CONTRIBUTING.md

# Contributing Guide

Second Me is an open and friendly community. We are dedicated to building a collaborative, inspiring, and exuberant open source community for our members. Everyone is more than welcome to join our community to get help and to contribute to Second Me.

The Second Me community welcomes various forms of contributions, including code, non-code contributions, documentation, and more.

## How to Contribute

| Contribution Type | Details |
|------------------|---------|
| Report a bug | You can file an issue to report a bug with Second Me |
| Contribute code | You can contribute your code by fixing a bug or implementing a feature |
| Code Review | If you are an active contributor or committer of Second Me, you can help us review pull requests |
| Documentation | You can contribute documentation changes by fixing a documentation bug or proposing new content |

## Before Contributing
* Sign [CLA of Mindverse](https://cla-assistant.io/mindverse/Second-Me)
  
## Here is a checklist to prepare and submit your PR (pull request).
* Create your own GitHub branch by forking Second Me
* Checkout [README](README.md) for how to deploy Second Me.
* Push changes to your personal fork.
* Create a PR with a detailed description, if commit messages do not express themselves.
* Submit PR for review and address all feedbacks.
* Wait for merging (done by committers).

## Branch Management Strategy

We follow a structured branching strategy to manage releases and contributions from both internal and external contributors.

### Branch Structure

```
master (stable version)
    ^
    |
release/vX.Y.Z (release preparation branch)
    ^
    |
develop (development integration branch)
    ^
    |
feature/* (feature branches) / hotfix/* (hotfix branches)
```

## Development Workflow

```
                 hotfix/fix-bug
                /       \
master ---------+---------+-----+--- ... --> Stable Version
                \               /
                 \             /
release/v1.0 -----+-----------+--- ... --> Release Version
                     \         /
                      \       /
develop --------------+-----+---+--- ... --> Development Integration
                     /       /
                    /       /
feature/new-feature +----------- ... --> Feature Development (from master)
```

### Step 1: Fork and Clone (External Contributors Only)
If you're an external contributor, you need to fork the repository first:

1. Visit https://github.com/Mindverse/Second-Me
2. Click the "Fork" button in the top-right corner
3. Clone your fork to your local machine:
```bash
cd working_dir
# Replace USERNAME with your GitHub username
git clone git@github.com:USERNAME/Second-Me.git
cd Second-Me
```

4. Configure upstream remote:
```bash
# Add the upstream repository
git remote add upstream git@github.com:Mindverse/Second-Me.git

# Verify your remotes
git remote -v
```

### Step 2: Create a Feature Branch
All contributors should create feature branches from the `master` branch:

```bash
# First, ensure you have the latest changes
git fetch origin  # or upstream if you're working with a fork

# Checkout the master branch
git checkout master

git pull

# Create your feature branch from master
git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
```

### Step 3: Develop Your Feature
- Make changes in your feature branch
- Commit regularly with descriptive messages
- Follow the project's coding style
- Add tests if applicable
- Update documentation as needed

### Step 4: Commit Your Changes
```bash
# Add your changes
git add <filename>
# Or git add -A for all changes

# Commit with a clear message
git commit -m "feat: add new feature X"
```

### Step 5: Update Your Branch Before Submitting
Before submitting your PR, update your feature branch with the latest changes:

```bash
# Fetch latest changes
git fetch origin  # or upstream if you're working with a fork

# Rebase your feature branch
git checkout feature/your-feature-name
git rebase origin/master  # or upstream/master for forked repos
```

If you're an external contributor, you may need to push to your fork:
```bash
git push origin feature/your-feature-name
```

### Step 6: Create a Pull Request
1. Visit the repository (or your fork)
2. Click "Compare & Pull Request"
3. Select:
   - Base repository: `Mindverse/Second-Me`
   - Base branch: `develop` (all features and fixes go to develop first)
   - Head repository: Your repository
   - Compare branch: `feature/your-feature-name`
4. Fill in the PR template with:
   - Clear description of your changes
   - Any related issues
   - Testing steps if applicable
   - Target version if applicable

### Step 7: Address Review Feedback
- Maintainers will review your PR
- Address any feedback by making requested changes
- Push new commits to your feature branch
- Your PR will be updated automatically

### Step 8: PR Approval and Merge
- All checks must pass before merging
- Once approved, maintainers will merge your PR to the appropriate branch
- Your contribution will be included in the next release cycle

## Release Management

The following describes how releases are managed by project maintainers:

```
                               PR Merge Flow
                               |
master -------------------------+------ ... --> Stable Version
                               |
                               |
release/vX.Y.Z ---------------+------- ... --> Release Version
                             / |
                            /  |
develop --------------------+--+------ ... --> Development Integration
     ^                         
     |                          
feature branches --------------+
```

### Creating a Release
1. When `develop` branch contains all features planned for a release, a `release/vX.Y.Z` branch is created
2. Only bug fixes and release preparation commits are added to the release branch
3. After thorough testing, the release branch is merged to `master`
4. The release is tagged in `master` with the version number

### PR Merge Strategy
- All feature PRs are initially merged to the `develop` branch
- Critical bug fixes may be merged directly to the current `release` branch
- Maintainers are responsible for ensuring PRs are merged to the appropriate branch

### Hotfixes
1. For critical bugs in production, create a `hotfix/fix-description` branch from `master`
2. Fix the issue and create a PR targeting `master`
3. After approval, merge to both `master` and `develop` (and current `release` branch if exists)

## Tips for Successful Contributions
- Create focused, single-purpose PRs
- Follow the project's code style and conventions
- Write clear commit messages
- Keep your fork updated to avoid merge conflicts
- Be responsive during the review process
- Ask questions if anything is unclear