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Contributing to IIITL Alumni Network

Thank you for wanting to help! This guide will get you from zero to a merged pull request as quickly as possible.

Important notice

Issues are not arranged with sequence so make sure that you complete accordingly.

Table of Contents

  1. How to pick an issue
  2. Branch naming
  3. Commit style
  4. Code style
  5. Pull request process
  6. Who to ping for help
  7. AI usage policy

How to Pick an Issue

  1. Browse open issues and filter by the good first issue label if you are new.
  2. Leave a comment on the issue you want to work on — e.g. "I'd like to take this." — so others know it is claimed.
  3. Wait for a maintainer to assign you or give a thumbs-up before you start coding. This avoids duplicate work.
  4. If an issue has been inactive for more than 7 days with no PR, it is fair game again.

Branch Naming

Branch names must follow this pattern:

<type>/<short-description>
Type When to use
feat New feature or page
fix Bug fix
docs Documentation only
style Formatting, whitespace — no logic change
refactor Code restructure without behaviour change
chore Tooling, dependencies, CI

Examples:

feat/alumni-directory-search
fix/navbar-mobile-overflow
docs/contributing-guide
chore/upgrade-tailwind-v4

Branch names should use kebab-case and be ≤ 50 characters.

Commit Style

We follow a simplified version of Conventional Commits:

<type>(<optional scope>): <short imperative summary>

Rules:

  • Use the imperative mood in the summary: "add filter" not "added filter".
  • Keep the summary ≤ 72 characters.
  • Reference the related issue at the end of the body: Closes #34.

Examples:

feat(directory): add batch-year filter
fix(navbar): correct active link highlight on mobile
docs: add CONTRIBUTING guide
chore(deps): upgrade next to 16.2.3

Code Style

This project uses TypeScript, React (App Router), and Tailwind CSS v4.

Rule Detail
Formatter Prettier (default settings). Run pnpm format if configured.
Linter ESLint — run pnpm lint before pushing. CI will block PRs with lint errors.
TypeScript Strict mode is enabled. Avoid any; prefer explicit types.
Tailwind Use design-system tokens (text-brand, bg-surface, etc.) defined in app/globals.css. Do not add arbitrary hex values. See the Design System (tracked in Issue #4).
Components Reuse primitives from components/ (e.g. Section, SectionHeading). Create a new component if a pattern is used in ≥ 2 places.
File naming PascalCase for React components (MyComponent.tsx), kebab-case for route segments (app/my-page/page.tsx).
Imports Use @/ alias for project-root imports. No relative ../../ imports.

Pull Request Process

  1. Fork the repo and create your branch from main.
  2. Make your changes, following the code style above.
  3. Run pnpm lint and fix any errors.
  4. Open a PR against main using the PR template. Fill in every section of the checklist.
  5. Link the related issue in the PR description (e.g. Closes #34).
  6. Wait for at least one approving review from a maintainer before merging.
  7. Squash-merge is preferred; the maintainer will do this when merging.

Who to Ping for Help

Area Contact
General / architecture @MrImmortal09
UI / design system Tag the design label on your issue and mention it in the PR
CI / infra Open an issue with the chore label

You can also start a discussion in the GitHub Discussions tab (if enabled) or reach out via the project's communication channel shared in your onboarding.

AI Usage Policy

Please read and follow the AI Usage Policy before contributing. It outlines your responsibilities when using AI tools, required disclosures, and quality standards for AI-assisted contributions.

Thank you for contributing — every PR counts! 🎓