Contributing Guide

Development Setup

1. Clone the repository
2. Create and activate virtual environment:

   python -m venv .venv
   source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
   

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install .
   

4. Run complete setup:

   python app_setup.py
   

   This will interactively create the .env file and initialize the database.

Development Workflow

1. Create a new branch for your feature
2. Write tests for new functionality
3. Implement your changes
4. Run the test suite: pytest tests/
5. Update documentation if needed
6. Submit a pull request

Code Style

• Follow PEP 8 guidelines
• Use type hints where possible
• Include docstrings for public functions
• Keep functions focused and concise

Documentation

• Update relevant documentation in docs/
• Use markdown format
• Include examples where appropriate
• Build docs locally: mkdocs serve