Contributing to XMLUnit

Contributing to XMLUnit 2.x

If you think you've found a bug or are missing a feature, please open an issue, we'll also gladly accept pull requests.

Before you start working on a big feature, please tell us about it on the mailing list, though. This way you can make sure you're not wasting your time on something that isn't considered to be in XMLUnit's scope.

If you are looking for something to work on, we've compiled a list of things that we know people have been asking for.

XMLUnit's users guide is developed inside a github Wiki.

test-resources

Because XMLUnit is developed for Java and .NET, both Projects shares the same test-resources. The test-resources folder is integrated as git submodule. This means you need to run 'git submodule update --init' once inside your working copies after merging github's main branches of xmlunit or xmlunit.net.

Preparing a Pull Request

Create a topic branch from where you want to base your work (this is usually the main branch).
Make commits of logical units.
Respect the original code style:
- Only use spaces for indentation.
- Create minimal diffs - disable on save actions like reformat source code or organize imports. If you feel the source code should be reformatted create a separate issue/PR for this change.
- Check for unnecessary whitespace with git diff --check before committing.
Make sure your commit messages are in the proper format. Your commit message should contain the key of the issue if you created one.
Make sure you have added the necessary tests for your changes.
Run all the tests with mvn clean test to assure nothing else was accidentally broken.