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title: Open Source Contributor Guidelines description: Guidelines for external contributors to Mapsui: signing the CLA, submitting issues first, creating focused PRs, and writing good PR titles.

Open Source Contributor Guidelines

Sign the CLA

If you want to contribute, you need to sign the Contributor License Agreement (CLA).

CLA assistant

Issues first

Submit an issue before a pull request so the problem and possible solutions can be discussed before work begins.

Create small PRs focused on one topic

A PR is easier to review when it covers a single topic. Take the reviewer along in your thought process: there was a problem, you considered solutions, and there was a reason you arrived at this solution. The diff shows what changed — what should be clear from the PR description, commit messages, and code comments is the why.

Use a chain of PRs for bigger changes

For larger changes, use a chain of PRs where one depends on the other, rather than one large PR. First change the core parts in a separate PR that is easy to review. In the follow-up PR, add a line at the top of the first comment: Depends on #<number>. Once the previous PR is merged, update the next branch with git pull origin main or the Update Branch button on GitHub.

Only use dependencies when necessary — independent PRs in parallel are preferred when possible.

PR titles should be written as release notes

GitHub can generate release notes from PR titles, so write titles as release-note entries:

  • Use imperative mood (Fix, Add, Update, Remove, ...).
  • Do not put the issue number in the title — put it in the branch name so it is associated automatically.
  • The title should be self-explanatory without reading the linked issue.
  • Keep the title succinct; details belong in the PR description.

All checks must be green

Before requesting review:

  • All projects must compile.
  • All unit tests must pass.
  • All samples must run properly.