Developer Guide: Contributing & Extensibility

Guidance for contributing to FoodSpec, extending functionality with plugins and protocols, and understanding the codebase and release process.

Getting Started with Development

• Contributing Guidelines — How to contribute code, docs, and bug reports
• Documentation Guidelines — Standards for writing documentation
• Documentation Style Guide — Writing style and formatting rules
• Documentation Maintainer Guide — Workflow for doc maintainers

Testing & Quality

• Testing & CI — Running tests and continuous integration
• Testing Coverage — Code coverage standards and tools

Extending FoodSpec

• Writing Plugins — Create custom preprocessing, analysis, or export plugins
• Extending Protocols & Steps — Add custom workflow steps

Release Management

• Releasing — Release process and checklist
• Release Checklist — Pre-release verification steps

Architecture & Design

For understanding FoodSpec's internals:

• API Reference — Complete API documentation
• Theory & Background — Scientific foundations
• Glossary — Key terms and concepts

Contributing Workflow

1. Read the Contributing Guidelines
2. Fork the repository and create a branch
3. Develop using Testing & CI best practices
4. Document following the Documentation Style Guide
5. Submit a pull request for review

Related Sections

• Advanced Topics — Power-user features
• Troubleshooting — Debug development issues
• Reference — Technical reference materials

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Use this when: You want to contribute code, write plugins, or understand FoodSpec internals.