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Contributing to Lenia

Thank you for your interest in contributing to the Lenia project! This document provides guidelines and information for contributors.

🤝 Code of Conduct

This project adheres to a code of conduct. By participating, you are expected to uphold this code. Please report unacceptable behavior to the project maintainers.

  • Be respectful and inclusive
  • Focus on what is best for the community
  • Show empathy towards other community members
  • Use welcoming and inclusive language

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

Setting Up Development Environment

  1. Fork the repository

    # Click the "Fork" button on GitHub, then clone your fork
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/lenia.git
cd lenia

  2. Add upstream remote

    git remote add upstream https://github.com/ORIGINAL_OWNER/lenia.git

  3. Install dependencies

    dotnet restore

  4. Run the application

    cd Lenia/Lenia
dotnet run

🎯 Types of Contributions

🐛 Bug Reports

  • Use the GitHub issue tracker
  • Include a clear title and description
  • Provide steps to reproduce the issue
  • Include browser/OS information
  • Add screenshots if helpful

✨ Feature Requests

  • Check if the feature already exists or is planned
  • Explain the use case and benefits
  • Provide mockups or examples if applicable
  • Consider implementation complexity

🔧 Code Contributions

  • Bug fixes
  • Performance optimizations
  • New Lenia patterns or algorithms
  • UI/UX improvements
  • Documentation updates

📝 Development Guidelines

Code Style

  • Follow C# coding conventions
  • Use meaningful variable and method names
  • Add XML documentation for public APIs
  • Keep methods focused and small
  • Use async/await properly

Blazor Specific Guidelines

  • Use MudBlazor components consistently
  • Follow the existing component structure
  • Minimize JavaScript interop when possible
  • Use proper lifecycle methods (OnInitialized, OnAfterRender)
  • Handle component disposal properly

Performance Guidelines

  • Maintain 60 FPS target performance
  • Profile changes that affect simulation speed
  • Use Parallel.For for CPU-intensive operations
  • Minimize memory allocations in hot paths
  • Cache expensive calculations

Project Structure

Lenia/
├── Lenia/                     # Server-side Blazor Web App
│   ├── Components/
│   ├── Program.cs
│   └── Lenia.csproj
├── Lenia.Client/              # Client-side Blazor WebAssembly  
│   ├── Components/
│   ├── Pages/
│   ├── Layout/
│   ├── wwwroot/
│   └── Lenia.Client.csproj
└── Tests/                     # Unit and integration tests

🔄 Pull Request Process

Before Submitting

  1. Check existing issues/PRs to avoid duplicates
  2. Create an issue for significant changes to discuss approach
  3. Update documentation if needed
  4. Add tests for new functionality
  5. Ensure CI passes locally

Submitting a Pull Request

  1. Create a feature branch

    git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature

  2. Make your changes

    • Write clean, documented code
    • Follow the style guidelines
    • Add tests for new features

  3. Commit your changes

    git add .
git commit -m "Add amazing feature

- Detailed description of changes
- Any breaking changes noted
- Fixes #issue_number"

  4. Push to your fork

    git push origin feature/amazing-feature

  5. Create a Pull Request

    • Use a clear title and description
    • Reference related issues
    • Include screenshots for UI changes
    • Add testing instructions

Pull Request Template

## Description
Brief description of changes

## Type of Change
- [ ] Bug fix
- [ ] New feature
- [ ] Performance improvement
- [ ] Documentation update
- [ ] Refactoring

## Testing
- [ ] Unit tests added/updated
- [ ] Manual testing performed
- [ ] Performance testing (if applicable)

## Screenshots
(If applicable)

## Breaking Changes
(List any breaking changes)

🧪 Testing

Running Tests

# Run all tests
dotnet test

# Run specific test project
dotnet test Tests/Lenia.Tests.csproj

# Run with coverage
dotnet test --collect:"XPlat Code Coverage"

Writing Tests

  • Write unit tests for new algorithms
  • Test edge cases and error conditions
  • Use descriptive test names
  • Mock external dependencies
  • Test performance-critical code

Manual Testing Checklist

  • Simulation runs at target FPS
  • All UI controls work correctly
  • Pattern presets load properly
  • Responsive design works on mobile
  • Browser compatibility (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)

📊 Performance Considerations

Simulation Performance

  • Profile before and after changes
  • Measure FPS impact
  • Test on different grid sizes
  • Consider memory usage

UI Performance

  • Minimize re-renders
  • Use ShouldRender() when appropriate
  • Optimize component hierarchies
  • Test on slower devices

🐛 Debugging

Common Issues

  • Build failures: Check .NET version and dependencies
  • Runtime errors: Check browser console for JavaScript errors
  • Performance issues: Use browser dev tools profiler
  • UI problems: Inspect MudBlazor component usage

Debugging Tools

  • Browser DevTools
  • Visual Studio debugger
  • .NET CLI diagnostics
  • Performance profilers

📚 Resources

Documentation

Learning Resources

📞 Getting Help

  • GitHub Issues: Bug reports and feature requests
  • GitHub Discussions: Questions and general discussion
  • Pull Request Comments: Code-specific questions

🎉 Recognition

Contributors will be recognized in:

  • GitHub contributors list
  • Release notes
  • Project documentation
  • Special thanks in README

Thank you for contributing to Lenia! 🧬✨