pcsx2/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md

# So you want to contribute to PCSX2? Great

As a first step, please review these links as they'll help you understand how the development of PCSX2 works.

*   [Just Starting Out](#just-starting-out)
*   [Issue Reporting](#issue-reporting)
*   [Pull Request Guidelines](#pull-request-guidelines)
*   [General Documentation And Coding Strategies](#general-documentation-and-coding-strategies)
*   [Tasks](#tasks)

## Just Starting Out

*   If you're unfamilar with git, check out this [brief introduction to Git](https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2/wiki/07-Git-survival-guide)
*   [How to build PCSX2 for Windows](https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2/wiki/12-Building-on-Windows)
*   [How to build PCSX2 for Linux](https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2/wiki/10-Building-on-Linux)

## Issue Reporting

*   [How to write a useful issue](https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2/wiki/How-to-create-useful-and-valid-issues)

## Pull Request Guidelines

The following is a list of *general* style recommendations that will make reviewing and merging easier:

*   Commit Messages
    *   Please try to prefix your commit message, indicating what area of the project was modified.
        *   For example `gs: message...`.
        *   Looking at the project's commit history will help with keeping prefixes consistent overtime, *there is no strictly enforced list*.

    *   Try to keep messages brief and informative

    *   Remove unnecessary commits and squash commits together when appropriate.
        *   If you are not familiar with rebasing with git, check out the following resources:
            *   CLI - https://thoughtbot.com/blog/git-interactive-rebase-squash-amend-rewriting-history
            *   GUI (SourceTree) - https://www.atlassian.com/blog/sourcetree/interactive-rebase-sourcetree

*   Code Styling and Formatting
    *   [Consult the style guide](https://github.com/tadanokojin/pcsx2/blob/coding-guide/pcsx2/Docs/Coding_Guidelines.md)

    *   Run `clang-format` using the configuration file in the root of the repository
        *   Visual Studio Setup - https://devblogs.microsoft.com/cppblog/clangformat-support-in-visual-studio-2017-15-7-preview-1/
        *   IMPORTANT - if you are running `clang-format` on unrelated changes (ie. formatting an entire file), please do so in a separate commit.
            *   If you cannot scope your `clang-format` to just your changes and do not want to format unrelated code.  Try your best to stick with the existing formatting already established in the file in question.

## General Documentation And Coding Strategies

*   [Commenting Etiquette](https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2/wiki/06-Commenting-Etiquette)

*   [Coding style](https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2/wiki/Code-Formatting-Guidelines)
    *   [More comprehensive style-guide (Currently in Draft)](https://github.com/tadanokojin/pcsx2/blob/coding-guide/pcsx2/Docs/Coding_Guidelines.md)

## Tasks

*   [Issues](https://github.com/PCSX2/pcsx2/issues)