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Contributing a Change

We welcome contributions to OnDemand Loop!

Whether you're fixing bugs, adding features, or improving documentation, this guide will help you contribute effectively.

🔍 1. Plan Your Contribution

Before you start coding: - Search existing issues to check if your idea is already being discussed - For bug reports: Include steps to reproduce, expected vs actual behavior, and environment details - For new features: Describe the use case and how it fits with OnDemand Loop's goals - For small fixes: You can skip creating an issue and go straight to implementation

⚙️ 2. Set Up Your Development Environment

  1. Fork and clone the repository
  2. Create a feature branch from main: bash git checkout -b feature/your-descriptive-branch-name
  3. Review the coding standards in CONTRIBUTING.md
  4. Start the development environment: bash make loop_build # Builds the application make loop_up # Starts the environment

🧪 3. Implement and Test Your Changes

Writing Code

  • Follow existing code patterns and conventions
  • Keep changes focused and atomic
  • Add comments for complex logic
  • Update relevant documentation

Writing Tests

  • Always include tests for new functionality or bug fixes
  • Use Minitest for unit tests and Mocha for mocking
  • Place tests in the appropriate test/ subdirectory
  • Aim for high test coverage on new code

Running Tests Locally

# Build the application first
make loop_build

# Run the full test suite
make test

# Run specific test files (if needed)
make test_bash
bundle exec rake test TEST=test/path/to/specific_test.rb

Understanding Coverage Reports: The test suite generates detailed coverage reports using SimpleCov:

  • HTML report: application/tmp/coverage/index.html (open in browser for detailed view)
  • Console output: Shows line and branch coverage percentages
# Example output
Coverage report generated for Minitest to /usr/local/app/tmp/coverage.
Line Coverage: 92.38% (3272 / 3542)
Branch Coverage: 67.72% (579 / 855)

Documentation Changes

If you modified documentation:

make guide        # Build documentation locally
make guide_dev    # Serve at http://localhost:8000 for live preview

🚀 4. Submit Your Pull Request

Before Submitting

  • [ ] All tests pass locally
  • [ ] Code follows project conventions
  • [ ] Documentation is updated (if applicable)
  • [ ] Commit messages are clear and descriptive

Creating the PR

  1. Push your branch to your fork
  2. Open a Pull Request against the main branch
  3. Reference the related issue (e.g., "Fixes #123" or "Addresses #456")
  4. Write a clear PR description:
    • What problem does this solve?
    • What changes did you make?
    • How did you test it?
    • Any breaking changes or special considerations?

👀 5. Review Process

What Happens Next

  1. Automated checks run (tests, linting, security scans)
  2. Team approval required before CI pipeline runs (security measure)
  3. Code review by maintainers
  4. Feedback and iteration until approved
  5. Merge when everything looks good

During Review

  • Be responsive to feedback and questions
  • Ask for clarification if review comments are unclear
  • Make requested changes in new commits (don't force-push during review)
  • Be patient - we'll review as soon as possible!

Quality Standards

We look for:

  • ✅ Code quality and maintainability
  • ✅ Adequate test coverage
  • ✅ Documentation completeness
  • ✅ Compatibility with existing features
  • ✅ Performance considerations

🆘 Need Help?

  • Questions about the codebase? Open a discussion or comment on your PR
  • Stuck on tests? Check existing test patterns in the test/ directory
  • General questions? Feel free to ask in your issue or PR

Thank you for contributing to OnDemand Loop! 🎉