# Contributing to HellionChat

Thanks for taking a look. HellionChat is a one-person side project developed under Hellion Forge. It
started as a fork of [Chat 2](https://github.com/Infiziert90/ChatTwo) and has since become a
standalone plugin under its own namespace, IPC channels and source tree (standalone-cut completed in
v1.0.0). Forking HellionChat itself is explicitly permitted under the EUPL-1.2.

This document explains what I am looking for, what I am not, and how to make a contribution land
smoothly.

## Before You Open Anything

- Read the [README](README.md) so you understand the scope: a privacy-focused, EUPL-1.2-licensed
  Dalamud plugin that intentionally removes the upstream webinterface and ships privacy-first
  defaults.
- Read [`docs/UPSTREAM_SYNC.md`](docs/UPSTREAM_SYNC.md). Active cherry-picking from upstream Chat 2
  has ended in the v1.4.x cycle; HellionChat continues as an independent codebase. Existing
  upstream-derived code keeps its attribution. New contributions stand on their own and do not need
  to be cherry-pick-compatible.
- Read [`SECURITY.md`](SECURITY.md). Anything security-sensitive goes through a private advisory,
  never a public issue or PR.
- Read the [Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md).

## What I Will Accept

- Bug fixes for behaviour documented in the README, the in-plugin settings or the changelog.
- Translation contributions for Hellion-specific strings via direct pull requests against
  `HellionChat/Resources/HellionStrings.*.resx`. Translations for upstream Chat 2 strings
  (`Language.*.resx`) are not handled here; those go to the upstream Chat 2 project.
- Documentation improvements (README, comments, this file).
- Performance fixes with a measurable before/after.
- New features that fit the privacy-first scope and do not duplicate what an existing Dalamud plugin
  already does well.

## What I Will Probably Decline

- Re-introducing the webinterface or any remote-access feature. It was removed in v0.2.0 on purpose.
  See the README section "Was gegenüber Chat 2 fehlt".
- Features that bypass the privacy filter or weaken the default retention behaviour without an
  explicit, documented opt-in.
- Sweeping refactors that touch large parts of the codebase. The maintenance cost outweighs the
  benefit for a one-person project. (This used to be doubly important because of the upstream
  cherry-pick path; that path is closed now, but the rule still holds on its own merits.)
- AI-generated code dropped in without disclosure or human review. See
  [`docs/AI_DISCLOSURE.md`](docs/AI_DISCLOSURE.md) for how I handle AI assistance on my side; I
  expect comparable transparency from contributors.

If you are unsure whether an idea fits, open a feature-request issue first and ask before writing
code. I would rather say "no" to a proposal than to a finished pull request.

## Workflow

1. Open an issue (bug or feature request) using the templates under `.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/`. Skip
   this for trivial typos.
2. Fork the repository and branch off `main`. Branch naming is informal; something like
   `fix/auto-tell-history-empty` or `feat/theme-export` is fine.
3. Match the existing code style. The repository ships an `.editorconfig` that VS Code and Rider
   pick up automatically.
4. Keep commits focused. Several small commits with clear messages are easier to review than one
   large one. Squash-on-merge happens at the PR level if needed.
5. If your change touches user-visible behaviour, update the README and/or the changelog block in
   `HellionChat/HellionChat.yaml` and `repo.json`. I bump the version number myself at release time.
6. Open the pull request against `main`. The PR template will ask you to summarise the change, the
   testing you did and any compatibility notes.

## Build and Test

The project targets `net10.0-windows` against Dalamud SDK 15. To build locally you need:

- .NET 10 SDK
- A working Dalamud dev environment with `DALAMUD_HOME` set (XIVLauncher installed and launched once
  is the simplest path)
- VS Code with the C# Dev Kit, Rider, or Visual Studio

```bash
dotnet restore
dotnet build HellionChat.sln -c Release
```

There are currently no tests in `HellionChat.sln`. If you add a test project, point it at the
relevant subsystems (privacy filter, configuration migration, message store) and mention it in the
PR.

For a smoke test in-game: build, copy the output into your Dalamud `devPlugins/HellionChat/`
directory and load it via `/xlplugins`.

## Continuous Integration

Every push and every pull request runs:

| Workflow     | What it checks                   |
| ------------ | -------------------------------- |
| `build.yml`  | `dotnet build` and `dotnet test` |
| `codeql.yml` | CodeQL security analysis         |

A pull request will not be merged while either of these is failing. CodeQL findings on changed code
need to be addressed; pre-existing findings on untouched code are tracked separately.

## Translations

Hellion-specific strings live in `HellionChat/Resources/HellionStrings.resx` (English source) and
`HellionStrings.<lang>.resx` (per-language). These are accepted as direct pull requests.

The upstream Chat 2 strings in `HellionChat/Resources/Language.*.resx` are **not** translated here.
They are kept as-is from the last upstream sync and remain the work of the Chat 2 Crowdin community.
Active cherry-picking from upstream ended in the v1.4.x cycle (see
[`docs/UPSTREAM_SYNC.md`](docs/UPSTREAM_SYNC.md)), so future translation improvements to those
upstream strings will not flow into HellionChat automatically anymore. If you have improvements for
the original Chat 2 strings, please contribute them to
[Infiziert90/ChatTwo](https://github.com/Infiziert90/ChatTwo) directly.

## Licensing

By submitting a pull request you confirm that:

- Your contribution is your own work, or you have the right to contribute it under the project
  licence.
- You agree that your contribution will be released under the [EUPL-1.2](LICENSE), the same licence
  as the rest of the project.

There is no separate CLA. Forking HellionChat is explicitly permitted under the EUPL-1.2, as with
any EUPL-licensed project.

## Response Times

| Channel       | Address                                 |
| ------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| GitHub Issues | Preferred for bugs and feature requests |
| Discord DM    | `@j.j_kazama`                           |
| Email         | `kontakt@hellion-media.de`              |

I respond on weekdays during European business hours and take weekends and FFXIV patch days off. A
pull request that sits for a few days has not been ignored. Pinging once after a week is fine;
please do not ping daily.

## First-time setup

After cloning, run once:

```bash
./scripts/setup-hooks.sh
```

This wires `core.hooksPath` to `.githooks/`. The pre-push hook runs preflight
(versions/manifest/changelog/build).

### Test suite

The plugin's test suite lives in a separate local repository and is not part of this codebase. If
you need access for development, contact the maintainer.
