CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing to marchat

Thank you for your interest in contributing! This guide explains how to contribute effectively.

Types of Contributions

Bug Reports (GitHub Issues)

• Use the issue tracker for bugs and problems only
• Include:
  • Clear description of the problem
  • Steps to reproduce
  • Expected vs actual behavior
  • Your OS and marchat version
  • Any relevant logs or screenshots

Ideas and Questions (GitHub Discussions)

• Start a discussion for:
  • Feature requests and suggestions
  • Questions about setup or usage
  • General feedback and ideas
  • Sharing your experience
  • Showing off customizations

Code Contributions

1. Fork & Clone

   • Fork the repo on GitHub
   • Clone your fork locally
   • Keep your fork in sync with upstream

2. Create a Branch

   • Branch from main
   • Use a clear, descriptive name
   • One feature/fix per branch

3. Code Style

   • Use gofmt or go fmt
   • Follow idiomatic Go patterns
   • Keep code readable and well-commented
   • Write clear commit messages

4. Testing

   • Add tests for new features
   • Ensure all tests pass locally
   • Run go test ./...

5. Submit Pull Request

   • Push to your fork
   • Open a PR against main
   • Describe your changes clearly
   • Link related issues

Automation

• GitHub Actions runs CI on all PRs
• Tests must pass before merge
• Dependabot handles dependency updates
• Do not manually update dependencies unless needed for a fix

Communication

• Be respectful and constructive
• Follow the Code of Conduct
• All contributions are welcome; no idea is too small!

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Thank you for helping make marchat better!