Hi there,

I never used gitlab before, so my question might be very stupid! I am trying to follow the instruction here
<https://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/Creating_A_Patch#Creating_a_patch_using_Git> to create a patch. I have created a Feature Request <https://gitlab.com/freepascal.org/fpc/source/-/issues/40578> but cannot figure out how to create a MergeRequest?

Best,
Amir

I never used gitlab before, so my question might be very stupid! I am trying to follow the instruction here to create a patch. I have created a Feature Request but cannot figure out how to create a MergeRequest?

A merge request is different to a patch. A patch is (in my mind at least) a static difference between two files or sets of files. You still need a tool to retrieve a copy of the main branch, keep this copy up to date with the official git repository (to potentially include changes by others) and keep your changes in sync with the moving target of the main branch. Git can create patches (via the git diff command), but this is a static snapshot. It is more elegant (IMHO) to create a clone of FPC on GitLab, create a branch for your modifications, and use GitLab to automatically generate a merge request.

Some basic git concepts are described here:
https://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/FPC_git
At the end of that wiki page there is a section that describes the typical workflow of how to go about creating a merge request for FPC.

This may seem like extra effort initially, but if you are planning on contributing more than one merge request it will make sense in the long run.

If you created a patch file, don't make a merge request. Simply attach the patch file to the issue.

To create a merge request, you must fork the gitlab repo on gitlab, create a branch in your fork, commit the change in the branch, and then use the gitlab UI to create a merge request. When you push your change, gitlab will automatically propose a URL to create the merge request and git will display it.

Michael.

I do not see the option to upload attach the patch file?

I do not see the option to upload attach the patch file?

In GitLab, scroll down to the bottom of the page showing your issue. There should be an edit box where you can type a new comment. You can also drag and drop a file into this box, or click on the paperclip icon to attach a file.

+1