Skip to content

CONTRIBUTING.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
156 lines (100 loc) · 5.61 KB

CONTRIBUTING.md

File metadata and controls

156 lines (100 loc) · 5.61 KB

Contributing to CopyPaste

Thank you for considering contributing to CopyPaste! 🎉

This project exists thanks to people like you. Whether it's your first open source contribution or you're an experienced developer—everyone is welcome here.

Our Philosophy

CopyPaste is a personal project that grew into something bigger—a community effort. It was created by an individual developer (@rgdevment) with a simple idea: build the clipboard tool he always wanted to use.

We believe in:

  • Simplicity and minimalism — Features that matter, no bloat
  • Performance and stability — Every millisecond counts
  • Absolute privacy — Your data is yours, always
  • Collaborative community — We build together, not in silos
  • Valuable feedback — Your opinion matters as much as code

This is not a commercial product. There's no premium version, no monetization, no business plans. It's free software, created by and for the community.

Maintainers: the full release process (tagging, manifest, store and OBS publication) lives in RELEASING.md.

🛠 How Can I Contribute?

In many ways! Code is just one of them:

Share Your Feedback

  • Use the app — The most valuable feedback comes from real users
  • Report issues — If something doesn't work, let us know
  • Suggest improvements — Have an idea? Open an issue
  • Join discussions — GitHub Discussions is our space to talk

Report Bugs

  1. First search Issues to see if it was already reported
  2. If it doesn't exist, open a new one with:
    • Clear description of the problem
    • Steps to reproduce
    • CopyPaste version and OS (with version)
    • Screenshots if applicable

Contribute Code

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create a branch from main (git checkout -b feature/my-improvement)
  3. Make your changes following our style:
    • Clean and minimalist code
    • Comments in English (for consistency)
    • Tests when appropriate
  4. Make sure all tests pass
  5. Open a Pull Request to main

Translate

Do you speak another language? Help us bring CopyPaste to more people. Check the localization guide in the README.

Improve Documentation

Found something confusing? Missing information? Documentation is also code—PRs welcome!

Share the Project

  • Give us a star on GitHub
  • Tell your friends and colleagues
  • Share it on social media

Style Guide

We keep the code simple and consistent:

  • Modern Dart — We leverage the latest language features
  • Descriptive names — Code should read like prose
  • Useful comments — Explain the why, not the what
  • KISS — Keep It Simple, Stupid
  • DRY — Don't Repeat Yourself

UI/UX:

  • Native look and feel on each platform (Windows, macOS, Linux)
  • Functional minimalism
  • Smooth and fluid transitions
  • Respect for system Light/Dark themes

License and Rights

By contributing to CopyPaste, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPLv3).

Contributor License Agreement (CLA)

Let's be honest and transparent:

To protect the project long-term and maintain legal flexibility, by submitting a Pull Request:

You grant Mario Hidalgo G. (rgdevment) a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable license to use, modify, sublicense, and distribute your contribution.

Why do we ask for this?

  • Legal defense — To defend the project against copyright infringement
  • Future flexibility — Possibility to offer alternative licenses to companies that can't comply with GPLv3
  • Sustainability — If we ever need to generate income to maintain the project, we can do so

What does this mean for you?

  • You keep the copyright of your code — you'll always be recognized as the author
  • Your contribution stays open source in this repository under GPLv3 forever
  • The project remains free — the community version will never disappear
  • You give us permission to use your code in potential future commercial versions

What we will NOT do:

  • Close the current or future code of the community version
  • Remove your contributions from the open source project
  • Stop giving credit to contributors

If you don't agree with this, we completely understand. You can still:

  • Use CopyPaste freely
  • Report bugs and suggest features
  • Fork under GPLv3
  • Contribute in other ways (documentation, translations, spreading the word)

We want to be 100% transparent. We'd rather you know this before contributing, not after.

Code of Conduct

We want this to be a safe and welcoming space for everyone. Please read our Code of Conduct before participating.

TL;DR: Be respectful, be constructive, assume good intentions.

Questions?

  • GitHub Discussions — For general questions and conversations
  • Issues — For specific bugs and suggestions
  • Email — github@apirest.cl for sensitive matters

Remember: There are no stupid questions. If you have doubts, ask. We're here to help.

Thank you for being part of CopyPaste. 💙

— Mario (rgdevment)