MokoCassiopeia/CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing

This document defines how to contribute to the MokoCassiopeia project. The goal is to ensure changes are reviewable, auditable, and aligned with project governance and release processes.

Scope

These guidelines apply to all contributions, including:

• Source code changes
• Documentation updates
• Bug reports and enhancement proposals

Prerequisites

Contributors are expected to:

• Have a working understanding of Joomla template structure.
• Be familiar with Git and GitHub pull request workflows.
• Review repository governance documents prior to submitting changes.
• Set up the development environment using the provided tools.

Quick Setup

For first-time contributors:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/mokoconsulting-tech/MokoCassiopeia.git
cd MokoCassiopeia

See docs/QUICK_START.md for detailed setup instructions.

Development Tools

The repository provides several tools to streamline development:

• Pre-commit Hooks: Automatic local validation before commits

Contribution Workflow

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a branch from the active development branch.
3. Make focused, minimal changes that address a single concern.
4. Submit a pull request with a clear description of intent and impact.

Direct commits to protected branches are not permitted.

Branching and Versioning

• Development work occurs on designated development branches.
• Releases are produced from versioned branches following repository standards.
• Contributors should not bump version numbers unless explicitly requested.

Coding and Formatting Standards

All contributions must:

• Follow Joomla coding standards where applicable.
• Conform to Moko Consulting repository standards for headers, metadata, and file structure.
• Avoid introducing tabs, inconsistent path separators, or non portable assumptions.

Automated checks may reject changes that do not meet these requirements.

Documentation Standards

Documentation changes must:

• Include required metadata and revision history sections.
• Avoid embedding version numbers in revision history tables.
• Preserve existing structure unless a structural change is explicitly proposed.

Commit Messages

Commit messages should:

• Be concise and descriptive.
• Focus on what changed and why.
• Avoid referencing internal issue trackers unless required.

Reporting Issues

Bug reports and enhancement requests should be filed as GitHub issues and include:

• Clear reproduction steps or use cases.
• Expected versus actual behavior.
• Relevant environment details.

Security related issues must follow the process defined in SECURITY.md and must not be reported publicly.

Review Process

All pull requests are subject to review. Review criteria include:

• Technical correctness
• Alignment with project goals
• Maintainability and clarity
• Risk introduced to release and update processes

Maintainers may request changes prior to approval.

License

By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later, consistent with the rest of the project.

Code of Conduct

Participation in this project is governed by the Code of Conduct. Unacceptable behavior may result in contribution restrictions.

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Metadata

• Document: CONTRIBUTING.md
• Repository: https://github.com/mokoconsulting-tech/MokoCassiopeia
• Path: /CONTRIBUTING.md
• Owner: Moko Consulting
• Version: 03.06.00
• Status: Active
• Effective Date: 2025-12-18
• Last Reviewed: 2025-12-18

Revision History

Date	Change Summary	Author
2025-12-18	Initial publication of contribution guidelines and workflow expectations.	Moko Consulting