Vaani/CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing to Vaani

Welcome Contributors! 🚀

We appreciate your interest in contributing to Vaani. This guide will help you navigate the contribution process effectively.

How to Contribute

Reporting Bugs 🐞

1. Check Existing Issues:

   • Search through the GitHub Issues

2. Create a Detailed Bug Report:

   • Provide:
     • Exact steps to reproduce
     • Relevant error logs or screenshots

Submodule Contribution Workflow 🧩

Understanding Vaani's Submodule Structure

Vaani uses Git submodules to manage interconnected components. This means each submodule is a separate Git repository nested within the main project.

Working with Submodules

1. Identifying Submodules:

   • List all submodules in the project

   git submodule status
   

2. Initializing Submodules:

   # Ensure all submodules are initialized
   git submodule update --init --recursive
   

3. Contributing to a Specific Submodule:

   a. Navigate to Submodule Directory:

   cd path/to/submodule
   

   b. Create a Separate Branch:

   git checkout -b feature/your-submodule-feature
   

   c. Make and Commit Changes:

   # Stage changes
   git add .
   
   # Commit with descriptive message
   git commit -m "feat(submodule): describe specific change"
   

   d. Push Submodule Changes:

   git push origin feature/your-submodule-feature
   

4. Updating Submodule References: After making changes to a submodule:

   # From the main repository root
   git add path/to/submodule
   git commit -m "Update submodule reference to latest changes"
   

5. Pulling Latest Submodule Changes:

   # Update all submodules
   git submodule update --recursive --remote
   
   # Or update a specific submodule
   git submodule update --remote path/to/specific/submodule
   

Submodule Contribution Best Practices

• Always work in a feature branch within the submodule
• Ensure submodule changes do not break the main application
• Write tests for submodule-specific changes
• Update documentation if the submodule's interface changes
• Create a pull request for the submodule first, then update the main project's submodule reference

Development Workflow

Setting Up the Development Environment

1. Prerequisites:

   • Git
   • Flutter SDK
   • Recommended IDE: VS Code

2. Repository Setup:

   1. Fork the repo
   2. Clone the forked repository to your local machine

      # Fork the main repository on GitHub
      git clone --recursive https://github.com/[YOUR_USERNAME]/Vaani.git
      cd Vaani
      
      # Initialize and update submodules
      git submodule update --init --recursive
      
      # Install dependencies for the main app and submodules
      flutter pub get
      

Coding Standards

1. Code Style:

   • Follow Flutter's style guide
   • Use dart format and flutter analyze

   dart format .
   flutter analyze
   

2. Testing:

   • Write unit and widget tests
   • Ensure tests pass for both the main app and submodules

   flutter test
   

Pull Request Process

1. Branch Naming:

   • Use descriptive branch names
   • Prefix with feature/, bugfix/, or docs/

   git checkout -b feature/add-accessibility-support
   

2. Commit Messages:

   • Use clear, concise descriptions
   • Reference issue numbers when applicable
   • Follow conventional commits format: <type>(scope): <description>

3. Pull Request Guidelines:

   • Clearly describe the purpose of your changes
   • Include screenshots for visual changes
   • Specify if changes affect specific submodules
   • Ensure all CI checks pass

Signing the app

once the keystore is created, you can sign the app with the keystore.

but for github action you need to make a base64 encoded string of the keystore.

# convert keystore to base64
cat android/key.properties | base64 > key.base64

# convert keystore to base64
cat android/upload.jks | base64 > keystore.base64

Communication

• Open an Issue
• Discussion Forum

Code of Conduct

• Be respectful and inclusive
• Constructive feedback is welcome
• Collaborate and support fellow contributors

Happy Contributing! 🌟