Template Standards and Guidelines

Relevant source files

Purpose and Scope

This document defines the standards and guidelines for contributing .gitignore templates to the GitHub gitignore repository. It covers template quality criteria, contribution requirements, placement rules, versioning strategies, and documentation expectations. The repository serves as the source for the .gitignore template choosers available in the GitHub.com interface when creating new repositories README.md3-5

For information about the repository's organizational structure, see Repository Structure and Organization (1.1) For practical guidance on using existing templates, see Using Gitignore Templates (1.2)

Sources: README.md1-67

Template Quality Criteria

A template qualifies for inclusion in this repository when it satisfies specific quality and scope requirements. The repository curates the most common and helpful templates rather than attempting comprehensive coverage of every tool README.md60-63

Core Requirements

Criterion	Description	Example
Specific Scope	Must target a specific programming language, framework, tool, or environment README.md42-44	`Python.gitignore`, `Node.gitignore`, `VisualStudio.gitignore`
Curated Rule Set	Must contain a small, meaningful set of rules README.md24-26	Excludes templates that are mostly lists of specific version files
Universal Applicability	Rules should apply to everyone using the technology CONTRIBUTING.md13-15	Not specific to individual teams or organizations
Active Maintenance	Technology must be in active use and the template must be "evergreen" at root README.md74-76	Not deprecated or obsolete tools

Rejection Criteria

Templates are not accepted when:

The template is mostly a list of files installed by a particular software version README.md48-50
It is not possible to curate a small set of useful rules for the situation CONTRIBUTING.md43-44
The rules are too specific to a particular project structure rather than the technology itself CONTRIBUTING.md13-15
OS-specific rules (like .DS_Store) are included in language templates instead of Global/macOS.gitignore CONTRIBUTING.md23-26

Sources: README.md37-64 CONTRIBUTING.md7-50

Three-Tier Placement Strategy

The repository organizes templates into three directories based on popularity, scope, and specificity. This structure balances discoverability with comprehensive coverage README.md19-21

Placement Decision Tree

Directory-Specific Rules

Root Directory (`/`)

Purpose: Common templates to help people get started with popular programming languages and technologies README.md23-24
Rule Set: Defines a meaningful set of rules to ensure unimportant files are not committed README.md24-26
Naming: Must not have a version in the filename (i.e., "evergreen") README.md75-76

Global Directory (`/Global/`)

Purpose: Templates for various editors, tools, and operating systems that can be used across different projects README.md27-28
Usage: Recommended for global git configuration or merging into project-specific templates README.md28-31
Sources: Global/README.md1-5

Community Directory (`/community/`)

Purpose: Specialized templates for other popular languages, tools, and projects that don't belong in mainstream templates README.md32-34
Specialized Rules: Rules should be specific to the framework/tool, and dependencies should be mentioned in the header README.md90-92
Versioned Archives: Contains previous versions of templates with the version embedded in the filename README.md77-79

Sources: README.md19-35 README.md69-92 Global/README.md1-11

Contribution Requirements

All contributions must include comprehensive context to facilitate review. The repository maintains high standards because maintainers may not be familiar with every technology submitted CONTRIBUTING.md7-9

Mandatory Pull Request Contents

As defined in the `.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md1-21 every PR must provide:

Requirement	Purpose	Code Reference
Project Homepage	Link to the application or project's official site	CONTRIBUTING.md7-9
Reason for Change	Background on why this change applies to everyone using the tech	CONTRIBUTING.md11-15
Documentation Links	Canonical docs supporting the specific rule changes	CONTRIBUTING.md17-18
Limited Scope	PR must only modify one template at a time	CONTRIBUTING.md28-29

Technical Constraints

No Duplicates: Ensure new rules do not create duplicate sections or duplicate existing rules CONTRIBUTING.md31-36
Workflow: Contributors must fork the project, create a branch, and send a pull request to the main branch README.md114-122

Sources: CONTRIBUTING.md1-50 README.md114-129 .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md1-33

Versioned Templates

Frameworks and tools that change significantly between versions require a specific versioning strategy to serve both current and legacy users README.md71-72

Versioning Workflow

Implementation Rules

Evergreen Root: The root template is the current supported version and lacks a version number in the filename README.md74-76
Archived Versions: Older versions live under community/ and must embed the version in the filename for readability README.md77-79
Cross-Reference: Archived templates should explicitly state they are legacy versions. For example, community/PHP/Magento1.gitignore recommends using the root Magento.gitignore for the latest version community/PHP/Magento1.gitignore1-3

Sources: README.md69-83 community/PHP/Magento1.gitignore1-46

Specialized Templates

Specialized templates serve niche frameworks or tools that provide value to specific communities but aren't considered mainstream enough for the root directory README.md86-89

Specialized Template Structure

All specialized templates must follow a standardized documentation format in the file header:

Example: Alteryx Template

The community/Alteryx.gitignore file illustrates these standards by including:

Header: Identification of the tool community/Alteryx.gitignore1
Websites: Links to official project and file type documentation community/Alteryx.gitignore2-3
Categorization: Rules grouped by "Data Files", "Special Files", and "License Files" community/Alteryx.gitignore5-24
References: Links to official Git documentation for user education community/Alteryx.gitignore31-34
Workflow Tips: Instructions for clearing the git cache community/Alteryx.gitignore36-42

Dependency Management

Specialized templates should not duplicate rules found in mainstream templates. Instead, they must list recommended base templates in the header README.md90-92

Vue: Recommends Node.gitignore community/JavaScript/Vue.gitignore1-3
InforCRM: Recommends VisualStudio.gitignore README.md100

Sources: README.md84-112 community/Alteryx.gitignore1-44 community/JavaScript/Vue.gitignore1-10

Review and Acceptance Process

The maintainers evaluate contributions based on the criteria outlined in CONTRIBUTING.md.

Evaluation Matrix

Factor	Evaluation Criteria
Documentation	Does it provide homepage and canonical documentation links? CONTRIBUTING.md7-18
Rationale	Is there a clear explanation of why these files should be ignored for everyone? CONTRIBUTING.md11-15
Granularity	Are the rules added to the most specific and appropriate template? CONTRIBUTING.md21-26
Quality	Is the rule set curated or just a dump of an `ls` command? CONTRIBUTING.md41-44

Promotion Path

Templates may be promoted from community/ to the root folder at a later date based on community interest and visibility README.md56-58

Sources: README.md52-64 CONTRIBUTING.md1-50 .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md22-33