# Filing Issues
A good issue can mean the difference between a quick fix and a long, painful fixing process. That's why the
following guidelines exist:

 - Use the [Github issue tracker](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-appservice-irc/issues) to file your issues.
 - Write a short title which neatly summaries the *problem*. Do **not** write the *solution* in the issue title.
   For example: `Cannot create a nick with | in it` is a good issue title. `Filter nicks according to RFC 2812`
   is not a good issue title.
 - Give a summary and as much information (along with proposed solutions) as possible in the body of the issue.
 - Include reproduction steps where possible.
 - Provide the commit SHA or version number of the IRC bridge being used.
 - Provide the kind and version of the IRCd where known (e.g. `Unreal3.2.10.4`) - This information is usually
   provided when you initially connect to the IRC network. If unknown, provide the domain name of the IRC network.
   
Here is a good issue which takes into account these points:
```
Cannot create a nick with | in it
---------------------------------

I tried to change my nick using "!nick Foo|" but it was rejected with the error
message "Nick 'Foo|' contains illegal characters.". It is a valid character
according to RFC 2812, so the bridge shouldn't be rejecting it.

Reproduction:
 - Make a 1:1 room with the IRC bot.
 - Send the message "!nick Foo|".
 
Version: 0.3.0
IRC network: irc.freenode.net
```

# Making Pull Requests
This project follows "git flow" semantics. In practice, this means:
 - The `master` branch is latest current stable release.
 - The `develop` branch is where all the new code ends up.
 - When forking the project, fork from `develop` and then write your code.
 - Make sure your new code passes all the code checks (tests and linting). Do this by running
   `npm run check`.
 - Create a pull request. If this PR fixes an issue, link to it by referring to its number.
 - PRs from community members must be signed off as per Synapse's [Attribution section](https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.rst#attribution)

## Coding notes
The IRC bridge is compatible on Node.js v10+. Buildkite is used to ensure that tests will run on
supported environments. Code should not use any ES features greater than that supported in ES2018.
Please see http://node.green/ for a list of supported features.
 
Tests are written in Jasmine. Depending on the pull request, you may be asked to write tests for
new code.

## Release notes
 - Changes are put in `CHANGELOG.md`.
 - Each formal release corresponds to a branch which is of the form `vX.Y.Z` where `X.Y.Z` maps
   directly onto the `package.json` (NPM) version.
 - Releases are also tagged so they are present on the Releases page on Github.
 - Releases should always be signed by the maintainers key