Merge pull request #58 from olmixr/docs/contributing-guide

Docs/contributing guide

Author: gleidsonmt

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+# Contributing to DashboardFx
+
+Thanks for taking the time to contribute to DashboardFx.
+This guide explains how to prepare the project, make a focused change, and open a pull request.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+Before working on the project, install:
+
+- Git
+- Java 23 or newer
+- An IDE with Java and Gradle support
+
+You do not need to install Gradle globally. Use the Gradle Wrapper included in this repository.
+
+## Fork and Clone
+
+Fork the repository on GitHub, then clone your fork with submodules:
+
+```bash
+git clone --recursive https://github.com/<your-username>/DashboardFx.git
+cd DashboardFx
+```
+
+The `--recursive` option clones the project submodules too:
+
+- `glad`
+- `presentation`
+- `blockcode`
+
+If you already cloned the project without submodules, initialize them with:
+
+```bash
+git submodule update --init --recursive
+```
+
+## Create a Branch
+
+Create your working branch from the latest `alpha` branch:
+
+```bash
+git switch alpha
+git pull origin alpha
+git switch -c <your-branch-name>
+```
+
+Pull requests should target the `alpha` branch unless the maintainers request a different target.
+
+## Build and Run
+
+On Windows, build and run the project with:
+
+```powershell
+.\gradlew build
+.\gradlew run
+```
+
+On Linux or macOS, use:
+
+```bash
+./gradlew build
+./gradlew run
+```
+
+Run the build before opening a pull request to make sure the project still compiles.
+
+## Keep Changes Focused
+
+Each pull request should focus on one task.
+Avoid mixing unrelated changes in the same pull request.
+
+Please do not include:
+
+- generated files
+- IDE-only files
+- unrelated formatting changes
+- accidental submodule updates
+- changes from another task
+
+If your task does not require changing a submodule, leave `glad`, `presentation`, and `blockcode` untouched.
+
+## Commit Your Work
+
+Check your changes before committing:
+
+```bash
+git status
+git diff
+```
+
+Stage only the files related to your task:
+
+```bash
+git add CONTRIBUTING.md
+git commit -m "docs: add contributing guide"
+```
+
+## Open a Pull Request
+
+Push your branch:
+
+```bash
+git push -u fork <your-branch-name>
+```
+
+Then open a pull request against `alpha`.
+In the pull request description, include:
+
+- what changed
+- why the change is useful
+- how you checked or tested it
+
+Thank you for helping improve DashboardFx.