To develop IGB and the IGB API, the core IGB development team uses the Forking and Feature Branch Workflows described in https://www.atlassian.com/git/tutorials/comparing-workflows/forking-workflow

How this works: When working on a bug fix or new feature, you should create a topic branch specific to that task. When done, submit a pull request from that topic branch to the master branch on the team repository. If working on a task recorded in the IGB JIRA system, always include the corresponding JIRA number (e.g., IGBF-1234) in the branch name and every commit to that branch. Also, before submitting a pull request, rebase your branch onto the latest tip of the master branch. Please rebase instead of merging to help simplify the commit history and make the project easier to maintain. 

Step-by-Step Set-up Guide 

Fork the code on Bitbucket - configure your fork

1. Sign up for a free account on Bitbucket using an "edu" address if you have one.
2. Set up ssh for git to avoid having to enter your password every time you interact with Bitbucket using git. See: Set up SSH for Git.
3. Using your Bitbucket account, fork the team repository: https://bitbucket.org/lorainelab/integrated-genome-browser
4. Configure your fork to link to team project management software JIRA. 
   1. Log into Bitbucket 
   2. Go to your fork home page
   3. Select "Settings > Links > Add new link"
      1. Choose Link type "Jira"
      2. Enter Link url https://jira.transvar.org/
      3. Enter Link key IGBF
   4. Check that the links work - select "Commits"
   5. Look for commit messages containing the Link key "IGBF"
   6. Note that all link keys now link out to JIRA

Note: Users with ".edu" accounts get more Bitbucket pipeline build minutes. If you are developing the Core IGB code base, you will need this to build branch-specific installers for testing. 

Clone your fork and add team repository as an upstream

1. Clone a copy of your forked IGB repository onto your computer using your favorite git client software. 
2. Add the team repository as a remote called "upstream" (the convention.)

For example:

git remote add upstream git@bitbucket.org:lorainelab/integrated-genome-browser.git

Start work - make a branch

Before you start work on a new feature, bug fix, or other improvement, create a new branch for the changes you intend to make. This new branch is called a "topic branch" and should only address one specific, discrete feature or bug fix. 

Important: If you are working on a task captured in the IGB JIRA project, include the JIRA issue number in the branch name. This enables JIRA and Bitbcuket to create links to each other.  c

For example:

git checkout -b IGBF-1234

where IGBF-1234 is the name of the new branch.

Edit code, commit to your clone, push to your fork

Edit your code, test it locally, commit your changes to your local copy, and then push them to your fork hosted on Bitbucket. If working on a JIRA issue, always include the JIRA ticket name in the commit.

For example:

git commit -m "IGBF-1234 Fix typo - covfefe not collusion"

Synchronize early & often with the main repository

If the main development branch changes, you must obtain those changes and test them with your branch.

First step is to update your fork's copy the master branch. The easiest way to do this is to use the Bitbucket interface.

To synchronize your fork using the Bitbucket interface:

1. Log in to your Bitbucket account
2. Go to your forks home page
3. Select "Repository Details"
4. Look for the "Sync" button. Click it.

Note: the Sync button appears only if your fork lacks commits present on the team repository's master branch.  By default, Bitbucket shows you the master branch.

You can also update your fork's master branch from the command line. For that, check out your master branch on your clone and pull changes from the master branch from the team repository, aliased to "upstream." Then, push the changes to your fork. 

For example:

git checkout master
git pull upstream master
git push origin master

Rebase your branch

After updating your clone and fork with the latest changes to the master branch, you'll need to test how those new commits interact with your topic branch. You should use "rebase" commands to do this. This will move the "base" of your topic branch to the latest commit on the master branch.

To rebase your branch on the latest master, switch back to the master branch, update it with any new commits, check out your feature branch, and rebase. synchronize your fork's master branch with the team repository (see above), check out your feature branch, and rebase.

For example, let's assume you have committed all your work to your topic branch - called IGBF-1234 in this example. Then run:

git checkout master
git pull origin master # assumes your fork is up-to-date
git checkout IGBF-1234
git rebase master

Next, push your newly rebased branch to "origin" (your fork) to update it:

git push origin IGBF-1234

Make a pull request - PR

To request that your edits be incorporated into the team repository, you need to make a pull request (PR). 

To make a PR using the Bitbucket UI:

• Log in to your Bitbucket account.
• Go to your fork and select "Branches"
• Under "Pull request" select "Create" next to your branch
• A pull request form will appear. Fill in the fields:
  
  • Select your fork and your branch as the pull request source (left side).
  • Select the team repository (lorainelab) and master branch as the pull request target (right side) 
  • Click Create pull request

Things you need to know about PRs:

• If you make changes to your branch (the source of the PR), those changes will be reflected in the PR. You do not need to create a new PR if you add new commits or otherwise modify your branch. 
• You should always rebase onto the latest master branch before submitting a PR. 
• The project admins get email notifications whenever someone submits a PR. However, if you do not hear anything about your PR, get in touch.