feedback! Get Support!}; or + - returning to the @{article:Contributor Introduction}.