Contributing Guide¶

Thank you for your interest in contributing to pg_stat_insights! This guide will help you get started.

Ways to Contribute¶

[BUG] Bug Reports¶

Found a bug? Please report it!

1. Search existing issues: Check if already reported
2. Create new issue: Use bug report template
3. Include details:
4. PostgreSQL version
5. Extension version
6. Steps to reproduce
7. Expected vs actual behavior
8. Error messages
9. Diagnostic information

Template:

**PostgreSQL Version:** 17.0
**pg_stat_insights Version:** 1.0.0
**OS:** Ubuntu 22.04

**Description:**
Brief description of the bug

**Steps to Reproduce:**
1. Run query X
2. Check view Y
3. See error Z

**Expected Behavior:**
What should happen

**Actual Behavior:**
What actually happens

**Error Messages:**

**Diagnostic Info:**
```sql
SELECT version();
SELECT * FROM pg_settings WHERE name LIKE 'pg_stat_insights%';

---

### [NEW] Feature Requests

Have an idea for improvement?

1. **Check roadmap**: See if already planned
2. **Open discussion**: Discuss idea first
3. **Create feature request**: Use template

**Good Feature Requests:**

- Solve real problems
- Include use cases
- Provide examples
- Consider compatibility
- Estimate complexity

---

### [DOCS] Documentation

Improve documentation:

- Fix typos and errors
- Add examples
- Clarify confusing sections
- Translate to other languages
- Add diagrams

**Documentation Files:**

---

### 🧪 Tests

Add or improve tests:

- New regression tests
- Edge case coverage
- Performance benchmarks
- Platform-specific tests

See [Testing Guide](testing.md) for details.

---

### [CODE] Code Contributions

Contribute code improvements:

- Bug fixes
- New features
- Performance optimizations
- Code refactoring

---

## Development Setup

### Prerequisites

```bash
# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install -y \
  build-essential \
  postgresql-17 \
  postgresql-server-dev-17 \
  git

# macOS
brew install postgresql@17 git

# RHEL/Rocky
sudo dnf install -y \
  gcc make \
  postgresql17-devel \
  git

Clone Repository¶

# Fork on GitHub first, then:
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/pg_stat_insights.git
cd pg_stat_insights

# Add upstream remote
git remote add upstream https://github.com/pgelephant/pg_stat_insights.git

# Create feature branch
git checkout -b feature/my-improvement

Build and Test¶

# Build
make clean
make

# Install
sudo make install

# Run tests
make installcheck

# Verify all 22 tests pass
# ok 1 - 01_extension_basics
# ...
# ok 22 - 22_query_normalization
# All 22 tests passed.

Coding Standards¶

C Code Style¶

Follow PostgreSQL coding conventions:

/* Function header comment */
/*
 * function_name - Brief description
 *
 * Detailed description of what function does,
 * parameters, return values, etc.
 */
static void
function_name(int param1, char *param2)
{
    /* Variable declarations at top */
    int local_var;
    char *result;

    /* Code with clear comments */
    local_var = param1 * 2;

    /* Use PostgreSQL error reporting */
    if (local_var < 0)
        ereport(ERROR,
                (errcode(ERRCODE_INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE),
                 errmsg("parameter must be positive")));

    return;
}

Rules:

• [OK] Use PostgreSQL memory contexts
• [OK] Follow PostgreSQL naming conventions
• [OK] Add comprehensive comments
• [OK] Use PostgreSQL error handling
• [OK] Include error codes
• [OK] Test edge cases
• [NO] No compiler warnings
• [NO] No memory leaks
• [NO] No unsafe operations

SQL Code Style¶

-- Test file header
-- ============================================================================
-- Test NN: Test Name
-- Brief description of what this test validates
-- ============================================================================

-- Section comments
-- Reset statistics
SELECT pg_stat_insights_reset();

-- Descriptive variable/table names
CREATE TEMP TABLE meaningful_name (
  id serial PRIMARY KEY,
  value numeric,
  created_at timestamp DEFAULT '2025-10-31 12:00:00'::timestamp
);

-- Always use ORDER BY for deterministic results
SELECT * FROM meaningful_name ORDER BY id;

-- Clear assertion names
SELECT 
  condition = expected AS test_passed,
  actual_value
FROM test_table;

Pull Request Process¶

1. Create Quality PR¶

Before submitting:

• [OK] All tests pass (make installcheck)
• [OK] No compiler warnings
• [OK] Code follows style guide
• [OK] Documentation updated
• [OK] CHANGELOG.md updated
• [OK] Commit messages are clear

PR Checklist:

## Description
Brief description of changes

## Type of Change
- [ ] Bug fix
- [ ] New feature
- [ ] Documentation
- [ ] Performance improvement
- [ ] Refactoring

## Testing
- [ ] All 22 regression tests pass
- [ ] Added new tests for new functionality
- [ ] Tested on PostgreSQL 14, 15, 16, 17
- [ ] No compiler warnings
- [ ] No memory leaks

## Documentation
- [ ] Updated relevant documentation
- [ ] Added usage examples
- [ ] Updated CHANGELOG.md

## Screenshots (if applicable)
Paste screenshots here

2. Submit PR¶

# Commit changes
git add -A
git commit -m "feat: add awesome feature

- Detailed description
- What it does
- Why it's needed

Closes #123"

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

# Create PR on GitHub

3. Code Review¶

• Address review comments
• Update code as needed
• Keep PR focused and small
• Be responsive to feedback

4. Merge¶

Once approved: - PR will be merged to main - Included in next release - You'll be added to contributors!

Testing Requirements¶

Unit Tests¶

All code must have tests:

-- sql/NN_feature_name.sql
SELECT pg_stat_insights_reset();

-- Test your feature
... test code ...

-- Assertions
SELECT 
  expected_value = actual_value AS test_passed
FROM ...;

Regression Tests¶

# Run all tests
make installcheck

# Run specific test
make installcheck REGRESS=14_prepared_statements

# Generate expected output
cp results/14_prepared_statements.out expected/

Cross-Version Testing¶

Test on all supported versions:

# PostgreSQL 14
export PG_CONFIG=/usr/lib/postgresql/14/bin/pg_config
make clean && make && make installcheck

# PostgreSQL 15
export PG_CONFIG=/usr/lib/postgresql/15/bin/pg_config
make clean && make && make installcheck

# PostgreSQL 16
export PG_CONFIG=/usr/lib/postgresql/16/bin/pg_config
make clean && make && make installcheck

# PostgreSQL 17
export PG_CONFIG=/usr/lib/postgresql/17/bin/pg_config
make clean && make && make installcheck

Documentation Guidelines¶

Writing Style¶

• Clear and concise - Avoid jargon
• Examples included - Show, don't just tell
• Proper formatting - Use markdown features
• Code blocks - Always include language
• Tables - For structured data
• Admonitions - For notes/warnings/tips

Markdown Admonitions¶

!!! note "Title"
    Note content here

!!! warning "Important"
    Warning content

!!! tip "Pro Tip"
    Helpful tip

!!! danger "Critical"
    Critical information

Code Examples¶

```sql
-- Always include language
SELECT * FROM table_name;

---

## Commit Message Format

Follow conventional commits: