add contributing guide

init.sh

@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ sed -i "s|working-directory:\s*'\.'|working-directory: '$install_directory'|g" "
 echo "Updating .readthedocs.yaml configuration..."
 sed -i "s|configuration:\s*sp-docs/conf\.py|configuration: $install_directory/conf.py|g" "$temp_directory/sp-files/.readthedocs.yaml"
 sed -i "s|requirements:\s*sp-docs/\.sphinx/requirements\.txt|requirements: $install_directory/.sphinx/requirements.txt|g" "$temp_directory/sp-files/.readthedocs.yaml"
+echo "Updating contribution guide..."
+sed -i "s|DOCDIR|$install_directory|g" "$temp_directory/sp-files/contributing.rst"
 
 # Update the GitHub folder path in the configuration file
 echo "Updating conf.py configuration..."

sp-files/contributing.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,233 @@
+.. TODO: Replace all mentions of ACME with your project name
+.. TODO: Adjust all URLs (GitHub, etc.) accordingly
+.. TODO: Adjust the guide as needed
+.. TODO: Address all other TODOs below
+
+How to contribute
+=================
+
+We believe that everyone has something valuable to contribute,
+whether you're a coder, a writer or a tester.
+Here's how and why you can get involved:
+
+- **Why join us?** Work with like-minded people, develop your skills,
+  connect with diverse professionals, and make a difference.
+
+- **What do you get?** Personal growth, recognition for your contributions,
+  early access to new features and the joy of seeing your work appreciated.
+
+- **Start early, start easy**: Dive into code contributions,
+  improve documentation, or be among the first testers.
+  Your presence matters,
+  regardless of experience or the size of your contribution.
+
+
+The guidelines below will help keep your contributions effective and meaningful.
+
+
+Code of conduct
+---------------
+
+When contributing, you must abide by the
+`Ubuntu Code of Conduct <https://ubuntu.com/community/ethos/code-of-conduct>`_.
+
+
+Licence and copyright
+---------------------
+
+By default, all contributions to ACME are made under the AGPLv3 licence.
+See the `licence <https://github.com/canonical/acme/blob/main/COPYING>`_
+in the ACME GitHub repository for details.
+
+All contributors must sign the `Canonical contributor licence agreement
+<https://ubuntu.com/legal/contributors>`_,
+which grants Canonical permission to use the contributions.
+The author of a change remains the copyright owner of their code
+(no copyright assignment occurs).
+
+
+Pull requests
+-------------
+
+Submit your changes as pull requests on `GitHub
+<https://github.com/canonical/acme>`_.
+Before you open a pull request,
+ensure that the build occurs without any warnings or errors;
+this includes documentation and tests.
+
+Your changes will be reviewed in due time;
+if approved, they will be eventually merged.
+
+
+PR description
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. TODO: Update with your template checklist details or drop if excessive
+
+- **Title**: Summarise the change in a short, descriptive title.
+
+- **Description**: Provide an explanation of the problem your PR addresses.
+  Highlight any new features, bug fixes or refactoring.
+
+- **Relevant issues**: Reference any
+  `related issues, PRs and repos <https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/writing-on-github/working-with-advanced-formatting/autolinked-references-and-urls>`_.
+
+- **Testing**: Explain whether new or updated tests are included.
+
+- **Reversibility**: If you propose decisions that may be costly to reverse,
+  outline the reasons and provide the steps to reverse if necessary.
+
+
+Commits
+~~~~~~~
+
+Use separate commits for each logical change,
+and for changes to different components.
+Prefix your commits with the component they affect,
+using the code tree structure,
+e.g. prefix a commit that updates the ACME service with ``acme/service:``.
+
+Use `conventional commits <https://www.conventionalcommits.org/>`_
+for your commit messages to ensure consistency across the project:
+
+.. code-block:: none
+
+   Ensure correct permissions and ownership for the content mounts
+    
+    * Work around an ACME issue regarding empty dirs:
+      https://github.com/canonical/acme/issues/12345
+    
+    * Ensure the source directory is owned by the user running a container.
+
+   Links:
+   - ...
+   - ...
+
+
+Such structure makes it easier to review contributions
+and simplifies porting fixes to other branches.
+
+
+Developer certificate of origin
+-------------------------------
+
+.. TODO: Update with your details or drop if excessive
+
+To improve contribution tracking,
+we use the `DCO 1.1 <https://developercertificate.org/>`_
+and require a "sign-off" for any changes going into each branch.
+
+The sign-off is a simple line at the end of the commit message
+certifying that you wrote it
+or have the right to commit it as an open-source contribution.
+
+To sign off on a commit, use the ``--signoff`` option in ``git commit``.
+
+
+Code
+----
+
+.. TODO: Update with your details; these are reasonable defaults
+
+The formatting rules for ACME are enforced automatically using
+`flake8 <https://flake8.pycqa.org/en/latest/>`_
+and `Black <https://black.readthedocs.io/en/stable/>`_.
+
+To run the checks locally before submitting your changes:
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+   make format
+
+
+Code structure
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+- **Check linked code elements**:
+  Check that coupled code elements, files and directories are adjacent.
+  For instance, store test data close to the corresponding test code.
+
+- **Group variable declaration and initialisation**:
+  Declare and initialise variables together
+  to improve code organisation and readability.
+
+- **Split large expressions**:
+  Break down large expressions
+  into smaller self-explanatory parts.
+  Use multiple variables where appropriate
+  to make the code more understandable
+  and choose names that reflect their purpose.
+
+- **Use blank lines for logical separation**:
+  Insert a blank line between two logically separate sections of code.
+  This improves its structure and makes it easier to understand.
+
+
+Coding standards
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+- **Avoid nested conditions**:
+  Avoid nesting conditions to improve readability and maintainability.
+
+- **Remove dead code and redundant comments**:
+  Drop unused or obsolete code and comments.
+  This promotes a cleaner code base and reduces confusion.
+
+- **Normalise symmetries**:
+  Treat identical operations consistently, using a uniform approach.
+  This also improves consistency and readability.
+
+
+Tests
+-----
+
+All code contributions must include tests.
+
+To run the tests locally before submitting your changes:
+
+.. TODO: Update with your details
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+    make test
+
+
+Documentation
+-------------
+
+ACME's documentation is stored in the ``DOCDIR`` directory of the repository.
+It is based on the `Canonical starter pack
+<https://canonical-starter-pack.readthedocs-hosted.com/latest/>`_
+and hosted on `Read the Docs <https://about.readthedocs.com/>`_.
+
+For general guidance,
+refer to the `starter pack guide
+<https://canonical-starter-pack.readthedocs-hosted.com/latest/readme/>`_.
+
+For syntax help and guidelines,
+refer to the `Canonical style guides
+<https://canonical-documentation-with-sphinx-and-readthedocscom.readthedocs-hosted.com/#style-guides>`_.
+
+In structuring,
+the documentation employs the `Diátaxis <https://diataxis.fr/>`_ approach.
+
+To run the documentation locally before submitting your changes:
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+   make run
+
+
+Automatic checks
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+GitHub runs automatic checks on the documentation
+to verify spelling, validate links and suggest inclusive language.
+
+You can (and should) run the same checks locally:
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+   make spelling
+   make linkcheck
+   make woke