Code Contribution¶

Complete guide for contributing code to VAST Orbit.

Developer Guide¶

Follow these guides in order for your first contribution:

1. Setting Up

Fork, clone, and configure your development environment.

Start Here →

Setting-Up the Environment

2. Unit Tests

Write and run tests with pytest. Required for all PRs.

Learn Testing →

Unit Tests

3. Useful Functions

Helper utilities and common patterns in the codebase.

View Utilities →

Useful Functions

4. Best Practices

Coding standards, style guide, and conventions.

Read Guidelines →

Miscellaneous

5. Documentation

Auto-generate API docs with Sphinx and docstrings.

Document Code →

Automatic Documentation

6. Examples

Real contribution examples and step-by-step walkthroughs.

See Examples →

Code Example

Quick Start¶

Ready to contribute? Follow these steps:

# 1. Fork and clone
git clone https://github.com/vast-data/VAST-Orbit.git
cd vastorbit

# 2. Create branch
git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

# 3. Install dev dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# 4. Make changes and test
pytest tests/

# 5. Format and lint
black .
pylint vastorbit

# 6. Commit and push
git commit -m "Add: Your feature description"
git push origin feature/your-feature-name

# 7. Open Pull Request on GitHub

Checklist Before PR¶

Before submitting your pull request:

[ ] Code follows style guidelines (Black formatting)
[ ] All tests pass locally (pytest)
[ ] New tests added for new features
[ ] Code coverage maintained (>80%)
[ ] Docstrings added/updated
[ ] Documentation updated (if needed)
[ ] No pylint warnings
[ ] Commit messages are clear
[ ] PR description references issue

Detailed Guides¶

Tip

First time contributor? Start with issues labeled good-first-issue on GitHub. Join us on Slack (vastsupport.slack.com) if you need help!