GlassFish Project – Documentation Home Page

How to Contribute

It really does take a community to make things happen, and that's certainly true for GlassFish documentation. Many heads and hands are better than just a few. You don't need to be an expert writer to contribute. All you need is an interest in documentation and a desire to jump in and provide information that will help others in the broader GlassFish community. (And sometimes all you need is an opinion or epiphany or idea or "what if we did it this way?" and a desire to share it, with hopes of making things better.)

There are many ways to contribute to GlassFish documentation, some of which are listed below. If you have other ideas, we'd love to hear them! Contact the GlassFish documentation mailing list and describe what you're interested in.

What	How
Review documentation	Go to the Documentation Comments Wiki and review the latest drafts.
Submit doc bugs and RFEs	Follow the instructions in How to File a Documentation Bug.
Attend a doc meeting	Go to the Documentation Meetings page for details and make plans to attend the next meeting.
Join the doc mailing list and participate	Subscribe to the documentation mailing list as described in the mailing list section on this page and launch and participate in discussions related to GlassFish documentation. It's a great way to build community and collaboration.
Work with a mentor	Select one of the documentation ideas listed on the Project Ideas page or come up with an idea of your own, then use the documentation mailing list to connect with a mentor from the doc community and get started.
Write FAQs	Go to the User FAQ or Developer FAQ and follow the instructions from there. The FAQs are in wiki format and can be edited directly on the GlassFish wiki.
Translate FAQs	Follow the instructions in Translating User and Developer FAQs. Translation work is underway, and more translators are needed.
Write How-Tos	Follow the instructions in How to Write a How-To.
Write tutorials	Follow the instructions for contributions on the Community Docs page.
Produce videos and screencasts	Follow the instructions for contributions on the Community Docs page. See the Screencasts page for examples. Also see the Tell Me, Show Me page.
Write blog entries	If you're blogging about GlassFish tips and tricks, How-To's, interesting workarounds, FAQs, and other doc-related content, send an email to the documentation mailing list and tell us about it so your posts can be publicized and linked to.
Improve docs on the community wiki	Contribute directly to the GlassFish v2 Error Message Reference and Troubleshooting Guide, and also to the GlassFish Migration Guide (part of the Migrate To GlassFish project). These can all be edited directly on the GlassFish wiki.
Provide feedback	Read Taking Stock of Docs: What Worked and What Didn't? and answer the questions raised! Yes, it's an older post but the questions raised are still valid and your feedback is still needed.

Documentation Mailing List

The documentation mailing list ([email protected]) is the primary means of communication for the GlassFish documentation community. That's where you'll find answers to your questions along with discussion, participation, community. Join the list and engage. It's a low-traffic list and a friendly, helpful group. Any and all feedback is encouraged and most welcome.

To join the documentation mailing list

Make sure you have an account on java.net, then follow the steps listed below. Information about how to get an account is also provided.

1. In the GlassFish mailing lists page, click Login.
2. In the Login page, log in with your java.net username or email and password.
   If you are a new user, follow the link to register for an account to receive a password and log in.
3. After logging in, scroll toward the bottom of the page until you see [email protected].
4. Select the desired format: Message-by-message or Digest.
5. Click Subscribe.
6. Reply to the email that you receive to confirm your subscription.

You're now ready to participate in discussions with the GlassFish documentation community.

Documentation Resources

Other helpful resources:

• Application Server Writers Blog
  
• GlassFish v3 Documentation Meetings
  
• GlassFish v3 Documentation Plan
• GlassFish Student Site, tailored specifically for students, instructors, and other members of the academic community