CONTRIBUTING.md

🚀 Welcome to the Hugo Project!

Thank you for your interest in contributing to Hugo! We value every kind of contribution, from code to documentation, bug reports, and community support. Let’s build something amazing together! 🌟

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📋 Table of Contents

• CONTRIBUTING.md
  • 🚀 Welcome to the Hugo Project!
  • 📋 Table of Contents
  • 🧑‍💻 How to Contribute
  • 🤝 Code of Conduct
  • 🌈 Ways to Contribute
  • 🛠️ Development Setup
  • 🐞 Reporting Issues
  • 📦 Submitting Pull Requests
  • 📝 Commit Message Guidelines
  • 🎉 Recognition
  • 📬 Contact
  • ⚠️ Rules & Reminders

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🧑‍💻 How to Contribute

1. Fork the repository and create your branch from master.
2. Make your changes—whether it’s code, documentation, or bug fixes.
3. Test your changes locally.
4. Submit a Pull Request for review.

If you’re new to open source, don’t worry! The Hugo team and community are here to help you get started.¹²³

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🤝 Code of Conduct

We are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment. Please be respectful and considerate to others. For more details, see our Code of Conduct. 🫶

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🌈 Ways to Contribute

• 💬 Answer questions on the forum
• 📝 Improve documentation
• 🐛 Report and squash bugs
• 🎨 Create or improve themes
• 🚀 Suggest or implement new features
• 🧹 Help manage issues and discussions

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🛠️ Development Setup

Before you start, ensure you have:

• Git
• Go (version 1.23.0 or later)
• C compiler (GCC or Clang)
• Updated your PATH as per Go documentation

For detailed setup instructions, see the Development Guide.²

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🐞 Reporting Issues

• Search existing issues before opening a new one.
• For bugs, include:
  • Hugo version (hugo version)
  • Operating system
  • Steps to reproduce
• Use the appropriate repository for documentation or theme issues.

If unsure, ask in the forum first! ¹³

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📦 Submitting Pull Requests

• Fork and make changes in a feature branch.
• Reference an open issue (with bug or enhancement label) for non-trivial changes.
• Add or update tests as needed.
• Run go fmt and ensure mage check passes.
• Squash your commits into one (git rebase -i).
• Sign the CLA if prompted.
• Add documentation for new features or changes.
• Submit your PR and describe your changes clearly.

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📝 Commit Message Guidelines

• Use clear, concise messages.
• Prefix with type: fix:, feat:, docs:, refactor:, etc.
• Example: fix: resolve panic on empty config

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🎉 Recognition

All contributors are recognized and appreciated! Check out our contributors list and join our awesome community! 🏆

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📬 Contact

For questions or help, reach out via:

• Hugo Discussion Forum
• GitHub Issues

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Thank you for helping Hugo grow! Every contribution makes a difference. Happy coding! 💖

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⚠️ Rules & Reminders

• Be kind and constructive 🤗
• No spam or off-topic content 🚫
• Keep discussions public and transparent 💬
• Respect review decisions and feedback 🙏
• Have fun and learn! 🎓

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Ready to contribute? Fork, code, and PR away! 🚀

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This guideline is based on Hugo’s official contribution process and best practices for open source projects¹²⁴⁵.

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Footnotes

1. https://github.com/gohugoio/hugo/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. https://gohugo.io/contribute/development/ ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. https://gohugo.io/contribute/ ↩ ↩²

4. https://contributing.md/how-to-build-contributing-md/ ↩

5. https://github.com/nayafia/contributing-template ↩