Contributing to DYMS¶

DYMS is an open source project that welcomes contributions from developers of all skill levels.

Getting Started¶

Prerequisites¶

Go 1.24 or higher
Git for version control
Basic familiarity with interpreters/compilers

Development Setup¶

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Dev-Dami/DYMS-Lang
cd DYMS-Lang

# Test the interpreter
go run . test/01_basic_features.dy

# Run the REPL
go run .

Areas for Contribution¶

Language Features¶

Standard library expansion
Error message improvements
Performance optimizations
New control flow constructs

Documentation¶

Code examples and tutorials
Architecture explanations
API reference improvements
Translation to other languages

Tooling¶

Editor plugins (VS Code, Vim, etc.)
Debugger integration
Build tools and package managers
Testing frameworks

Infrastructure¶

CI/CD improvements
Benchmarking suite
Website enhancements
Release automation

Code Style¶

Follow these guidelines when contributing:

Go Code¶

Use gofmt for formatting
Follow Go naming conventions
Add comments for public functions
Include tests for new features

DYMS Code¶

Use let by default, var when mutation needed
Prefer descriptive function names
Keep functions focused and small
Add comments for complex logic

Documentation¶

Use clear, concise language
Provide runnable code examples
Test all code snippets
Follow existing formatting patterns

Submitting Changes¶

Pull Request Process¶

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/new-feature
Make your changes with clear commits
Test thoroughly with existing test suite
Submit a pull request with detailed description

Commit Messages¶

Use clear, descriptive commit messages:

GOOD: - `Add support for hexadecimal number literals` - `Fix memory leak in closure evaluation` - `Improve error messages for undefined variables`

AVOID: - `Fix bug` - `Update code` - `Changes`

Testing¶

Running Tests¶

# Run language tests
go run . test/

# Run specific test file  
go run . test/05_functions.dy

# Test REPL functionality
go run .

Writing Tests¶

Create test files in the test/ directory:

// test/new_feature.dy
// Test description: Array destructuring

let arr = [1, 2, 3]
let [a, b, c] = arr

println("a:", a)  // Should print 1
println("b:", b)  // Should print 2
println("c:", c)  // Should print 3

Reporting Issues¶

Bug Reports¶

Include the following information:

DYMS version and platform
Minimal code example that reproduces the issue
Expected vs actual behavior
Error messages or stack traces

Feature Requests¶

Describe:

The problem you're trying to solve
Proposed solution or API design
Use cases and examples
Impact on existing code

Development Guidelines¶

Performance Considerations¶

Profile before optimizing
Prefer VM-optimized code paths for hot loops
Minimize allocations in critical paths
Cache frequently accessed values

Memory Management¶

Clear large data structures when done
Avoid circular references
Use local variables when possible
Consider object pooling for high-frequency allocations

Error Handling¶

Provide specific, actionable error messages
Include context about what the user was trying to do
Suggest corrections when possible
Handle edge cases gracefully

Community¶

Communication Channels¶

GitHub Issues: Bug reports and feature requests
GitHub Discussions: General questions and community chat
Pull Requests: Code reviews and collaboration

Code of Conduct¶

Be respectful and inclusive
Focus on constructive feedback
Help newcomers learn and contribute
Maintain professional communication

Recognition¶

Contributors are recognized in:

Repository README
Release notes
Documentation credits
Project website

Questions?¶

Check existing issues and discussions
Read the architecture documentation
Look at recent pull requests for examples
Ask questions in GitHub Discussions

Thank you for contributing to DYMS!