Issue Description

The section “Adding your GitHub fork to your WP trunk copy” contains several grammatical errors, awkward phrasing, and unclear steps. It could be confusing for new contributors trying to set up their Git workflow for WordPress core development.

URL of the Page with the Issue

Submitting a patch

Section of Page with the issue

Adding your GitHub fork to your WP trunk copy

Why is this a problem?

The current wording is confusing and unprofessional. It includes broken grammar, vague instructions, and inconsistent terminology. This increases friction for new contributors and might result in incorrect Git setups or mistakes in submitting patches. This section is especially important because it’s often the first major technical step someone takes when contributing code to WordPress. If this part is unclear, it can discourage contributors before they even get started.

Suggested Fix

Rewriting the section as follows for clarity and accuracy:

Adding your GitHub fork to your WP trunk copy

To contribute via GitHub, you’ll need to fork the WordPress GitHub mirror and connect your local clone to it.

1. Create a fork of the GitHub mirror under your own GitHub account.

2. Clone your fork or connect it to your existing local clone of the WordPress development repository. Replace your-username with your GitHub username. Use the SSH or HTTPS URL depending on your setup.
   git remote add fork git@github.com:your-username/wordpress-develop.git

3. Fetch all remotes to make sure you have the latest updates:
   git fetch --all

4. Create a new branch to work on a specific Trac ticket. Never work directly on trunk or master.
   git checkout -b 44722 fork/trunk

5. Alternatively, if you’re checking out an existing branch from your fork:
   git checkout fork/44722

6. Make your code changes, commit them, and push to your fork.
   git push fork 44722

7. Go to your fork on GitHub. If your GitHub account is linked to your WordPress.org profile, GitHub will prompt you to open a Pull Request. Make sure the title includes the Trac ticket number (e.g., #44722: Fix X issue in Y component).

For more details on GitHub integration, see the GitHub Pull Requests for Code Review documentation.