Contributing Guide

Thank you for your interest in contributing to Elaris.UI! This guide will help you get started.

How to Contribute

Contributions are welcome! You can contribute in several ways:

• Bug Reports: Report bugs by opening an issue
• Feature Requests: Suggest new features
• Code Contributions: Submit pull requests
• Documentation: Improve documentation
• Examples: Add example applications

Development Setup

Prerequisites

• .NET SDK 8.0 or 9.0
• Git
• A code editor (Visual Studio, VS Code, Rider, etc.)

Getting the Source

git clone https://github.com/ambystechcom/Ambystech.Elaris.UI.git
cd Ambystech.Elaris.UI/lib

Building from Source

# Restore dependencies
dotnet restore

# Build the library
dotnet build

# Run tests
dotnet test

Project Structure

lib/
├── src/              # Source code
│   ├── Core/        # Core utilities
│   ├── Enums/       # Enumerations
│   ├── Input/       # Input handling
│   ├── Rendering/   # Rendering system
│   └── Widgets/     # Widget implementations
├── examples/        # Example applications
└── tests/          # Unit tests

Code Style Guidelines

General

• Use C# 13.0 features where appropriate
• Follow .NET naming conventions
• Use meaningful variable and method names
• Add XML documentation comments for public members

Formatting

• Use 4 spaces for indentation
• Use var when the type is obvious
• Use primary constructors where appropriate
• Keep methods focused and small

Example

/// <summary>
/// Creates a new widget with the specified text.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="text">The widget text</param>
public Widget(string text)
{
    _text = text ?? string.Empty;
}

Testing Requirements

Writing Tests

• Add unit tests for new features
• Test edge cases and error conditions
• Use descriptive test names
• Follow the existing test structure

Running Tests

dotnet test

Test Structure

public class MyWidgetTests
{
    [Fact]
    public void MyWidget_Should_Do_Something()
    {
        // Arrange
        var widget = new MyWidget();

        // Act
        widget.DoSomething();

        // Assert
        Assert.True(widget.SomeProperty);
    }
}

Pull Request Process

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/my-feature
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests for new functionality
5. Update documentation if needed
6. Run tests: dotnet test
7. Commit your changes: git commit -m "Add feature"
8. Push to your fork: git push origin feature/my-feature
9. Open a Pull Request

Pull Request Guidelines

• Provide a clear description of changes
• Reference related issues
• Ensure all tests pass
• Update documentation as needed
• Keep PRs focused and reasonably sized

Issue Reporting

When reporting issues, please include:

• Description: Clear description of the issue
• Steps to Reproduce: How to reproduce the issue
• Expected Behavior: What should happen
• Actual Behavior: What actually happens
• Environment: .NET version, OS, terminal type
• Screenshots: If applicable

Documentation Contributions

Documentation improvements are always welcome:

• Fix typos or errors
• Add missing documentation
• Improve examples
• Add new examples
• Clarify confusing sections

Building the Documentation Site

The documentation site is built with Astro Starlight:

cd site
npm install
npm run dev    # Development server
npm run build  # Build for production

Code of Conduct

• Be respectful and inclusive
• Welcome newcomers
• Focus on constructive feedback
• Help others learn

Questions?

If you have questions about contributing:

• Open an issue for discussion
• Check existing issues and PRs
• Review the codebase to understand patterns

License

By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the MIT License.

Thank You!

Your contributions help make Elaris.UI better for everyone. Thank you for taking the time to contribute!