contributing.md

Contributing to OxyPy

Development Setup

Prerequisites

• Rust (2021 edition or later)
• Cargo package manager
• Git

Getting Started

1. Fork the repository

   # Fork on GitHub, then clone your fork
   git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/OxyPy.git
   cd OxyPy

2. Set up the development environment

   cargo build
   cargo test  # Run tests (if available)

3. Create a feature branch

   git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

Development Workflow

Testing Your Changes

Interactive Testing:

cargo run
>> let x: i32 = 42
>> print(x)

File Testing: Create a test file and run:

echo 'print("Hello, World!")' > test.lang
cargo run test.lang

Code Style

• Follow Rust naming conventions
• Use cargo fmt for code formatting
• Use cargo clippy for linting
• Add comments for complex logic

Architecture Guidelines

When adding features, consider:

1. Tokenizer Changes (tokenizer.rs)

   • Add new token types for new keywords/operators
   • Update token recognition logic

2. Parser Changes (AstTree.rs)

   • Add new AST node types
   • Implement parsing rules
   • Handle operator precedence

3. Runtime Changes (runtime.rs)

   • Implement execution logic for new features
   • Handle environment updates

4. Built-in Functions (Functions.rs)

   • Add new built-in functions
   • Ensure proper error handling

Contribution Areas

High Priority

• Error handling improvements
• More comprehensive test suite
• Better error messages
• Performance optimizations

Medium Priority

• Module system and imports
• File I/O operations
• More built-in data structures
• Standard library expansion

Low Priority

• IDE integration
• Debugging support
• Package manager
• Documentation improvements

Submitting Changes

1. Ensure your code works

   cargo build
   cargo run  # Test REPL

2. Create meaningful commits

   git add .
   git commit -m "Add: New feature description"

3. Push to your fork

   git push origin feature/your-feature-name

4. Create a Pull Request

   • Describe what your changes do
   • Explain why the changes are needed
   • Include examples if applicable

Code Review Process

• All changes require review before merging
• Be responsive to feedback
• Keep discussions constructive and focused
• Update documentation for user-facing changes

Getting Help

• Open an issue for questions
• Check existing issues and documentation
• Reach out to maintainers for guidance

Recognition

Contributors will be acknowledged in the project documentation and releases.