Development Workflow

Follow this workflow each time you change the website.

Prepare the work

1. Check the repository

Run:

git status

This lists changed and untracked files. Do not overwrite or remove work you do not recognize; ask the owner or a maintainer first.

2. Create a branch

A branch keeps one change separate from other work:

git switch -c short-description

Replace short-description with a brief name such as fix-contact-text or add-project-news.

If an issue or maintainer tells you to start from a particular branch, switch to that branch before creating yours.

Make and test the change

3. Make a focused change

Use the wiki section related to your task. Avoid changing unrelated formatting or content in the same branch.

Edit source files only. Never edit _site/ or .jekyll-cache/ because Jekyll replaces them.

4. Preview the result

Start the local server as explained in Local Setup. Open every affected page and check both a narrow and a wide browser window.

For visual or interactive work, follow the extra browser checks in Styling and Responsive Design and Accessible Interactions.

5. Run the checks

Follow Running Checks. Fix errors caused by your change and run the failed command again.

Finish the work

6. Review your changes

See the changed files:

git status

Review their exact changes:

git diff

Check for spacing mistakes:

git diff --check

Confirm that the diff contains only the work you intended to submit.

7. Submit the work

Complete the Contributing Checklist, then follow Making a Pull Request.

Return to Getting Started.