CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing to shlcpp

First off, thank you for considering contributing to shlcpp!

Getting Started

1. Fork the repository on GitHub.

2. Clone your fork locally:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/shlcpp.git
   cd shlcpp

3. Build the Runtime: shlcpp is a C++17 project built using CMake. Helper scripts are provided for quick compilation.

   Windows (PowerShell):

   .\compile_shl.bat

   Linux / macOS (Bash):

   ./install.sh

4. Install Test Dependencies:

   pip install pytest anyio

Development Workflow

1. Create a branch for your feature or fix:

   git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature

2. Make changes to the C++ core (shell_lite/) or standard library (stdlib/).

3. Compile with .\compile_shl.bat or ./install.sh.

4. Validate changes:

   shlcpp check <script.shl>
   pytest tests/ -v

5. Commit and open a Pull Request against main.

Code Style & Standards

• C++: Follow C++17 standards. Ensure memory management is through the VM arena allocator and GC.
• Diagnostics: Ensure any new syntax or parsing errors provide clear error messages with accurate line/column locations.
• Reproducibility: Pinned dependencies must not be changed without a documented version update.