Contributing to skrub#

First off, thanks for taking the time to contribute!

Below are some guidelines to help you get started.

Have a question?#

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out:

What to know before you begin#

To understand the purpose and goals behind skrub, please read our vision statement.

If you’re interested in the research behind skrub, we encourage you to explore these papers:

How can I contribute?#

Reporting bugs#

Using the library is the best way to discover bugs and limitations. If you find one, please:

  1. Check if an issue already exists by searching the GitHub issues

    • If open, leave a đź‘Ť on the original message to signal that others are affected.

    • If closed, check for one of the following:

      • A merged pull request may indicate the bug is fixed. Update your skrub version or note if the fix is pending a release.

      • A wontfix label or reasoning may be provided if the issue was closed without a fix.

  2. If the issue does not exist, create a new one.

How to submit a bug report?#

To help us resolve the issue quickly, please include:

  • A clear and descriptive title.

  • A summary of the expected result.

  • Any additional details where the bug might occur or doesn’t occur unexpectedly.

  • A code snippet that reproduces the issue, if applicable.

  • Version information for Python, skrub, and relevant dependencies (e.g., scikit-learn, numpy, pandas).

Suggesting enhancements#

If you have an idea for improving skrub, whether it’s a small fix or a new feature, first:

How to submit an enhancement proposal?#

When proposing an enhancement:

  • Use a clear and descriptive title.

  • Explain the goal of the enhancement.

  • Provide a detailed step-by-step description of the proposed change.

  • Link to any relevant resources that may support the enhancement.

If the enhancement proposal is validated#

Once your enhancement proposal is approved, let the maintainers know the following:

  • If you will write the code and submit a Pull Request (PR): Contributing the feature yourself is the quickest way to see it implemented. We’re here to guide you through the process if needed! To get started, refer to the section Writing your first Pull Request.

  • If you won’t be writing the code: A developer can then take over the implementation. However, please note that we cannot guarantee how long it will take for the feature to be added.

If the enhancement is refused#

Although many ideas are great, not all will align with the objectives of skrub.

If your enhancement is not accepted, consider implementing it as a separate package that builds on top of skrub!

We would love to see your work, and in some cases, we might even feature your package in the official repository.

Writing your first Pull Request#

Preparing the ground#

Before writing any code, ensure you have created an issue discussing the proposed changes with the maintainers. See the relevant sections above on how to do this.

Setting up the environment#

Follow the steps in the Install > “From Source” section to set up your environment.

When starting to work on a new issue, it’s recommended to create a new branch:

git switch -c branch_name

Implementation Guidelines#

When contributing, keep these project goals in mind:

  • Pure Python code: Avoid using binary extensions, Cython, or other compiled languages.

  • Production-friendly code:

    • Target the widest possible range of Python versions and dependencies.

    • Minimize the use of external dependencies.

    • Ensure backward compatibility as much as possible.

  • Performance over readability: Optimized code may be less readable, so please include clear and detailed comments. Refer to this best practice guide.

  • Explicit variable/function names: Use descriptive, verbose names for clarity.

  • Document public API components:

    • Document all public functions, methods, variables, and class signatures.

    • The public API refers to all components available for import and use by library users. Anything that doesn’t begin with an underscore is considered part of the public API.

Submitting your code#

Once you have pushed your commits to your remote repository, you can submit a PR by clicking the “Compare & pull request” button on GitHub, targeting the skrub repository.

Integration#

Community consensus is key in the integration process. Expect a minimum of 1 to 3 reviews depending on the size of the change before we consider merging the PR.

Please be mindful that maintainers are volunteers, so review times may vary.

Continuous Integration (CI)#

  • Github Actions: Used for testing skrub across various platforms (Linux, macOS, Windows) and dependencies.

  • CircleCI: Builds and verifies the project documentation.

If any of the following markers appears in the commit message, the following actions are taken.

Commit Message Marker

Action Taken by CI

[ci skip]

CI is skipped completely

[skip ci]

CI is skipped completely

[skip github]

CI is skipped completely

[deps nightly]

CI is run with the nightly builds of dependencies

[doc skip]

Docs are not built

[doc quick]

Docs built, but excludes example gallery plots

[doc build]

Docs built including example gallery plots (longer)

Note that by default the documentation is built, but only the examples that are directly modified by the pull request are executed.

Building the documentation#

Before submitting your pull request, ensure that your modifications haven’t introduced any new Sphinx warnings by building the documentation locally and addressing any issues.

First, make sure you have properly installed the development version of skrub. You can follow the Install > “From source” section, if needed.

Building the documentation requires installing some additional packages:

cd skrub
pip install '.[doc]'

To build the documentation, you need to be in the doc folder:

cd doc

To generate the full documentation, including the example gallery, run the following command:

make html

The documentation will be generated in the _build/html/ directory and are viewable in a web browser, for instance by opening the local _build/html/index.html file.

Running all the examples can take a while, so if you only want to generate specific examples, you can use the following command with a regex pattern:

make html EXAMPLES_PATTERN=your_regex_goes_here make html

This is especially helpful when you’re only modifying or checking a few examples.

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