This page is under construction.

jQuery UI Team: please edit this page and any linked pages that are missing content where noted.  In order to scale up, we need to be able to get more active contributors so the core team can focus on high level tasks like planning, difficult development and API problems, testing framework, documentation, mentoring and evangelism -- so let's make this a priority.

The jQuery UI team welcomes all interested designers and developers, and anyone who's motivated to make the web a more interactive and usable space, to join our efforts.  There are many ways to jump in and contribute, and we've listed several starting places here.  If you think of another way to get involved that's not listed, please leave a comment on this page.

Start here:

1. Read the jQuery UI team's Vision and Goals and get to know the ideas that we share about the jQuery UI library, where we'd like it to go, and how we collaborate with the jQuery UI development community to take it there.  We believe it's critically important that everyone, who actively contributes to jQuery UI, shares a common mindset about how the project is developed, and remains open and respectful to the project's goals and its hardworking development community.

    

2. Get up to speed on the development and support resources at jqueryui.com.

    

3. Join and follow the Google Groups jquery-ui (focused on how to use the library), and jquery-ui-dev (focused on the development of jQuery UI components).  Both discussion lists are very active and provide great insight into how users are implementing the jQuery UI interactions and widgets and what the development team is currently working on. 

Ways to get involved

Learn, help new users, evangelize jQuery UI

• Answer questions on jquery-ui Google Group, #jquery-ui irc channel on irc.freenode.net.
• Follow jQuery UI in the blogosphere, refer users back to resources at the planning wiki, jqueryui.com, or the appropriate google group
• Talk about jQuery UI in your company, at local events, and at conferences

Document current and future widgets

We've created a list of widgets that jQuery UI should eventually support and need to define them all -- no easy task.  Documentation includes finding and noting the URLs of good working examples, providing feedback on visual designs, describing functional specifications and requirements, and suggesting recommendations for markup, styling, semantics and accessibility. To get started, review how we collaborate on the planning wiki, use language when describing jQuery UI, and prioritize plugin development.

QA, log bugs

We spend a lot of time on QA, and we also rely on our smart user base to let us know when something goes wrong.  To get started, review the bug fixing guide, sign up for a Trac account, and log tickets for technical bugs, functional issues, or any inconsistencies in how the code is structured.

Fix bugs

Developers looking to contribute in a big way could help us chip away at the list of bugs for each release.  Start by reviewing the bug fixing guide to familiarize yourself with how we triage and track issues.  If you find a bug you would like to work on, you can:

• add comments with insight into what's causing the problem and/or how to fix it
• create and attach a file showing the problem, the simpler the test the better
  • if the problem can be demonstrated visually, you can build a visual test file (see existing tests in /tests/visual/pluginname)
• create and attach a failing unit test that will pass when the bug is fixed
• create and attach a patch that fixes the bug
• post on the jquery-ui-dev group when you want a team member to review your work

All patches will be reviewed by a team member.  If the patch is acceptable, the team member will commit the patch.  Community members may gain commit access by demonstrating a consistent ability to provide quality patches.

Contribute an existing plugin or develop new widgets for future inclusion

Start by reviewing:

• the list of widgets we'd like to include in future releases
• jQuery UI developer guidelines
• Theming API
• how the jQuery UI team structures development phases. Then...

[We need to list steps here and not assume that new developers know what to do.  The more information we provide here, the easier it will be to get devs up to speed fast with little distraction from ongoing work.]

..then, you can continue with contributing to an existing plugin or a planned future component. If you like to explore and develop without restrictions on an open canvas, you can also participate in jQuery UI Labs.

1. Contribute to a current or scheduled future widget

• what exact steps does a developer need to take, and what specific criteria must be met by a plugin to be considered for inclusion? add them here http://jqueryui.pbwiki.com/Submitting-a-plugin
• need to specify inclusion criteria in detail, some starters:
  • API/widget factory structure (http://jqueryui.com/docs/Developer_Guide, https://jqueryui.pbwiki.com/Development)
  • jQuery UI CSS framework classes (http://jqueryui.com/docs/Theming/API)
  • code and usage documentation
  • unit tests
• does it make sense to institute a trial period i.e., bug fix, submit a patch / earn SVN commit access, before a new developer starts work on a widget?
• where should developers post code for review?  jQuery UI dev list?  SVN?
• who on the jQuery UI team can take on the role of vetting new code or new developer mentoring?
• what is the code review/acceptance process, from submission to final sign-off by the development lead?
• contributed code must be licensed as open-source, not legally restricted in any way -- what else do we need to consider here?

2. Contribute to the jQuery UI Labs

• Read more about the Labs first
• Visit and explore what's currently being done: http://jquery-ui.googlecode.com/svn/branches/labs/demos/index.html (this needs major overhaul - the current demo model is way too restricted layout-wise, and we need a better branding, sub page on labs.jqueryui.com)
• ping Paul (should we have a separate mailing list for the labs, since it doesn't really belong in jquery-dev? should they email me directly?)
• ...

Any questions?

Post questions about jQuery UI design or development to the jquery-ui-dev Google Group, which the team constantly monitors. 

If you have questions or ideas about specific widget design or planning issues, like functional requirements for a new widget, leave a comment on the relevant planning wiki page so that we can track the conversation about that widget in one place.