test

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+# Contributing to Agent Framework
+
+You can contribute to Agent Framework with issues and pull requests (PRs). Simply
+filing issues for problems you encounter is a great way to contribute. Contributing
+code is greatly appreciated.
+
+## Reporting Issues
+
+We always welcome bug reports, API proposals and overall feedback. Here are a few
+tips on how you can make reporting your issue as effective as possible.
+
+### Where to Report
+
+New issues can be reported in our [list of issues](https://github.com/microsoft/agent-framework/issues).
+
+Before filing a new issue, please search the list of issues to make sure it does
+not already exist.
+
+If you do find an existing issue for what you wanted to report, please include
+your own feedback in the discussion. Do consider upvoting (👍 reaction) the original
+post, as this helps us prioritize popular issues in our backlog.
+
+### Writing a Good Bug Report
+
+Good bug reports make it easier for maintainers to verify and root cause the
+underlying problem.
+The better a bug report, the faster the problem will be resolved. Ideally, a bug
+report should contain the following information:
+
+- A high-level description of the problem.
+- A _minimal reproduction_, i.e. the smallest size of code/configuration required
+  to reproduce the wrong behavior.
+- A description of the _expected behavior_, contrasted with the _actual behavior_ observed.
+- Information on the environment: OS/distribution, CPU architecture, SDK version, etc.
+- Additional information, e.g. Is it a regression from previous versions? Are there
+  any known workarounds?
+
+## Contributing Changes
+
+Project maintainers will merge accepted code changes from contributors.
+
+### DOs and DON'Ts
+
+DO's:
+
+- **DO** follow the standard coding conventions
+
+  - [.NET](https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/csharp/fundamentals/coding-style/coding-conventions)
+  - [Python](https://pypi.org/project/black/)
+
+- **DO** give priority to the current style of the project or file you're changing
+  if it diverges from the general guidelines.
+- **DO** use the pre-commit hooks for python to ensure proper formatting.
+- **DO** include tests when adding new features. When fixing bugs, start with
+  adding a test that highlights how the current behavior is broken.
+- **DO** keep the discussions focused. When a new or related topic comes up
+  it's often better to create new issue than to side track the discussion.
+- **DO** clearly state on an issue that you are going to take on implementing it.
+- **DO** blog and tweet (or whatever) about your contributions, frequently!
+
+DON'Ts:
+
+- **DON'T** surprise us with big pull requests. Instead, file an issue and start
+  a discussion so we can agree on a direction before you invest a large amount of time.
+- **DON'T** commit code that you didn't write. If you find code that you think is a good
+  fit to add to Agent Framework, file an issue and start a discussion before proceeding.
+- **DON'T** submit PRs that alter licensing related files or headers. If you believe
+  there's a problem with them, file an issue and we'll be happy to discuss it.
+- **DON'T** make new APIs without filing an issue and discussing with us first.
+
+### Breaking Changes
+
+Contributions must maintain API signature and behavioral compatibility. Contributions
+that include breaking changes will be rejected. Please file an issue to discuss
+your idea or change if you believe that a breaking change is warranted.
+
+### Suggested Workflow
+
+We use and recommend the following workflow:
+
+1. Create an issue for your work.
+   - You can skip this step for trivial changes.
+   - Reuse an existing issue on the topic, if there is one.
+   - Get agreement from the team and the community that your proposed change is
+     a good one.
+   - Clearly state that you are going to take on implementing it, if that's the case.
+     You can request that the issue be assigned to you. Note: The issue filer and
+     the implementer don't have to be the same person.
+2. Create a personal fork of the repository on GitHub (if you don't already have one).
+3. In your fork, create a branch off of main (`git checkout -b mybranch`).
+   - Name the branch so that it clearly communicates your intentions, such as
+     "issue-123" or "githubhandle-issue".
+4. Make and commit your changes to your branch.
+5. Add new tests corresponding to your change, if applicable.
+6. Run the relevant scripts in [the section below](#development-scripts) to ensure that your build is clean and all tests are passing.
+7. Create a PR against the repository's **main** branch.
+   - State in the description what issue or improvement your change is addressing.
+   - Verify that all the Continuous Integration checks are passing.
+8. Wait for feedback or approval of your changes from the code maintainers.
+9. When area owners have signed off, and all checks are green, your PR will be merged.
+
+### Development scripts
+
+The scripts below are used to build, test, and lint within the project.
+
+- Python: see [python/DEV_SETUP.md](./python/DEV_SETUP.md).
+- .NET:
+  - Build: `dotnet build`
+  - Test: `dotnet test`
+  - Linting (auto-fix): `dotnet format`
+
+### PR - CI Process
+
+The continuous integration (CI) system will automatically perform the required
+builds and run tests (including the ones you are expected to run) for PRs. Builds
+and test runs must be clean.
+
+If the CI build fails for any reason, the PR issue will be updated with a link
+that can be used to determine the cause of the failure.