Contributing to Dext Framework

First off, thank you for considering contributing to Dext! It's people like you who make Dext such a great tool for the Delphi community.

By participating in this project, you agree to abide by its terms.

How Can I Contribute?

Reporting Bugs

• Check the issue tracker to see if the bug has already been reported.
• If not, open a new issue. Clearly describe the problem and include steps to reproduce it.

Suggesting Enhancements

• Open an issue with the tag enhancement.
• Explain why this feature would be useful to most Dext users.

Pull Requests

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a new branch for your feature or bugfix.
3. Implement your changes.
4. Follow the Object Pascal Style Guide (consistent with the rest of the project).
5. Ensure all tests pass by running the PowerShell scripts in the Tests/ directory.
6. Submit a Pull Request targeting the main or develop branch.

Technical Standards

Code Style

• Use spaces, not tabs (2 or 4 spaces as per the project standard).
• Follow the naming conventions: T for Classes, I for Interfaces, f for private fields.
• Keep methods focused and adhere to SOLID principles.
• Interface Performance & Safety:
  • Always pass interface parameters as const in method signatures (e.g., procedure DoSomething(const AService: IMyService)). This prevents the compiler from generating unnecessary _AddRef and _Release calls, avoiding overhead from atomic CPU lock instructions.
  • Avoid mixing raw object pointers and interface references at public boundaries or within user-facing APIs. Restrict devirtualization (casting interfaces back to objects) strictly to isolated internal loops where the object lifecycle is fully controlled and never exposed.

Testing

• New features should ideally come with unit tests.
• Check Docs/Book/08-testing for guidance on how to write tests for Dext.

Communication

• Join our community Discord/Telegram (links in README).
• Respect all contributors and maintainers.

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Building the future of Delphi together.