This page is a step by step guide for contributing to PostGIS

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Workflow:

• Fork ​https://github.com/postgis/postgis
• clone the forked postgis on your computer
• compile (everything should be ok)
  • ./autogen.sh
  • ./configure
  • make
  • sudo make install
• if big new feature
  • discuss on the dev mailing list or on irc.freenode.org #postgis
• if bug correction
  • create / update tickets
• if minor changes (no API break)
  • directly work on it
• in all case : create a branch with a telling name (what you will be working on)
• to code
  • start from SQL looking for the function definition and the associated C function
  • look for C function in postgis sources, and look if the postgis function calls a libgeom function
  • etc
• if changing existing function signature
  • you need to change the 'postgis_drop_before.sql' to get rid of the old functions
• to test
  • if libgeom : CUnit
    • cd liblwgeom/cunit/
    • make check
  • test at the postgres level (before submitting the code) -writting/changing test
    • go in regress folder
    • look for the most promising dummy.sql file
    • create a query with a distinct text_id as the first column
    • add corresponding correct answer in dummy_expected file. Warning, line order matters
    • if modifying regress_ogc
      • be carefull, the function will be tested against sfcgal kernel and regular kernel
      • a 2nd expecteed result file must be changed in sfcgal folder
  • testing
    • make
    • make check
    • sudo make install
    • make installcheck
    • (optional) if testing from a client, server restart may be requiered
  • limited testing
    • to test only one function, go in the regress folder, execute './run_test.pl regress_dummy', regress_dummy shall not have extension.
• to document (mandatory)
  • go in doc folder
  • open the relevant dummy.xml (XML is in docbook format)
  • modify/add the function.
    • Warning, optionnal arg have a perticular syntax
    • Warning, version must be noted
  • test doc with make ...

• to debug
  • adding a log message : elog(NOTICE, "MESSAGE");

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