Contributing to HSTR

HSTR is an open-source project and contributions from the community are welcome! Whether you're fixing bugs, adding features, improving documentation, or helping other users, your contribution matters.

Report Bugs

Found a bug? Please report it on GitHub Issues. When reporting bugs, please include:

• Your operating system and version
• HSTR version (hstr --version)
• Shell type and version (bash/zsh)
• Steps to reproduce the issue
• Expected vs actual behavior
• Any relevant configuration (echo $HSTR_CONFIG)

**System Information:**
- OS: Ubuntu 22.04
- HSTR Version: 3.x
- Shell: bash 5.1.16

**Description:**
[Clear description of the bug]

**Steps to Reproduce:**
1. Run hstr
2. Type search query
3. ...

**Expected Behavior:**
[What should happen]

**Actual Behavior:**
[What actually happens]

**Configuration:**
HSTR_CONFIG=hicolor,prompt-bottom

Feature Requests

Have an idea for a new feature? Open a GitHub Issue with the "enhancement" label. Please describe:

• The problem you're trying to solve
• Your proposed solution
• Alternative solutions you've considered
• Any examples from other tools

Code Contributions

Setting Up Development Environment

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/dvorka/hstr.git
cd hstr

# Install build dependencies (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo apt install automake gcc make libncursesw5-dev libreadline-dev

# Build from source
cd build/tarball
./tarball-automake.sh
cd ../..
./configure && make

# Run HSTR
./hstr

Making Changes

1. Fork the repository on GitHub
2. Create a new branch for your feature or bugfix
3. Make your changes following the coding style
4. Test your changes thoroughly
5. Commit with clear, descriptive messages
6. Push to your fork
7. Create a Pull Request

Pull Request Process

# Create a feature branch
git checkout -b feature/my-awesome-feature

# Make your changes
# ... edit files ...

# Commit your changes
git add .
git commit -m "Add awesome feature: description of changes"

# Push to your fork
git push origin feature/my-awesome-feature

# Open a Pull Request on GitHub

Documentation

Documentation improvements are always welcome! You can help by:

• Fixing typos or clarifying existing docs
• Adding examples and use cases
• Improving the man page (man/hstr.1)
• Updating installation instructions
• Translating documentation

Testing

Help ensure HSTR works correctly by:

• Testing on different platforms and shells
• Running with different configurations
• Checking memory usage with valgrind
• Verifying edge cases and error handling

# Test for memory leaks
valgrind --leak-check=full ./hstr

# Test with different configs
export HSTR_CONFIG=hicolor
./hstr

# Test with both bash and zsh
bash -c "source ~/.bashrc && hstr"
zsh -c "source ~/.zshrc && hstr"

Community Support

You can contribute without writing code by:

• Answering questions in GitHub Issues
• Helping other users troubleshoot problems
• Sharing your HSTR setup and tips
• Writing blog posts or tutorials
• Spreading the word about HSTR

Good First Issues

New to the project? Look for issues labeled "good first issue" on GitHub. These are beginner-friendly tasks that will help you get familiar with the codebase.

Code of Conduct

When contributing to HSTR, please:

• Be respectful and inclusive
• Welcome newcomers and help them learn
• Focus on constructive feedback
• Assume good intentions
• Keep discussions professional and on-topic

Get in Touch