docs: adding CONTRIBUTING.md

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -1 +1,78 @@
-# VScode Extension for codecarbon
+# Contributing
+
+Thanks for contributing! To keep the project healthy and maintainable, please follow these guidelines:
+
+1. Fork the repo and create a branch from `main`.
+2. Keep changes focused and small.
+
+# Table of Contents
+- [Coding](#coding)
+  - [The UI: Typescript code (`src/`)](#the-ui-typescript-code-src)
+  - [Python scripts (`src/scripts`)](#python-scripts-srcscripts)
+- [Manual testing in VS Code (debug)](#manual-testing-in-vs-code-debug)
+- [Testing](#testing)
+- [Note on Codecarbon](#note-on-codecarbon)
+
+## Coding
+
+- **Initial word**: The extension is built with TypeScript (`src/`), and helper scripts are in Python (`src/scripts/`). They run the `codecarbon` library to track emissions.
+As you will see, part of the complexity of this setup comes from coordinating between the TypeScript extension and the Python scripts.
+
+### The UI: Typescript code (`src/`)
+
+- Follow existing style and keep functions/modules simple.
+- Install Node and npm, then build the extension:
+
+```bash
+npm install
+npm run build
+```
+- Run lint before opening a PR:
+
+```bash
+npm run lint
+```
+
+### Python scripts (`src/scripts`)
+
+- Keep script output stable: `tracker.py` emits `METRICS:<json>` lines consumed by the extension.
+- Validate Python changes with:
+
+```bash
+npm run test:python
+```
+- The extension needs to handle if the user has Python installed and if `codecarbon` is available. If it does not, please open an issue to track this improvement.
+- Quick manual check (optional):
+```bash
+your_python_interpreter src/scripts/tracker.py start
+```
+- For example, me I use [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/):
+
+```bash
+uv run src/scripts/tracker.py start
+```
+
+## Manual testing in VS Code (debug)
+
+1. In VS Code, open this repo.
+2. Start the `Run Extension` launch configuration. For that go to `Run` > `Start Debugging` or run `F5`. This will open a new version of VS Code with the Codecarbon extension loaded.
+3. See if your changes work as expected in the new VS Code window. Check the extension's output and behavior.
+
+## Testing
+
+Run the tests with:
+
+```bash
+npm test
+```
+
+You can also run tests by layer:
+
+```bash
+npm run test:smoke
+npm run test:python
+npm run test:ts
+```
+
+# Note on Codecarbon
+This VSCode extension relies on `codecarbon` to track emissions. Check the [codecarbon repo](https://github.com/mlco2/codecarbon) for more details on how it works and how to contribute to it as well.