Get Started at Contributor Day

For more information about the role Test Team members play in the WordPress project, see the Test Team Handbook homepage.

Prepare for Contributor Day

In order to make the most of your time meeting and working with fellow contributors, follow these helpful pre-Contributor DayContributor Day Contributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://2017.us.wordcamp.org/contributor-day/ https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/. tips!

Did you know? Your WordPress.org profile includes your WordPress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/, SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/., and GitHubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/ user info, as well as any profile badges you’ve earned.

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Accounts Setup

  1. [Required] Set up a WordPress.org account on the account registration page. If you get stuck, check out the Learn WordPress lesson plan covering this topic for guidance. And for users who already have a WordPress.org account, make sure you can still log in if it’s been a while.
  2. [Recommended] Join the conversation on WordPress Slack (must be logged on to WordPress.org). While Slack is not required for Contributor Day participation, it connects you directly with the talented and diverse community behind WordPress.
  3. [Optional] For users who intend to work with the Gutenberg plugin or test PRs (pull requests), having a GitHub account is very helpful. You can sign up for GitHub here.

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Local Test Environment

Local environment testing is suggested for past contributors, or users with prior development experience.

Perhaps the biggest challenge faced by new contributors is preparing a test environment. If you would like to test patches and PRs directly during Contributor Day, it is highly recommended that you set things up at home before the event.

Tip: Wifi at the venue during a busy Contributor Day can be slow and unreliable, and configuring your laptop can take a lot (if not all) of your time. Don’t wait to fork the `wordpress-develop` repository or download Docker at the event, as this drain on bandwidth also impacts other contributors.

Differences between operating systems and personal workflows make environment configuration beyond the scope of this article, but here are some links to get started on a local test/dev environment:

  • Installing a Local Server: setting up Docker, Local, etc.
  • Installing WordPress Locally: setting up WordPress using GitGit Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency. Git is easy to learn and has a tiny footprint with lightning fast performance. Most modern plugin and theme development is being done with this version control system. https://git-scm.com/., SVNSVN Apache Subversion (often abbreviated SVN, after its command name svn) is a software versioning and revision control system. Software developers use Subversion to maintain current and historical versions of files such as source code, web pages, and documentation. Its goal is to be a mostly compatible successor to the widely used Concurrent Versions System (CVS). WordPress core and the wordpress.org released code are all centrally managed through SVN. https://subversion.apache.org/., or from a zip file.
  • Get Set Up for Testing: environment setup for GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party PR testing.
  • Apply a Patch from the Command Line or Download a GitHub PR: common ways to test patches from TracTrac Trac is the place where contributors create issues for bugs or feature requests much like GitHub.https://core.trac.wordpress.org/. and GitHub.

If you need help setting up your environment, reach out on Make/Test Slack and there will be other contributors who can provide additional guidance.

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Browser-Only Testing

Browser-based testing is suggested for users who have not contributed to WordPress before.

If you prefer to test using a browser only — a good option if you have joined Contributor Day at the last minute! — then you might consider using gutenberg.run, WordPress Playground, or a service like InstaWP or TasteWP.

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Plugins for Testing

These plugins may be helpful, or even required, during testing sessions:

Note that some tickets/PRs may include additional plugin requirements.

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Test Table at Contributor Day

Contributor Day has arrived! Look for the table with the “CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.: Test” or “Test” placard, find a seat, and don’t be afraid to introduce yourself. And most importantly: have fun collaborating with other contributors!

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Test Table Leads

Table leads are volunteers who have taken on the responsibility of helping steer and answer questions from other Contributor Day attendees. Make sure that other attendees know they can come to you for help.

If you’re lucky, there will be other contributors at the table when the session begins, but don’t be surprised if others trickle in (or leave) during the day. Remember that not everyone signs up for a team/table before the event, so you might end up steering them elsewhere, or pitching them on why the Test Team is so cool 😎.

To kick things off, here are some suggestions:

  • Introduce the table leads to clarify who to reach out to for help.
  • Go around the table and ask everyone else to introduce themselves.
  • Good icebreaker questions:
    • Where are you from/how far did you travel?
    • How do you use WordPress?
    • Have you contributed before, and what interests you most about contributing?

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Slack/Coordination

[Recommended] After doing IRL introductions, consider posting a short note in the #core-test channel to let the Slack community know that a Contributor Day event is underway. Here is a great example Slack thread for WC Asia 2023 Contributor Day.

Slack can be a good way to connect with remote attendees, many of which can help answer questions and collaborate with testing. Everyone at the event and remote should be invited to keep in touch online.

Tip: While it’s not required to run/mirror table collaboration in Slack, it does provide a very convenient way to record participation, as well as share the inevitable Trac query and GitHub PR links with other participants.

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Remote Attendance

Not everyone can make it to Contributor Day, but Test table attendees are encouraged to invite remote participation. The Test table lead should make every effort to keep remote Slack attendees up to date, or assign another volunteer at the table to handle these communications.

If you show up as a remote attendee on the #core-test channel, make sure to let everyone know you’re there for Contributor Day.

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Community Building

And finally, perhaps the most important part of attending Contributor Day is being able to connect with each other as individuals. Take the time to get to know each other, and foremost, have fun!

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How to Contribute

The Test Team’s “duty of care” covers all forms of testing in the WordPress project, whether manual or automated, from the core software to Gutenberg to other teams. This provides many options for involvement at Contributor Day.

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Repro and Patch Testing

The most popular activity for Test table participants is usually…testing! Core’s official Bug Reports page is a good place to start, but here are some other themed examples of testing opportunities:

Finally, don’t forget to post a clear test report as a new comment on the tested issue ticket or patch PR.

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Documentation

Handbook articles (like the one you’re reading now) are the result of numerous hours of collaboration effort from Test contributors, and benefit current and new Test Team members alike.

If you have at least a basic understanding of Test Team procedures (or are willing to learn about them), and you enjoy moderately-technical writing, please consider opening a PR for one of the documentation issues in the Test Handbook repo.

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Test Contributor Profile Badge

Contributors who provide a meaningful contribution to Test Team, such as a reproduction or patch test report, submit unit tests, or open a PR for a documentation update, will be awarded a shiny Test Contributor profile badge.

If during your participation in Contributor Day you were unable to post a traceable contribution (i.e. something that can be shared in a URLURL A specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org), speak with your table lead before the day is through and share how you contributed to the team.

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Resources for Continued Contribution

Here are some commonly shared links that are helpful for Test Team contributors:

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