# Contributing to git-flow-next

Thank you for your interest in contributing to git-flow-next! This document provides guidelines and instructions for contributing.

## Code of Conduct

By participating in this project, you agree to:
- Be respectful and inclusive of differing viewpoints and experiences
- Use welcoming and inclusive language
- Accept constructive criticism gracefully
- Focus on what is best for the community
- Show empathy towards other community members

## How to Contribute

### Reporting Bugs

1. **Check Existing Issues** - Search the issue tracker to avoid duplicates
2. **Create a Clear Report** Including:
   - A clear, descriptive title
   - Detailed steps to reproduce the bug
   - Expected behavior
   - Actual behavior
   - Your environment (OS, git version, etc.)
   - Any relevant logs or error messages

### Suggesting Enhancements

1. **Check Existing Suggestions** - Search issues and discussions
2. **Provide Context** - Explain why this enhancement would be useful
3. **Consider Scope** - Is it generally useful or specific to your use case?
4. **Describe Implementation** - If possible, outline how it might be implemented

### Pull Requests

1. **Fork the Repository**
2. **Create a Branch**
   ```bash
   git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
   # or
   git checkout -b fix/your-bug-fix
   ```

3. **Commit Guidelines**
   - Write clear, descriptive commit messages
   - Use the present tense ("Add feature" not "Added feature")
   - Reference issues and pull requests in the body
   - Format:
     ```
     Short (72 chars or less) summary

     More detailed explanatory text. Wrap it to 72 characters.
     Explain the problem that this commit is solving. Focus on why you
     are making this change as opposed to how.

     Fixes #123
     ```

4. **Code Style**
   - Follow existing code style and formatting
   - Add comments for complex logic
   - Update documentation for API changes
   - Include tests for new functionality
   - Ensure all tests pass

5. **Submit Pull Request**
   - Provide a clear title and description
   - Link related issues
   - Include any necessary documentation updates
   - Add notes about testing performed

### Development Setup

1. **Prerequisites**
   - Go 1.19 or later
   - Git 2.25 or later

2. **Local Development**
   ```bash
   # Clone your fork
   git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/git-flow-next.git
   cd git-flow-next

   # Add upstream remote
   git remote add upstream https://github.com/gittower/git-flow-next.git

   # Create branch
   git checkout -b your-feature

   # Build
   go build -o git-flow

   # Run tests
   go test ./...
   ```

### Testing

1. **Unit Tests**
   - Add tests for new functionality
   - Update tests for modified code
   - Ensure all tests pass locally

2. **Integration Tests**
   - Test your changes with different Git workflows
   - Verify behavior with merge conflicts
   - Test with different branch configurations

## License and Copyright

- All contributions must be licensed under the BSD 2-Clause license
- You retain copyright on your contributions
- By submitting a pull request, you agree to license your contributions under the same BSD 2-Clause license

## Additional Guidelines

### Documentation

1. **Code Comments**
   - Add comments for complex logic
   - Update function documentation
   - Include examples for new features

2. **User Documentation**
   - Update README.md for user-facing changes
   - Add or update command documentation
   - Include examples for new functionality

### Quality Standards

1. **Code Quality**
   - Follow Go best practices
   - Use meaningful variable and function names
   - Keep functions focused and concise
   - Handle errors appropriately

2. **Testing Requirements**
   - Minimum 80% test coverage for new code
   - Include both positive and negative test cases
   - Test edge cases and error conditions

3. **Performance Considerations**
   - Consider impact on large repositories
   - Avoid unnecessary Git operations
   - Profile code for potential bottlenecks

### Review Process

1. **Initial Review**
   - Code style and formatting
   - Test coverage and quality
   - Documentation completeness
   - Performance implications

2. **Approval Requirements**
   - At least one maintainer approval
   - All CI checks passing
   - Documentation updated
   - Tests passing

3. **Merge Process**
   - Squash commits if requested
   - Rebase on latest main branch
   - Clean commit history

## Getting Help

- Create an issue for questions
- Join our community discussions
- Read our documentation
- Contact maintainers for guidance

## Recognition

Contributors will be:
- Listed in CONTRIBUTORS.md
- Mentioned in release notes for significant contributions
- Recognized in project documentation where appropriate

Thank you for contributing to git-flow-next!