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Contributing

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

Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Ruby >= 2.3.0
  • Git
  • Bundler

Setup

  1. Fork the repository on GitHub
  2. Clone your fork locally:
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/debug_me.git
cd debug_me
  1. Install dependencies:
bundle install
  1. Verify the tests pass:
bundle exec rake test

Development Workflow

Running Tests

# Run all tests
bundle exec rake test

# Run a specific test file
bundle exec ruby tests/debug_me_test.rb

# Run with verbose output
bundle exec ruby tests/debug_me_test.rb -v

Code Style

  • Follow standard Ruby conventions
  • Use 2 spaces for indentation
  • Keep lines under 100 characters when practical
  • Add comments for complex logic

Making Changes

  1. Create a feature branch:
git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
  1. Make your changes
  2. Add or update tests as needed
  3. Ensure all tests pass
  4. Commit your changes with a descriptive message

Submitting Changes

Pull Request Process

  1. Push your branch to your fork:
git push origin feature/your-feature-name
  1. Open a Pull Request on GitHub
  2. Fill out the PR template with:
  3. Description of changes
  4. Motivation for the change
  5. Any breaking changes
  6. Test coverage

PR Guidelines

  • One feature per PR - Keep changes focused
  • Include tests - All new functionality should have tests
  • Update documentation - Update README and docs if needed
  • Follow conventions - Match existing code style

Types of Contributions

Bug Reports

When filing a bug report, include:

  • Ruby version (ruby -v)
  • DebugMe version
  • Operating system
  • Minimal code example reproducing the issue
  • Expected vs actual behavior

Feature Requests

For new features, please describe:

  • The use case
  • Proposed API/interface
  • Any alternatives considered

Documentation

Documentation improvements are always welcome:

  • Fix typos
  • Clarify explanations
  • Add examples
  • Improve organization

Code Contributions

Ideas for contributions:

  • Performance improvements
  • New output formats
  • Additional variable types
  • Better error messages
  • Test coverage improvements

Testing Guidelines

Test Structure

Tests are located in the tests/ directory using Minitest:

require 'minitest/autorun'
require_relative '../lib/debug_me'

class DebugMeTest < Minitest::Test
  include DebugMe

  def test_feature
    # Arrange
    # Act
    # Assert
  end
end

Writing Good Tests

  • Test one behavior per test method
  • Use descriptive test names
  • Include edge cases
  • Test both success and failure scenarios

Test Categories

  • Source header tests - Verify file/line output
  • Variable tests - Local, instance, class variables
  • Option tests - Each configuration option
  • Integration tests - Logger, file output
  • Edge cases - Empty blocks, nil values

Release Process

Releases are managed by the maintainer:

  1. Update version in lib/debug_me/version.rb
  2. Update CHANGELOG.md
  3. Create git tag
  4. Build and push gem

Code of Conduct

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

Questions?

  • Open a GitHub issue for questions
  • Check existing issues before creating new ones
  • Tag issues appropriately

License

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

Thank you for contributing to DebugMe!