ITK/Release 4/New Code Contribution Process

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This page describes the multiple mechanisms available to contribute code to the ITK Ecosystem.

Overview

Level of Contribution

New Classes and Filters

A new class (or filter) must be submitted to the Insight Journal.

  1. Follow the procedure to become an ITK developer and setup your environment.
  2. Submission to the Insight Journal
  3. Code Reviewed using the Checklist
  4. Posted as Gerrit Patches
  5. Peer-reviewed
  6. Cdash@home tested
  7. Merged

Internal Modules

Internal modules are full fledged modules that are actually intended to be integrated with the ITK git repository and to be distributed as part of ITK.

Examples:

  • Video classes
  • GPU Support
  • Deconvolution

Xiaoxiao: Will add here link to Wiki page with instructions on how to configure an Internal module.

Process

  1. Follow the procedure to become an ITK developer and setup your environment.
  2. Create a topic branch
  3. For review purposes:
    • Rebase topic branch on top of master
      • git checkout -b topicbranchforreview topicbranch
      • git rebase origin/master
    • Squash topic branch and submit to Gerrit
      • The patch in Gerrit is not intended to be merged directly into ITK. It is here ONLY to be reviewed.
  4. When approved in Gerrit:
    • Go back to topic branch
    • Merge master into topic branch
    • Notify ITK developers list, requesting your branch to be merged into ITK master

Bridge Modules

A bridge module is one that depends on third party headers not distributed with ITK.

Examples:

  • Connecting ITK to VTK
  • Connecting ITK to OpenCV
  • Connecting ITK to dcmtk

A bridge module involves:

  1. Connecting classes that interface two toolkit

External Modules

External modules are ITK-like modules that cannot be included in ITK because of license issues or should not be included in ITK because of scope and/or specialized use.

Xiaoxiao: Will add here link to Wiki page with instructions on how to configure an External module.

Examples:

  • Lesion Sizing Toolkit
  • PETSc
    • Numerical Libraries that too large to be included in ITK proper
  • FFTW
    • Library distributed under GPL (overriding the ITK's Apache License)

External Layers

Software that presents a different interface to ITK.

Examples:

  • SimpleITK
  • ManagedITK
    • Wrapping for C#

Open Questions

  • Alternatives
    • Use the CMake find_package(ITK) command from th external layer (library or application).
    • Use ITK as an external project in a Superbuild approach ?
      • The superbuild will group the external layer along with ITK into a larger distribution...

Applications

Applications are programs that often provide a GUI and/or use other toolkits, e.g. VTK.

Examples:

  • Volview Plugins
  • V3D Plugins

Open Questions

  • Alternatives
    • Use the CMake find_package(ITK) command from th external layer (library or application).
    • Use ITK as an external project in a Superbuild approach ?
      • The superbuild will group the external layer along with ITK into a larger distribution...

Adding Data

Data may be needed as part of testing code and/or examples on how to run new layers. Please see the following link for instructions on how to add data:

(new page will be added soon...)

Bug Fixes

Bug fixes are contributions that repair defects reported in the Mantis Bug Tracker or repair daily defects that creep into ITK.

  1. Follow the procedure to become an ITK developer.
  2. Post as a Gerrit Patch
    1. Gerrit provides a Peer-review mechanism for the patch
    2. Gerrit uses Cdash@home to provide automated testing of patches
  3. After Gerrit peer-review, merge the topic.

Wiki Examples

Wiki examples are independent, compilable examples that illustrate ITK concepts. Follow this procedure to add a Wiki example.

NOTE: The examples illustrate existing ITK classes and do not introduce new classes.

Brainstorming suggestion for workflow:

  1. Enable users to add Examples in the Wiki
  2. Automatically take the new examples and push them as patches to a Gerrit system (with cdash@home testing)
  3. After approval: merging it into a Git repository of Examples (separate from the current ITK Git).

ITKv4 Refactoring

ITKv4 Development Team

FEM Refactoring

  • Modified existing classes

Level Sets Refactoring

  • New Classes
  • Modified existing classes

Registration Refactoring

  • New Classes
  • Modified existing classes

Pipeline Refactoring

  • ??

GPU

  • New classes
  • New Internal Module

DICOM

  • GDCM level ?
    • Integrated with GDCM upstream ?

SimpleITK

  • External Layer

WrapITK

  • Internal Layer

ITKv4 A2D2 Contributions

A2D2 Development Team

A Comprehensive Workflow for Robust Characterization of Microstructure for Cancer Studies

  • New Application (with GUI and Viz)
  • New classes (denoising)

Raghu2

  • New classes
    • Color correction, artifact removal, image registration

Deconvolution

  • New classes
  • New Internal Module

Video

  • New Internal Modules
    • Some Bridge Modules

Video Grabber

  • New Classes
  • Some Bridge Modules

CMU Course

  • New Classes
  • Some Bridge Modules
    • (OpenCV point cloud library)

Shape Modeling

  • New Classes
  • New Internal Modules

Nikos NRR

  • Application
    • External Layer ?

Denoising Microscopy

  • New Classes
  • New Internal Modules