Contributing to Motoko Regex Engine

Thank you for your interest in contributing to the Motoko Regex Engine project! This guide will help you get started with contributing to the project.

Table of Contents

• Contributing to Motoko Regex Engine
  • Table of Contents
  • Getting Started
  • Development Process
  • Commit Guidelines
  • Pull Request Process
  • Testing Requirements

Getting Started

1. Fork the repository:

   • Visit https://github.com/Demali-876/motoko_regex_engine
   • Click the "Fork" button in the top-right corner

2. Clone your fork:

   git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/motoko_regex_engine.git
   cd motoko_regex_engine
   

3. Add the upstream repository:

   git remote add upstream https://github.com/Demali-876/motoko_regex_engine.git
   

4. Create a new branch for your work:

   git checkout -b feat/your-feature-name
   

Development Process

1. Set up your development environment:

   • Install the DFINITY SDK (dfx)
   • Install Node.js and npm
   • Run npm install to install dependencies

2. Make your changes:

   • Keep your changes focused and concise
   • Update documentation if needed

3. Keep your fork up to date:

   git fetch upstream
   git rebase upstream/main
   

Commit Guidelines

We use Conventional Commits for clear and standardized commit messages. Each commit message should be structured as follows:

<type>[optional scope]: <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

Types:

• feat: A new feature
• fix: A bug fix
• docs: Documentation only changes
• style: Changes that do not affect the meaning of the code
• refactor: A code change that neither fixes a bug nor adds a feature
• perf: A code change that improves performance
• test: Adding missing tests or correcting existing tests
• chore: Changes to the build process or auxiliary tools

Examples:

feat(parser): add support for lookahead assertions

fix(matcher): resolve infinite loop in nested groups

docs: update API documentation for search method

refactor(compiler): simplify NFA construction logic

Pull Request Process

1. Push your changes to your fork:

   git push origin feat/your-feature-name
   

2. Create a Pull Request:

   • Go to https://github.com/Demali-876/motoko_regex_engine/pulls
   • Click "New Pull Request"
   • Select your fork and branch
   • Fill out the PR template with:
     • Clear description of changes
     • Any breaking changes
     • Evidence of testing (screenshots, console output, etc.)

3. PR Review Process:

   • Maintainers will review your PR
   • Address any requested changes
   • Once approved, your PR will be merged

Testing Requirements

While formal tests are not required, you must provide evidence that you've tested your changes. This can include:

• Screenshots of the feature working
• Console output showing successful execution
• Example usage and results
• Description of test cases you've tried

Example test evidence in PR:

Tested the new alternation operator with:
1. Simple patterns: "a|b" against "a" and "b"
2. Complex patterns: "(foo|bar)+" against "foofoobar"
3. Edge cases: "a||b" and "|a|b|"

Results:
- All patterns matched correctly
- No infinite loops or crashes
- Proper error handling for invalid patterns

Thank you for contributing to the Motoko Regex Engine project!