Add Basic Testing Instructions to CONTRIBUTING.md

[santiseccovidal]

Overview

We need to add a new testing section to CONTRIBUTING.md to remind developers to test their code changes. This should be a a minor update to the existing file.

Details

Testing is a fundamental step to ensure quality of code and that code changes are functioning as expected. For some it's not the most engaging step and skip it, others simply forget about it altogether. This is the reason why being reminded to do it and understanding that the time invested doing it saves tons of work down the road is fundamental. Fixing easily preventable bugs is the idea and testing gives us a tool to come up with new solutions and improve our code.

Action Items

• [x] Open the file CONTRIBUTING.md in your local code editor.
• [x] In VS Code click the button on the top right corner to open the file preview on the right of your edited file.
  Click here to see the the above.

  
• [x] Please look at the preview as you work along.
• [x] You'll need to modify the TOC (Table of Contents) and the actual sections. Please ensure that the link to each new or modified section works.
• [x] Modify 2.7.b of the TOC by replaing:

      - [**2.7.b Working on an issue (2): Creating and testing your issue branch**](#27b-working-on-an-issue-2-creating-and-testing-your-issue-branch)
        - [**i. A few notes regarding Docker:**](#i-a-few-notes-regarding-docker)

With:

      - [**2.7.b Working on an issue (2): Creating your issue branch and testing your code changes**](#27b-working-on-an-issue-2-creating-your-issue-branch-and-testing-your-code-changes)
        - [**i. Creating your issue branch**](#i-creating-your-issue-branch)
        - [**ii. Testing your code changes**](#ii-testing-your-code-changes)

• [x] Then locate section 2.7.b inside the document, and change:

#### **2.7.b Working on an issue (2): Creating your issue branch**

With:

#### **2.7.b Working on an issue (2): Creating your issue branch and testing your changes**

#### **i. Creating your issue branch

• [x] Then find and replace the line:

#### **i. A few notes regarding Docker:**

With:

#### **ii. Testing your code edits**

1. Importance of testing

2. A few notes regarding Docker:

• [x] Check that the linking from the TOC to the actual section works.
• [x] In the section "1. Importance of testing" that you just created (before the section title "2. A few notes regarding Docker:"), write an explanation detailing the need for testing issues. Something similar to the Overview above can be used.
  • [x] Within this section, also add the following links to the section, specify what each of them corresponds to either frontend and backend/DevOps:
    • [x] Link to the testing instructions in the Pull Request wiki for frontend testing.
    • [x] Link to the following GHA instructions for backend/DevOps testing:
      • [x] HfLA GitHub Actions
      • [x] Tip 6: Creating your own Project Board
      • [x] Tip 7: Using Personal Access Tokens to test in your own Project Board
  • [x] Write a reminder for volunteers to add comments to their issue if they aren't sure how to test something, and then to put it in the Questions / In Review column and add the ready for dev lead label. And to paste a link to their comments in the #hfla-site Slack channel asking their peers for help.
• [x] After including all of your new information, check that the links in the TOC work correctly, that is when you click the link, you are forwarded to the correct section in the document.
• [x] Changes to CONTRIBUTING.md should not be tested locally, rather they need to be tested after pushing the issue branch to your fork of the repository. Push your issue branch in the usual manner, but before creating the Pull Request, check your updates using this test URL. Also store the test URL for use in a later step:

https://github.com/[REPLACE WITH GITHUB HANDLE]/website/blob/[REPLACE WITH NAME OF ISSUE BRANCH]/CONTRIBUTING.md

(for example: https://github.com/bonniewolfe/website/blob/issue-branch-1234/CONTRIBUTING.md)

• [x] Create a pull request with your changes. In the Pull Request, after the "Why did you make the changes" section, add this line to help reviewers, replacing the text in brackets (and the brackets) with the test URL from the previous Action Item.

For Reviewers: Do not review changes locally, rather, review changes at [REPLACE WITH TEST URL]

Resources

• Initiated by ER #6552
• CONTRIBUTING.md

[github-actions[bot]]

Hi @santisecco.

Please don't forget to add the proper labels to this issue. Currently, the labels for the following are missing:

• Complexity, Role, Feature, Size

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[t-will-gillis]

Hey @santisecco Thank you for taking up this ER- we definitely need this!

