openstapps/CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing to @openstapps/core

Please see the appropriate general group contributing guides in project-management.

Updating and releasing related projects

Following semantic versioning patches to the core should not break existing usage.

API

Every minor and major version of the core needs a corresponding version of the API to be used in the app and connectors.

Because the API is an integral part of the App and Node.js-based connectors this should be done for every new minor and major release of the core.

Backend

The backend uses the core to validate requests and responses. With the use of the core tools it uses the core to set up the database according to the model.

Like for the API there should be a new release of the backend for every minor and major release of the core.

Core tools

The core tools are more or less not dependent on a specific core version and should normally not need adjustments for new core versions as long the structure of the code in the core stays the same.

App and connectors

App and connectors use the API to communicate with the backend. To ensure compatibility the version of the used core must be the same as the one that is used in the used API.

App and connectors should be updated regularly to new releases of the core but not as important like API and backend. Since the app is just a view for the data stored in the backend it is not necessary to be up to date with the newest core immediately and the connectors are developed independently by every school and up to their responsibility.

Additional coding style

Extract inline type definitions

For consistency and correct functionality of core-tools we need well-defined type assignments.

Type assignments shall always be primitive types, classes, interfaces, enums or unions. Not allowed are inline type-definitions. Those shall be refactored accordingly:

export interface SCPlaceWithoutReferences extends SCThing {
    ...
    // Use this:
    geo: SCGeoInformation;

    // Instead of:
    geo: {
        point: Point,
        polygon?: Polygon,
    };
}

Reuse the map structure

If you come around a map-like-type use SCMap<T>.

// Use this:
interface AnyClass{
    inventory: SCMap<number>;
}

// Instead of:
interface AnyClass{
    inventory?: Array<{ key: string, value: number }>;
}
// or instead of
interface AnyClass{
    inventory?: { [key: string]: number };
}