Contributing to L5 ❤️
Thanks for your interest in contributing to L5! Contributions of all kinds are welcome — from code and documentation to tutorials, examples, and teaching.
We are inspired by the all contributors approach to contribution to open source projects:
Our community values contributions of all forms and seeks to expand the meaning of the word contributor as far and wide as possible. It includes documentation, teaching, writing code, making art, writing, design, activism, organizing, curating, or anything else you might imagine. --from p5.js Contributor Guidelines
If you’re new to open source, don’t worry. This guide explains which repository to use, when to fork, and how to get started step by step.
Step 1: Decide what you want to contribute
L5 has two main repositories. Which one you use depends on what you’re working on.
L5 - The library itself
Use this repository if you want to:
- Fix bugs in the L5 code
- Add or improve features
- Improve core documentation
- Add examples that ship with L5
Repository: https://github.com/L5lua/L5
L5 Website - The documentation site
Use this repository if you want to:
- Improve reference pages
- Write or edit tutorials
- Add screenshots or examples
- Improve wording, structure, or beginner explanations
Repository: https://github.com/L5lua/L5-website
Step 2: Start with an issue
Before writing code or documentation, we recommend opening an issue to describe:
- A bug you found
- A page that’s confusing
- A feature or tutorial idea
- Something you’d like to improve
This helps avoid duplicated work and gives you a place to ask questions.
Where to file issues
Library issues: https://github.com/L5lua/L5/issues
Website issues: https://github.com/L5lua/L5-website/issues
Step 3: Fork the repository
If you want to make changes:
- Fork the repository you’re contributing to
(eitherL5orL5-website) - Clone your fork to your computer
- Make your changes
- Open a Pull Request back to the main repository
You do not need special permission to fork, and you do not need to create a branch in the main repository.
Most contributors work directly on the main branch of their fork.
Example (command line)
After forking the repo on GitHub, clone your fork:
git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/L5-website.git
cd L5-website
Make your changes, then commit and push:
git add .
git commit -m "Describe your changes"
git push origin main
Finally, open a Pull Request on GitHub from your fork to the main repository.
Some ways to Help with L5
- File bug reports with detailed reproduction steps by creating an issue
- Fix code issues and improve functionality
- Create or improve documentation and tutorials
- Build example programs showcasing L5 capabilities
- Teach workshops using L5
- Test on different systems and report compatibility
- Create educational content like zines or video tutorials
- Develop add-on libraries or document Lua ecosystem integration
We follow the All Contributors philosophy:
Our community values contributions of all forms and seeks to expand the meaning of the word contributor.
Contributors meetings
We regularly host in-person contributor meetings in NYC. All are welcome! Feel free to reach out directly if you'd like to learn more.