This week, I focused on improving and encouraging contributions to my project, dev-mate-cli. As open-source projects thrive on community involvement, I recognized the need to create a seamless experience for new contributors. Here’s how I worked towards that goal.

Introducing CONTRIBUTIONS.md

First of all, I created a new file called CONTRIBUTIONS.md. This document outlines the guidelines and setup necessary for development. Some of these instructions were previously present in README.md, but to separate documentations for contributors, I added them in the new file along with some new guidelines. Having clear instructions will help potential contributors understand how they can effectively engage with the project, fostering a more collaborative environment.

Aligning Contributions with Prettier and ESLint

Next, I turned my attention to ensuring that all contributions are aligned with our coding standards. I realized that while I had previously added Prettier for code formatting, it wasn’t functioning as intended. So, I enhanced the configuration to ensure that code would be automatically formatted upon saving, along with introducing scripts to run prettier in command-line.

After setting up Prettier, I followed the similar process and integrated ESLint into the project. ESLint helps catch errors and enforce coding conventions, making it easier for contributors to maintain code quality. By providing clear linting rules, I aimed to reduce potential friction points during the contribution process.

VSCode Settings for a Smooth Development Experience

To further facilitate contributions, I added a .vscode which includes essential configurations to ensure that contributors using Visual Studio Code have a consistent experience. I also included extension recommendations to help streamline the development process.

All of the changes discussed above were squashed into a single commit, you can view all the changes here..

Conclusion

I believe these enhancements will attract more contributions while keeping disruptions to a minimum. By providing clear guidelines and automated tools for formatting and linting, I hope to create a welcoming environment for developers who want to contribute to dev-mate-cli. As the project evolves, I look forward to seeing how these changes positively impact the project growth.