Contributing to CodexBarWin

January 23, 2026 · View on GitHub

Thank you for your interest in contributing to CodexBarWin!

Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Windows 10 (1809+) or Windows 11
  • Visual Studio 2022 with:
    • .NET Desktop Development workload
    • Windows App SDK extension
  • .NET 10.0 SDK
  • Git

Development Setup

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Clone your fork: 
    git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/CodexBarWin.git
cd CodexBarWin
  3. Open CodexBarWin.sln in Visual Studio 2022
  4. Restore NuGet packages
  5. Build and run

How to Contribute

Reporting Bugs

Before creating a bug report, please check existing issues to avoid duplicates.

When filing a bug report, include:

  • Windows version
  • .NET version (dotnet --version)
  • Steps to reproduce
  • Expected vs actual behavior
  • Screenshots if applicable

Use the bug report template.

Suggesting Features

Feature requests are welcome! Use the feature request template.

Pull Requests

  1. Create a branch from main: 
    git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
  2. Make your changes
  3. Test your changes thoroughly
  4. Commit with a clear message: 
    git commit -m "Add: brief description of change"
  5. Push to your fork: 
    git push origin feature/your-feature-name
  6. Open a Pull Request

PR Title Format (Enforced by CI)

PR titles must follow this format and are automatically checked:

Type: brief description

Valid types:

  • Add: new features
  • Fix: bug fixes
  • Update: improvements to existing features
  • Remove: removing code/features
  • Docs: documentation changes
  • Refactor: code refactoring
  • Test: adding/updating tests

Examples:

  • Add: dark mode toggle in settings
  • Fix: memory leak in main window
  • Refactor: service layer architecture

Note: We use Squash & Merge, so your PR title becomes the final commit message.

Code Style

  • Follow existing code patterns
  • Use C# naming conventions
  • Use meaningful variable/method names
  • Add XML documentation for public APIs
  • Keep methods focused and small

Testing

  • Test on both Windows 10 and Windows 11 if possible
  • Verify dark mode and light mode appearance
  • Test with different DPI settings
  • Ensure no memory leaks

Project Structure

CodexBarWin/
├── Controls/       # Custom UI controls
├── Models/         # Data models
├── Services/       # Business logic services
├── ViewModels/     # MVVM ViewModels
├── Views/          # XAML pages
└── Assets/         # Images and resources

Questions?

Feel free to open an issue for questions or reach out via GitHub Discussions.

License

By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the MIT License.