CONTRIBUTING.md

In NOAA-EDAB/assessmentdata: Provides access to NOAAs stock SMART data

Contributing Guidelines

Pull requests, bug reports, and all other forms of contribution are welcomed and highly encouraged!

Contents

• Code of Conduct
• Asking Questions
• Opening an Issue
• Bug Reports and Other Issues
• Feature Requests
• Submitting Pull Requests
• Writing Commit Messages
• Coding Style
• Certificate of Origin
• Credits

This guide serves to set clear expectations for everyone involved with the project so that we can improve it together while also creating a welcoming space for everyone to participate. Following these guidelines will help ensure a positive experience for contributors and maintainers.

:book: Code of Conduct

Please review our Code of Conduct. It is in effect at all times. We expect it to be honored by everyone who contributes to this project.

:paperclip: Asking Questions

GitHub issues are not the appropriate place to debug your specific project, but should be reserved for filing bugs and feature requests.

:fishing_pole_and_fish: Opening an Issue

Before creating an issue, check if you are using the latest version of the project. If you are not up-to-date, see if updating fixes your issue first.

:blowfish: Bug Reports and Other Issues

A great way to contribute to the project is to send a detailed issue when you encounter a problem. We ask you to please create a reprex. We always appreciate a well-written, thorough bug report. This helps us quickly identify and fix the problem.

When opening an issue, please follow these guidelines:

• Review the documentation before opening a new issue.

• Be specific. Describe the problem in detail. What did you expect to happen? What actually happened? What were you doing when the problem occurred? What version of the library are you using? What version of the OS are you running?

• Provide a reproducible example (e.g. reprex) If possible, provide a minimal, complete, and verifiable example that reproduces the issue. This is often the most important part of a bug report. If you can provide a sample project that reproduces the issue, that is even better!

• Prefer using reactions, not comments, if you simply want to "+1" an existing issue.

• Use GitHub-flavored Markdown. Especially put code blocks and console outputs in backticks (```). This improves readability. In short, since you are most likely a developer, provide a ticket that you would like to receive.

• Review the documentation before opening a new issue.

• Do not open a duplicate issue! Search through existing issues to see if your issue has previously been reported. If your issue exists, comment with any additional information you have. You may simply note "I have this problem too", which helps prioritize the most common problems and requests.

• Fully complete the provided issue template. The bug report template requests all the information we need to quickly and efficiently address your issue. Be clear, concise, and descriptive. Provide as much information as you can, including steps to reproduce, stack traces, compiler errors, library versions, OS versions, and screenshots (if applicable).

:tropical_fish: Feature Requests

Feature requests are more than welcome! While we will consider all requests, we cannot guarantee your request will be accepted or the timeline for implementation and release.

• Do not open a duplicate feature request. Search for existing feature requests first. If you find your feature (or one very similar) previously requested, comment on that issue.

• Fully complete the provided issue template. The feature request template asks for all necessary information for us to begin a productive conversation.

• Be precise about the proposed outcome of the feature and how it relates to existing features. Include all implementation details.

:fish_cake: Submitting Pull Requests

We appreciate pull requests! Before forking the repo and creating a pull request for non-trivial changes, it is usually best to first open an issue to discuss the changes, or discuss your intended approach for solving the problem in the comments for an existing issue.

Note: All contributions will be licensed under the project's license.

Guidelines for happy pull requests:

• Communication is the key to success. If you are unsure about something, ask! We are happy to help. We have an open channel of communication, make sure to reach us up and further develop your ideas or changes before working on a pull request.

• Smaller is better. Submit one pull request per bug fix or feature. A pull request should contain isolated changes pertaining to a single bug fix or feature implementation. Do not refactor or reformat code that is unrelated to your change. It is better to submit many small pull requests rather than a single large one. Enormous pull requests will take enormous amounts of time to review, or may be rejected altogether.

• Coordinate bigger changes. For large and non-trivial changes, open an issue to discuss a strategy with the maintainers. Otherwise, you risk doing a lot of work for nothing!

• Prioritize understanding over cleverness. Write code clearly and concisely, please supply comments when it is needed. Remember that source code usually gets written once and read often. Ensure the code is clear to the reader. The purpose and logic should be obvious to a reasonably skilled developer, otherwise you should add a comment that explains it.

• Follow the existing architecture. If you are adding new functionality, try to follow the existing architecture and patterns in the code base. If you are unsure, ask for guidance.

• Include test coverage. Add unit tests or UI tests when possible. Follow existing patterns for implementing tests.

• Update the example project if one exists to exercise any new functionality you have added.

• Add documentation. Document your changes with code doc comments or in existing guides.

• Update the CHANGELOG for all enhancements and bug fixes. Include the corresponding issue number if one exists, and your GitHub username.

• Use the repo's default branch. Branch from and submit your pull request to the repo's default branch. In Rpath case it will be dev.

• Resolve any merge conflicts that occur.

• When writing comments, use properly constructed sentences, including punctuation.

• Use spaces, not tabs.

:memo: Writing Commit Messages

Please write a great commit message.

1. Separate subject from body with a blank line
2. Limit the subject line to 50 characters
3. Capitalize the subject line
4. Do not end the subject line with a period
5. Use the imperative mood in the subject line (example: "Fix food web issue")
6. Wrap the body at about 72 characters
7. Use the body to explain why, not what and how (the code shows that!)
8. If applicable, prefix the title with the relevant component name. (examples: "[Docs] Fix typo", "[Profile] Fix missing avatar")
9. Link the commit message to the issue it fixes, if applicable. (example: "Fixes #1234")

:shark: Coding Style

Consistency is the most important. Following the existing style, formatting, and naming conventions of the file you are modifying and of the overall project. Failure to do so will result in a prolonged review process that has to focus on updating the superficial aspects of your code, rather than improving its functionality and performance.

For example, if all private properties are prefixed with an underscore _, then new ones you add should be prefixed in the same way. Or, if methods are named using camelcase, like thisIsMyNewMethod, then do not diverge from that by writing this_is_my_new_method. You get the idea. If in doubt, please ask or search the codebase for something similar.

:crab: Certificate of Origin

Developer's Certificate of Origin 1.1

By making a contribution to this project, I certify that:

1. The contribution was created in whole or in part by me and I have the right to submit it under the open source license indicated in the file; or
2. The contribution is based upon previous work that, to the best of my knowledge, is covered under an appropriate open source license and I have the right under that license to submit that work with modifications, whether created in whole or in part by me, under the same open source license (unless I am permitted to submit under a different license), as indicated in the file; or
3. The contribution was provided directly to me by some other person who certified (1), (2) or (3) and I have not modified it.
4. I understand and agree that this project and the contribution are public and that a record of the contribution (including all personal information I submit with it, including my sign-off) is maintained indefinitely and may be redistributed consistent with this project or the open source license(s) involved.

:fish: Thank You!

If you are reading this, thank you! We appreciate your interest in contributing to this project.

To confirm that you have read this guide and are following it as best as possible, include this emoji at the top of your issue or pull request: :fish: :fish:

:pray: Credits

This document was inspired by @jessesquires.

NOAA-EDAB/assessmentdata documentation built on June 11, 2025, 12:31 a.m.