Developer Guide

Thank you for your interest in contributing to SlicerCART! This document provides guidelines and instructions for contributing to the project.

Code of Conduct

We are committed to providing a friendly, safe, and welcoming environment for all contributors. Please be respectful and constructive in your interactions.

Coding Standards

  • Max 80 columns for a single code line

  • This project uses the PEP8 convention for naming. Reminder:

    • MyClass for naming a Class

    • MY_CONSTANT for naming a CONSTANT

    • my_variable for naming a variable

    • define_my_function() for naming a function (always start with an action verb)

    • Function definition example (add docstrings for explanations):

      def my_function(arg1):
    """
    Add such a descriptive comment at the beginning of each function
    in order to explain clearly to the next user what the function does. :)

     Args
         arg1: first argument
     """

    • Use TODO: for naming To Dos in the code

    • Add one blank line between each function for clarity

    • Useful comments are strongly encouraged

    • Want to report a feature improvement or bug? Go on SlicerCART Github.

  • On Github, 1 issue for 1 Pull Request. Always create a branch.
    git checkout -b 'feature-name'

Core Organization

See Repository Organization for the repository files and folders tree structure.

See Class Organization for the class diagrams of the repository scripts.

Development Workflow

  1. Make Your Changes

    • Write clean, readable code

    • Follow our coding standards

    • Add tests for new features

    • Update documentation as needed

  2. Test Your Changes

    • Run the test suite

    • Test manually in 3D Slicer

    • Check for any regressions

  3. Commit Your Changes

    • Write clear commit messages

    • Keep commits focused and atomic

    • Reference issues if applicable

  4. Submit a Pull Request

    • Push your changes to your fork

    • Create a pull request from your branch

    • Describe your changes in detail

    • Link to any related issues

Pull Request Guidelines

  1. Before Submitting

    • Rebase on latest upstream changes

    • Resolve any conflicts

    • Run all tests

    • Update documentation

  2. PR Description

    • Clearly describe the changes

    • Explain the motivation

    • List any breaking changes

    • Include screenshots if relevant

  3. Review Process

    • Address reviewer comments

    • Make requested changes

    • Keep the discussion constructive

Getting Help

If you need help:

  • Join our discussions on GitHub

  • Ask questions in issues

  • Contact the maintainers

Thank you for contributing to SlicerCART!