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How to Contribute

This is a checklist of the minimum steps required to submit high-quality pull requests to the iDempiere core:

tip

If your contribution includes database changes, follow the Changing the Database instructions before writing any code.

✅ Contribution Checklist​

  • Every commit must be related to a JIRA ticket.
    Please do not mix unrelated commits. For example, if your change includes a refactoring, submit:

    • One commit for the refactoring
    • Another commit for the actual solution

  • Data access hierarchy: Use the following methods in order of preference when retrieving data:

    1. Model Classes – Most M* classes have convenient get methods.
    2. Query class – Clean and efficient for many use cases.
    3. DB class (DB.get()) – Use with care.
    4. JDBC (raw access) – Only if absolutely necessary, as it impacts memory and performance.

  • Code standards:

    • Follow Java standards (meaningful names, camelCase).
    • Use proper indentation and formatting for readability.
    • Add the GPLv2 License Header to each new Java class.
    • When adding, removing, or changing the signature of a public method:
      • Prefer method overloading instead of changing existing method signatures. This preserves backward compatibility and helps plugins continue working.
      • If you change the signature of a class or interface, regenerate the serialVersionUID if applicable. This ensures compatibility when serializing Java classes.

  • Run and maintain unit tests:

    • Ensure that all existing unit tests pass before submitting your pull request.
    • If your contribution introduces new logic or fixes a bug, consider adding new unit tests to verify the behavior.

  • Perform a collateral impact analysis:
    Even if your change affects only one line, check:

    • Where that method/class is referenced elsewhere
    • Whether your change introduces unexpected behavior
    • All relevant test cases

  • Avoid common pitfalls:
    Review the list of Common Issues before submitting your patch.

📦 Final Step: Create the pull request​

When your code is ready, create a Pull Request with a commit message that includes the JIRA ticket number (e.g., IDEMPIERE-1234 Fix XYZ).
This will allow automatic linking between the Git repository and the JIRA ticket.