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Contributing to Vix Template Engine

Thank you for your interest in contributing.

This project focuses on performance, clarity, and deterministic behavior. Contributions should follow these principles.

Philosophy

Before contributing, understand the core goals:

  • deterministic behavior
  • minimal design
  • no hidden state
  • performance-first mindset

If your change adds complexity, it must bring clear value.

Getting Started

1. Fork the repository

git clone https://github.com/vixcpp/template.git
cd template

2. Create a branch

git checkout -b feature/my-feature

3. Build the project

cmake --preset dev-ninja
cmake --build --preset build-ninja

4. Run tests

ctest --preset test-ninja

Code Guidelines

C++ Standards

  • Use modern C++ (C++20)
  • Prefer RAII
  • Avoid raw pointers unless necessary
  • Use std::unique_ptr for ownership
  • Avoid unnecessary allocations

Style

  • Clear and explicit code
  • Small, focused functions
  • No hidden behavior
  • Avoid magic

Naming

  • Use English names
  • Be descriptive and consistent

Architecture Rules

Do not break core guarantees:

  • AST must remain deterministic
  • Renderer must remain stateless
  • No I/O inside rendering
  • No global mutable state

Tests

All changes must include tests when relevant.

  • Add tests in tests/
  • Keep tests deterministic
  • Avoid external dependencies

Benchmarks

If your change impacts performance:

  • update benchmarks in benchmarks/
  • explain performance impact in PR

Commit Messages

Use clear messages:

feat(parser): add filter node support
fix(renderer): avoid unnecessary allocations
refactor(cache): use shared template handles

Pull Requests

Before opening a PR:

  • ensure project builds
  • ensure tests pass
  • keep PR focused (one change = one PR)
  • describe clearly what you changed and why

What Not to Do

  • do not introduce heavy dependencies
  • do not add magic behavior
  • do not break deterministic design
  • do not add features without discussion (for large changes)

Discussions

For large features:

  • open an issue first
  • discuss design before implementation

Summary

Good contributions are:

  • simple
  • explicit
  • fast
  • aligned with architecture

Thanks for contributing to Vix Template Engine 🚀