Contributing

Contributing#

Thank you for your interest in contributing to PyLEEM! This document provides guidelines for contributing to the project.

Getting Started#

  1. Fork the repository on GitHub

  2. Create a new branch for your changes:

    git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

Development Setup#

Install Development Dependencies#

Using pip:

pip install -e ".[test]"

Running Tests#

Run the full test suite with tox:

tox

Code Style Guidelines#

Python Style#

  • Follow PEP 8 style guide

  • Use Black for code formatting before submission

  • Maximum line length: 88 characters (Black default)

Documentation Style#

  • Add docstrings to all public classes, methods, and functions

  • Use reStructuredText format for docstrings

  • Include parameter types, return types, and examples where helpful

Contribute#

Bug Reports#

If you find a bug:

  1. Check if it’s already reported in Issues

  2. If not, create a new issue with:

    • Clear description of the bug

    • Steps to reproduce

    • Expected vs. actual behavior

    • Python version and package versions

    • Minimal code example if possible

Feature Requests#

For new features:

  1. Open an issue first to discuss the feature

  2. Explain the use case and benefits

  3. Wait for maintainer feedback before implementing

Pull Requests#

Before Submitting#

  • [ ] Code follows project style guidelines

  • [ ] All tests pass (pytest)

  • [ ] New tests added for new functionality

  • [ ] Documentation updated (docstrings, README, etc.)

Submitting a PR#

  1. Push your branch to your fork

  2. Open a Pull Request against the develop branch

  3. Fill out the PR template

  4. Link any related issues

  5. Wait for review

PR Review Process#

  • Maintainers will review your code

  • Address any requested changes

  • Once approved, your PR will be merged

Branching Strategy#

  • main - Stable releases only

  • develop - Development branch (submit PRs here)

  • feature/* - New features

  • fix/* - Bug fixes

  • docs/* - Documentation updates

Questions?#

Code of Conduct#

This project adheres to a Code of Conduct. By participating, you are expected to uphold this code. Please report unacceptable behavior to the maintainer.

License#

By contributing to PyLEEM, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the BSD 3-Clause License. Additional Brookhaven National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, and U.S. Government rights notices are provided in NOTICE.

Thank you for contributing to PyLEEM! Your contributions help make scientific software better for everyone.