How to Contribute to the Development of Boston.gov

Boston.gov, the official site of the City of Boston, invites developers and designers to join in improving the digital front door to the city. In this blog post, we will guide you through the essential steps to set up your development environment and contribute effectively to Boston.gov.

Getting Started

The first step in your journey is to access the developer guide. This document lays down the groundwork for all contributors.

Forking the Repo

• Every contributor should fork the primary Boston.gov repository.
• Checkout a local copy of the `develop` branch to begin your work.
• For every task, create a pull request for review.
• Before submitting your pull request, ensure to sync the local branch with the upstream primary branch.

Submitting Your Changes

When creating a pull request, always provide a clear and descriptive title. Use the following template for your submission:

## Changes
This PR references #[GitHub issue number]
* [First change]
* [Second change]
* [Third change]

Quick Start with Docker

If you’re ready to dive into Docker, follow these steps:

1. Download Docker for Mac or Docker for Windows.
2. Clone the Boston.gov repo.
3. Run docker-compose up in the root directory; this will start the servers and show their logs.
4. In another terminal window, initialize the database using docker exec bostongov_drupal_1 scripts/init-docker-container.sh (this takes about 10+ minutes).
5. Visit http://127.0.0.1:8888 to see the blank install and log in with the username admin and password admin.

Understanding the Docker Commands – An Analogy

Think of setting up your local environment with Docker as preparing a new garden. When you first start, you need to:

• Clear the land (download Docker): Before planting anything, you need a clear space. Just like downloading Docker prepares your computer’s environment for new applications.
• Plant the seeds (clone the repo): Just as seeds are essential to a garden, cloning the repository is essential, as it holds the code you’ll work on.
• Water the plants (run docker-compose up): Without water, plants die. Running commands ensures your code is lively and operational.
• Watch the plants grow (initialize the database): Just like patiently watching your garden grow, initializing the database may take some time but is crucial for a thriving application.

Running Drush Commands

To execute Drush commands within a running Drupal container, use:

docker exec -it bostongov_drupal_1 bin/bash

From there, you can run any Drush or task.sh commands needed for your project.

Troubleshooting Section

While you may find everything going smoothly, issues can arise. Here are troubleshooting tips:

• Make sure Docker is running before executing commands.
• If you’re facing issues with logs, check if you have enough memory allocated to Docker.
• If pull requests are not merging, double-check if there are conflicts that need resolution.

For additional help, you can refer to communities or forums dedicated to Drupal or Docker. For more insights, updates, or to collaborate on AI development projects, stay connected with fxis.ai.

Conclusion

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