# Contributing to PINA

First off, thanks for taking the time to contribute to **PINA**! 🎉 Your help makes the project better for everyone. This document outlines the process for contributing, reporting issues, suggesting features, and submitting pull requests.

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## Table of Contents

1. [How to Contribute](#how-to-contribute)
2. [Reporting Bugs](#reporting-bugs)
3. [Suggesting Enhancements](#suggesting-enhancements)
4. [Pull Request Process](#pull-request-process)
5. [Code Style & Guidelines](#code-style--guidelines)
6. [Community Standards](#community-standards)

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## How to Contribute

You can contribute in several ways:
- Reporting bugs
- Suggesting features/enhancements
- Submitting fixes or improvements via Pull Requests (PRs)
- Improving documentation

We encourage all contributions, big or small!

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## Reporting Bugs

If you find a bug, please open an [issue](https://github.com/mathLab/PINA/issues) and include:
- A clear and descriptive title
- Steps to reproduce the problem
- What you expected to happen
- What actually happened
- Any relevant logs, screenshots, or error messages
- Environment info (OS, Python version, dependencies, etc.)

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## Suggesting Enhancements

We welcome new ideas! If you have an idea to improve PINA:
1. Check the [issue tracker](https://github.com/mathLab/PINA/issues) or the [discussions](https://github.com/mathLab/PINA/discussions) to see if someone has already suggested it.
2. If not, open a new issue describing:
   - The enhancement you'd like
   - Why it would be useful
   - Any ideas on how to implement it (optional but helpful)
3. If you are not sure about (something of) the enhancement, we suggest to open a discussion to collaborate on it with the PINA community

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## Pull Request Process

Before submitting a PR:

1. Ensure there’s an open issue related to your contribution (or create one).
2. [Fork](https://help.github.com/articles/fork-a-repo) the repository and create a new branch from `master`:
   ```bash
   git checkout -b feature/my-feature
    ```
3. Make your changes:
  - Write clear, concise, and well-documented code
  - Add or update tests where appropriate
  - Update documentation if necessary
4. Verify your changes by running tests:
  ```bash
  pytest
  ```
5. Properly format your code. If you want save time, simply run:
  ```bash
  bash code_formatter.sh
  ```
7. Submit a [pull request](https://help.github.com/articles/creating-a-pull-request) with a clear explanation of your changes and reference the related issue if applicable.

### Pull Request Checklist
 - [ ] Code follows the project’s style guidelines
 - [ ] Tests have been added or updated
 - [ ] Documentation has been updated if necessary
 - [ ] Pull request is linked to an open issue (if applicable)

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## Code Style & Guidelines
- Follow PEP8 for Python code.
- Use descriptive commit messages (e.g. `Fix parser crash on empty input`).
- Write clear docstrings for public classes, methods, and functions.
- Keep functions small and focused; do one thing and do it well.

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## Community Standards
By participating in this project, you agree to abide by our Code of Conduct. We are committed to maintaining a welcoming and inclusive community.