docs/CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing to Recipe Recommendation Chatbot

📋 Ways of Working

Project Management

• All user stories and tasks tracked via GitHub Issues
• Issues labeled appropriately (feature, bug, documentation, week-X)
• Clear issue templates for consistency

Documentation Standards

• All documentation written in Markdown (.md) format
• Documentation stored in /docs folder
• README.md maintained with project overview and setup instructions

Development Workflow

• All changes submitted via Pull Requests (PRs)
• No direct commits to main branch
• PR review required before merging
• Descriptive commit messages and PR descriptions

Communication

• Daily progress updates in PLG4 Slack channel
• Weekly team meetings (Wednesdays 2 PM GMT)
• Issues assigned to team members for accountability

🛠️ Development Process

1. Setting Up Your Environment

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/A3copilotprogram/PLG4-Recipe-Recommendation-Chatbot.git
cd PLG4-Recipe-Recommendation-Chatbot


### 2. Creating a Feature Branch
```bash
# Create and switch to a new branch using PLG4 + issue number format
git checkout -b PLG4#1-define-ways-of-working

# Examples:
# For feature from issue #5: PLG4#5-recipe-recommendation-engine
# For bug fix from issue #12: PLG4#12-fix-ingredient-parsing
# For documentation from issue #3: PLG4#3-update-api-docs

Branch Naming Convention:

• Format: PLG4#<issue-number>-<brief-description>
• Example: PLG4#1-define-ways-of-working for issue "Define Ways of Working #1"
• Use kebab-case for descriptions (lowercase with hyphens)
• Keep descriptions brief but descriptive

3. Making Changes

• Write clear, descriptive commit messages
• Add tests for new functionality
• Update documentation as needed

4. Submitting a Pull Request

1. Push your branch to GitHub
2. Create a Pull Request with:
   • Clear description of changes
   • Reference to related issues
   • Screenshots (if UI changes)
3. Request review from team members
4. Address review feedback

📋 Working Agreements

1. Issues: Create GitHub issues for all user stories and tasks
2. Documentation: Use .md files for all project documentation
3. Code Changes: Work via Pull Requests only
4. Reviews: At least one team member review before merge
5. Updates: Daily check-ins in Slack channel

🧪 Testing Guidelines

• Write tests for all new features
• Maintain >80% code coverage
• Include both unit and integration tests
• Run tests before submitting PRs

📝 Code Style

• Use meaningful variable and function names
• Add docstrings to all functions and classes
• Keep functions small and focused

🚀 Deployment

• Changes merged to main trigger automated deployment
• Test in staging environment before production
• Follow deployment checklist in docs/deployment.md