Here are some comments:

• Under "Resources", please add - Initiated by ER #6552 or similar, and
• add a comment to 6552 saying Created issue #7762 to address this ER or something similar

Although the ER specifies creating a new section 2.8 in CONTRIBUTING.md, I don't believe this make chronological sense because sections 2.7.c-2.7.f are related to pushing changes to the remote repo. Also, section 2.7.b references testing - which is the sensible order. I believe that a new section 2.8 will confuse the instructions, not help them.

My proposals:

• rename section 2.7.b as:

  #### **2.7.b Working on an issue (2): Creating your issue branch**
  

• insert a new section 2.7.c:

  #### **2.7.c Working on an issue (3): Testing your changes**  
  

• This will change the lettering and numbering on the rest of 2.7, here and in the TOC
• Your changes would be inserted in the new 2.7.c and incorporate the "i. A few notes regarding Docker" section

I know this throws a wrench in what you are doing- we should discuss further.

Also- I rearranged some of the existing notes: see if this link works

[HackforLABot]

Hi @santisecco, thank you for taking up this issue! Hfla appreciates you :)

Do let fellow developers know about your:- i. Availability: (When are you available to work on the issue/answer questions other programmers might have about your issue?) ii. ETA: (When do you expect this issue to be completed?)

You're awesome!

P.S. - You may not take up another issue until this issue gets merged (or closed). Thanks again :)

[santiseccovidal]

Hi @t-will-gillis I agree, I'll do the edits and chat with you. Btw the link with your notes works. Thank you 👍

[santiseccovidal]

I edited the instructions but for some reason my changes were lost. However, their preview appear on the comments edits. I'll redo the changes and add a couple more things after talking to Will later.

[santiseccovidal]

We will follow up on this issue creation the next developer meeting.

[t-will-gillis]

Hey @santisecco Thank you for all of your work on this issue! As we discussed, this seems a more complex than a medium issue so I changed the label. Great job

[HackforLABot]

Hi @aswutmaxcy, thank you for taking up this issue! Hfla appreciates you :)

Do let fellow developers know about your:- i. Availability: (When are you available to work on the issue/answer questions other programmers might have about your issue?) ii. ETA: (When do you expect this issue to be completed?)

You're awesome!

P.S. - You may not take up another issue until this issue gets merged (or closed). Thanks again :)

[aswutmaxcy]

i. Availability: 9am - 4pm (MT) M-Thus, 9am - 7pm (MT) Fri - Sun ii. ETA: 01/01/2025, will update tomorrow

[aswutmaxcy]

Had a bit of an emergency this weekend and just got back, I'll update later tonight or tomorrow afternoon

[aswutmaxcy]

Finished some of the action items, linking is broken. I'll resume tomorrow morning/afternoon and update

[HackforLABot]

@aswutmaxcy

Please add update using the below template (even if you have a pull request). Afterwards, remove the 'To Update !' label and add the 'Status: Updated' label.

1. Progress: "What is the current status of your project? What have you completed and what is left to do?"
2. Blockers: "Difficulties or errors encountered."
3. Availability: "How much time will you have this week to work on this issue?"
4. ETA: "When do you expect this issue to be completed?"
5. Pictures (optional): "Add any pictures of the visual changes made to the site so far."

If you need help, be sure to either: 1) place your issue in the Questions/In Review column of the Project Board and ask for help at your next meeting, 2) put a "Status: Help Wanted" label on your issue and pull request, or 3) put up a request for assistance on the #hfla-site channel. Please note that including your questions in the issue comments- along with screenshots, if applicable- will help us to help you. Here and here are examples of well-formed questions.

_{You are receiving this comment because your last comment was before Tuesday, June 10, 2025 at 12:05 AM PST.}

[aswutmaxcy]

1. Progress: Moving to the testing through uploading to my repo
2. Blockers: Navigating the branch uploading, making sure I'm not merging to main
3. Availability: I'll be working on this tomorrow (6/18) morning to completion hopefully
4. ETA: 6/18
5. None to the frontend site

[aswutmaxcy]

Okay, the issue is completed and the pull request is up for review.