Development Guide

Follow the development pipeline to contribute code.

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Development Pipeline

1. Browse/Claim Issues

Browse GitHub Issues

Find issues with labels:

• bug - Something broken
• feature - New feature
• enhancement - Improvement
• research - Research tasks

Claim an issue:

1. Find open, unassigned issue
2. Comment: “I would like to work on this”
3. Wait for assignment
4. Do not start before assignment

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2. Fork, Clone, Setup Branch

Fork and Clone:

# Fork on GitHub first, then:
git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/MassGen.git
cd MassGen
git remote add upstream https://github.com/massgen/MassGen.git

Create Branch:

git fetch upstream
git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

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3. Implement and Test

Write code:

• Implement the feature or fix
• Follow code quality standards (Black, isort, flake8, pylint, mypy)
• Add docstrings

Write tests:

# Unit test example
def test_feature():
    result = your_function()
    assert result == expected

Run tests:

pytest                    # Run all tests
pytest --cov=massgen     # With coverage

Run quality checks:

black massgen tests      # Format
isort massgen tests      # Sort imports
flake8 massgen tests     # Lint
mypy massgen             # Type check

Commit:

git add .
git commit -m "feat: add new feature"
# Use: feat, fix, docs, test, refactor

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4. Document API

Write API documentation:

• Add function/class docstrings
• Document configuration options
• Provide usage examples
• Write integration guides

Documentation standards:

• Use clear, descriptive docstrings
• Include parameter types and return values
• Provide practical code examples
• Explain common use cases

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5. Submit PR

Push to your fork:

git push origin feature/your-feature-name

Create Pull Request on GitHub:

• Target branch: dev/vX.X.X (or main if dev doesn’t exist)
• Fill out PR description
• Link to issue: “Closes #123”

PR Checklist:

• All tests pass
• Pre-commit hooks pass
• Code documented
• CHANGELOG.md updated (if needed)

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6. Review and Merge to dev

Review process:

1. Automated checks run (CI)
2. Maintainers review
3. Address feedback
4. Approval and merge to dev branch

After merge:

• Your code is in the development branch
• Will be tested before release

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7. Merge dev to main (Release)

Release schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 9am PST

Process:

1. All changes in dev branch tested
2. Documentation updated
3. dev merged to main
4. GitHub release created
5. Version tagged

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Code Quality Standards

Pre-commit hooks run:

• Black - Code formatting
• isort - Import sorting
• flake8 - Linting
• pylint - Advanced linting
• mypy - Type checking
• bandit - Security scanning

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Contact

Nick Crispino

• Discord: nickcrispino

Danrui

• Discord: danrui2020

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