Add contribution guidelines

CONTRIBUTING.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+Contributing
+============
+
+Synthale is a little project of mine that I hope others will use. As a user and
+fan of open source software, I welcome any contributions you have!
+
+This guide is intended to help you contribute to this project.
+
+Issues
+------
+
+Please open a `GitHub Issue`_ for any bugs, support requests, or feature
+requests you have. For bugs and support requests, please describe what you were
+doing when you encountered the issue, and include any sample BeerXML recipes.
+
+If you wish to contribute a feature, or have a request for a feature, pleasea
+also open a new `GitHub Issue`_.
+
+.. _`GitHub Issue`: https://github.com/shouptech/synthale/issues
+
+Pull Requests
+-------------
+
+I welcome all pull requests! Expect a back and forth conversation while we make
+sure your contribution is the best it can be. If you plan to spend significant
+time contributing a new feature, pelase open a `GitHub Issue`_ first to ensure
+it is something that will be accepted.
+
+I ask the following of all pull requests:
+
+1. Your code must be written for the versions of Python supported. Currently,
+   Synthale supports Python 3.5 and newer.
+2. Your code should pass all the `unit tests`_.
+3. New code should not decrease the coverage of the `unit tests`_. This means
+   may need to write new `unit tests`_ before your pull request can be merged.
+4. Your code should follow the same `style guidelines`_ as the rest of the
+   project.
+5. You agree to release your code under the `GNU GPLv3`_ license. You do not
+   transfer your copyright to me, and you own your code. Please add your
+   copyright statement to the top of the file. (If more people than just me
+   contribute, I may move the copyright notices to a separate file.)
+
+.. _`GNU GPLv3`: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html
+
+Developing
+----------
+
+Create a virtual environment with Python 3.5 or newer. Clone the `GitHub
+Repository`_ and install synthale w/ `pip`, and install the required tools for
+testing:
+
+::
+
+  pip install -e .
+  pip install -r test-requirements.txt
+
+.. _`GitHub Repository`: https://github.com/shouptech/synthale
+
+Unit Tests
+----------
+
+All code should be covered by automated unit tests. The tools `pytest` and
+`coverage` are used, and tests are located in the `tests/` folder.
+
+Before submitting your code, run the unit tests. You can do it one of two ways:
+
+**On your computer**
+
+See `Developing`_ for setting up your development environment. Run the tests:
+
+::
+
+  coverage run -m pytest
+  coverage report -m
+
+Ensure your new code is included in the tests.
+
+**Using cirlceci**
+
+You can add your forked repo to CircleCI_ and run the tests when you push to
+your repo.
+
+.. _CircleCI: https://circleci.com/
+
+Style Guidelines
+----------------
+
+In general, code should conform to `PEP 8`_.
+
+You can confirm that your code generally follows my preferred style by running
+the `flake8` command, after you've installed the test requirements.
+
+The following are things that PEP 8 either doesn't talk about, or are
+ambiguous:
+
+**Indentation**
+
+Indent with 4 spaces. Don't use tabs.
+
+**Line length**
+
+Lines should not be longer than 79 characters. I frequently like to put two
+code files side by side on one monitor, and 79 characters is the perfect
+cutoff.
+
+**String formatting**
+
+I prefer to wrap strings in 'single quotes' instead of "double quotes". The
+exception is if a string will have an apostrophe or single quote inside, and
+it will look better to use double quotes.
+
+*Do this*:
+
+::
+
+  'Just a plain old string.'
+  "You're contribution is going to be awesome."
+
+*Don't do this*:
+
+  "Double quotes for plain strings."
+  'Single quotes where you\'ll use an apostrophe.'
+
+I prefer `str.format` over formatting strings with the `%` operator.
+
+*Do this*:
+
+::
+
+  "{} is the loneliest number that you'll ever do.".format(1)
+
+*Don't do this*:
+
+::
+
+  '%d can be as bad as %d' % (2, 1)
+
+**Docstrings**
+
+Everything should have a docstring, and the `flake8-docstrings` package will
+help make sure the docstring is well-formatted. The docstrings should describe
+the class/method/function/whatever. Docstrings should explain the parameters,
+and what is returned.
+
+.. _`PEP 8`: https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/

docs/contributing.rst

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+.. include :: ../CONTRIBUTING.rst

docs/index.rst

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ can then use those Markdown files in your favorite static website generator.
    installing
    usage
    modules
+   contributing
    license