docs/CONTRIBUTING.md · Mudlet/Mudlet

# New to Git?
If you don't have previous Git experience, we highly recommend downloading and installing
the free [Github for Desktop](https://desktop.github.com) app to contribute code to Mudlet 🌟

# UI design guidelines

Have a look at the [UI design philosophy](UI-design-philosophy.md) when improving Mudlet's interface.

# Coding guidelines

If you're a first-timer, don't worry about conforming to all of these! We'll show you the ropes.

## Code style
## Naming things? Check against antipatterns

Check https://www.linguistic-antipatterns.com when naming anything to help ensure it can be understood intuitively.

### C++

Style conventions:

```cpp
// Class names: PascalCase with 'T' prefix for main classes
class TConsole : public QWidget

// Member variables: camelCase with 'm' prefix
QString mProfileName;

// Qt signals/slots: camelCase
signals:
    void profileChanged(const QString& name);
```    
* in general: write modern C++20 code, but avoid C++ exceptions, templates, and concepts as those have performance/complexity considerations, avoiding which has made Mudlet the success it is today.
* use clang-format for formatting your code with [src/.clang-format](https://github.com/Mudlet/Mudlet/blob/development/src/.clang-format) settings. To get started, check out Clang Format in the [Setting up IDE's](https://wiki.mudlet.org/w/Compiling_Mudlet) section.
* use clang-tidy linting with [.clang-tidy](https://github.com/Mudlet/Mudlet/blob/development/.clang-tidy) settings. To get started, check out Clang Tidy in the [Setting up IDE's](https://wiki.mudlet.org/w/Compiling_Mudlet) section
* additionally, use [clazy]([url](https://github.com/KDE/clazy)) for linting as well
* use braces {} around all statements (ie, `if`'s and so on), even if they are one line
* use `qsl()` to wrap Qt strings, this ensures they're created at compile time
* at the same time, don't use a blank `qsl("")` - use `QString()` in that case
* escape dynamic label information with .toHtmlEscaped() to ensure safe display ([example](https://github.com/Mudlet/Mudlet/pull/6807/files)).

# Internationalization do's and don'ts

Do:
* enable strings visible in the Mudlet GUI to be translateable using `tr()`, e.g.:
```cpp
//: Add context for the translator here
QString displayText = tr("Connection failed: %1").arg(errorMessage);
```

* minimise use of HTML styling tags in strings to be translated
* enable users to use language-specific Mudlet object names (triggers, aliases, labels, etc)
* .ui files are always enabled for translation. To disable a string, use notr: `<string notr="true">text</string>`

Don't:
* translate the Mudlet API: functions, events, error messages or constants (e.g. `main` console)
* use numbers in the API - English words are preferred instead
* try to assemble a sentence on the fly - English grammar does not translate into other languages. Present the full sentence to translators instead
* assume English-centric plural forms, other languages do not necessarily have the simple add an "s"/"es" for more/less than the singular case.
* assume universal quote and number punctuation formats. There are languages that use « and » instead of " for "quoting" words or phrases. Qt can provide Locale specific displays of numbers/dates/times.

# Tooltip tips:
* Tooltips are (ideally) short pieces of text that can give additional hints or help with a control or setting. As such they are sentences so should end with the appropriate punctuation, usually a period (a.k.a. full-stop).
* To avoid long single line tooltips that sprawl across the screen it is necessary to signal to the Qt libraries that the text is "rich-text", and this is done by the inclusion of HTML-like tags in the text. At a bare minimum this can be done by surrounding the text with a pair of paragraph tags: ``...``.
* To help with the above there is a static helper functon defined in the `utils` class called `richText(`...`)` that can be put around the text that will insert those tags. As such text is user facing as part of the User Interface (UI) it must be put through the translation system - and thus will likely be inside the `QObject` class's `tr()` method.
* So as to reduce the need for translators to have to deal with HTML-like tags in the texts they have to work on, the `richText` function will eliminate the need for them to remember a pair of ``...`` around a **single** paragraph of text; however when **more** than one paragraph is used it is clearer to NOT use the `utils::richText(`...`)` and include the paragraph tags around each of them. The on-line translation system we use (CrowdIn) can be set to handle/hide HTML tags but it needs to see matched pairs to be able to make sense of them, so:

Do:
  * Single paragraph:
```cpp
    widget->setToolTip(utils::richText(tr("A single sentence or paragraph that is a tool-tip.")));
```

* More than one paragraph:
```cpp
 widget->setToolTip(tr("The first paragraph that is a tool-tip."
 "Another paragraph, maybe in a different style, e.g. italics or bold.")));
```

Don't:
 * More than one paragraph:
```cpp
 widget->setToolTip(utils::richText(tr("The first paragraph that is a tool-tip."
 "Another paragraph, maybe in a different style, e.g. italics or bold.")));
```

# TODO's
Avoid adding TODO's to code - [file an issue]([url](https://github.com/Mudlet/Mudlet/issues/new/choose)) or fix it with a separate pull request instead. Practice has shown that TODO's get added to the codebase but seldomly get resolved.

## Refactoring

* Refactors for linting or formatting should be their own PRs
* Do not change code in code paths which are not a part of the PR
  * If it needs to be refactored, it deserves to be its own PR

## Danger enforced PR requirements

* PR Title must start with `fix`, `improve`, `add`, or `infra`
  * This facilitates automatic changelog gathering and categorization
  * Cannot merge until it is fixed: core team can always adjust it before merging

Danger will also give a heads up if the PR title is long, or if more than 10 source files are changed in a single PR. These are not blocked but the warnings should serve to draw attention to something which may require a double check. More info below.

## Mega PRs

Pull Requests that overhaul large pieces of functionality at once will not be accepted: through experience, they bring more pain than they are worth. Being really difficult to discuss, test, and reason about, they are banned.

That does not mean we don't welcome large overhauls: we do! Just make sure to send it in as separate, logically broken-down improvements that implement the functionality you'd like to have in a step process.

Of course, before embarking on such a journey, [discuss with the core team](https://discord.gg/kuYvMQ9) your ideas first so we can guide you on the best design!

# Git commit guidelines for core team

The preferred order of [merging PRs](https://help.github.com/articles/about-pull-request-merges/) is:
1. Prefer _squash and merge_ for a clean history and added PR numbers for details of discussion for future comparison.
2. Else _rebase and merge_ if you'd like to keep the history, but know this will not link to the PR in public test builds' (PTB) changelogs, etc.
3. Avoid creating a _merge commit_.

## Merging auto-generated translation PRs

PRs auto-opened by [mudlet-machine-account](https://github.com/mudlet-machine-account) with new translation strings can be approved and merged right away by anyone on the core team.

The idea is to use Crowdin as a single source of truth for translation - if there's an issue with a translation, let's discuss it in Crowdin.

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