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Contributing

How to contribute to the Potato annotation tool.

Contributing to Potato

Potato is fully open-source and welcomes contributions from the community. This guide explains how to contribute effectively.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.8+
  • Git
  • A GitHub account

Setting Up Your Development Environment

  1. Fork the repository on GitHub

  2. Clone your fork:

    bash
    git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/potato.git
cd potato

  3. Install dependencies:

    bash
    pip install -r requirements.txt
pip install -r requirements-test.txt  # For running tests

  4. Run the tests to ensure everything works:

    bash
    pytest

Ways to Contribute

Reporting Bugs

Found a bug? Open an issue with:

  • A clear, descriptive title
  • Steps to reproduce the problem
  • Expected vs actual behavior
  • Your environment (Python version, OS, browser if relevant)
  • Error messages or logs if available

Suggesting Features

Have an idea for improvement? Open a feature request describing:

  • The problem you're trying to solve
  • Your proposed solution
  • Why this would benefit other users

Submitting Code

  1. Create a branch for your changes:

    bash
    git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

  2. Make your changes, following the coding standards

  3. Write tests for new functionality

  4. Run the test suite:

    bash
    pytest tests/unit/ -v      # Fast unit tests
pytest tests/server/ -v    # Integration tests

  5. Commit your changes with a descriptive message:

    bash
    git commit -m "Add feature: brief description of changes"

  6. Push to your fork:

    bash
    git push origin feature/your-feature-name

  7. Open a Pull Request on GitHub

Coding Standards

Python Style

  • Follow PEP 8 style guidelines
  • Use meaningful variable and function names
  • Add docstrings for public functions and classes
  • Keep functions focused and reasonably sized

Documentation

When adding or modifying features:

  1. Update relevant documentation in the docs/ directory
  2. Add or update example configurations in project-hub/simple_examples/
  3. Include inline comments for complex logic

Testing

  • Write tests for new features and bug fixes
  • Place unit tests in tests/unit/
  • Place integration tests in tests/server/
  • Ensure all tests pass before submitting a PR

Documentation Guidelines

Every major feature should include:

  1. Administrator Documentation (docs/):

    • Configuration options and defaults
    • YAML examples
    • Troubleshooting tips

  2. Example Project (project-hub/simple_examples/):

    • Working configuration file
    • Sample data file
    • README if complex

Documentation Style

  • Use proper YAML syntax (not JSON-style)
  • Include complete, runnable examples
  • Cross-reference related documentation
  • Add screenshots for UI features

Pull Request Guidelines

Before Submitting

  • Tests pass locally (pytest)
  • Code follows project style
  • Documentation is updated
  • Commit messages are clear
  • Branch is up to date with main

PR Description

Include:

  • What the PR does
  • Why the change is needed
  • How to test the changes
  • Screenshots for UI changes

Development Roadmap

Current development priorities:

  1. Enhanced UI/UX improvements
  2. Additional annotation schema types
  3. Better AI integration options
  4. Performance optimizations
  5. Documentation improvements

Getting Help

Code of Conduct

Please be respectful and constructive in all interactions. We're all here to make Potato better.

License

By contributing to Potato, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the project's existing license.

Thank you for contributing to Potato!

For more details, see the source documentation.