CONTRIBUTORS.md

Contributing to Blockstack Core

Blockstack Core is open-source software written in Rust. Contributions should adhere to the following best practices.

You can find information on joining online community forums (Discord, mailing list etc.) in the README.

Table Of Contents

Code of Conduct

How Can I Contribute?

• Development Workflow
• Contributing Conventions

Style

• Git Commit Messages
• Rust Styleguide
• Comments

License Agreement

Code of Conduct

This project and everyone participating in it is governed by this Code of Conduct.

How Can I Contribute?

Development Workflow

• For typical development, branch off of the develop branch.
• For consensus breaking changes, branch off of the next branch.
• For hotfixes, branch off of master.

Documentation Updates

• Any major changes should be added to the CHANGELOG.
• Mention any required documentation changes in the description of your pull request.
• If adding an RPC endpoint, add an entry for the new endpoint to the OpenAPI spec ./docs/rpc/openapi.yaml.
• If your code adds or modifies any major features (struct, trait, test, module, function, etc.), each should be documented according to our style rules.
  • To generate HTML documentation for the library, run cargo doc --no-deps --open.
  • It's possible to check the percentage of code coverage by (a) switching to the nightly version of rust (can run rustup default nightly, and also might need to edit rust-toolchain file to say "nightly" instead of "stable"), and (b) running RUSTDOCFLAGS='-Z unstable-options --show-coverage' cargo doc.

Each file should include relevant unit tests

Each Rust file should contain a mod test {} definition, in which unit tests should be supplied for the file's methods. Unit tests should cover a maximal amount of code paths.

Contributing Conventions

Simplicity of implementation

The most important consideration when accepting or rejecting a contribution is the simplicity (i.e. ease of understanding) of its implementation. Contributions that are "clever" or introduce functionality beyond the scope of the immediate problem they are meant to solve will be rejected.

Type simplicity

Simplicity of implementation includes simplicity of types. Type parameters and associated types should only be used if there are at least two possible implementations of those types.

Lifetime parameters should only be introduced if the compiler cannot deduce them on its own.

Builds with a stable Rust compiler

We use a recent, stable Rust compiler. Contributions should not require nightly Rust features to build and run.

Use built-in logging facilities

Blockstack Core implements logging macros in util::log. If your code needs to output data, it should use these macros exclusively for doing so. The only exception is code that is explicitly user-facing, such as help documentation.

Minimal dependencies

Adding new package dependencies is very much discouraged. Exceptions will be granted on a case-by-case basis, and only if deemed absolutely necessary.

Minimal global macros

Adding new global macros is discouraged. Exceptions will only be given if absolutely necessary.

Minimal compiler warnings

Contributions should not trigger compiler warnings if possible, and should not mask compiler warnings with macros. Common sources of compiler warnings that will not be accepted include, but are not limited to:

• unnecessary imports
• unused code
• variable naming conventions
• unhandled return types

Minimal unsafe code

Contributions should not contain unsafe blocks if at all possible.

Error definitions

Each module should include an Error enumeration in its mod.rs that encodes errors specific to the module. All error code paths in the module should return an Err type with one of the module's errors.

Style

Git Commit Messages

Aim to use descriptive git commit messages. We try to follow conventional commits. The general format is as follows:

<type>[optional scope]: <one-line description>

[optional body]
[optional footer(s)]

Common types include build, ci, docs, fix, feat, test, refactor, etc.

Rust styleguide

Code block consistency

Surrounding code blocks with { and } is encouraged, even when the enclosed block is a single statement. Blocks in the same lexical scope must use consistent conventions. For example, consider the following:

match foo {
   1..2 => {
      // this is a single statement, but it is surrounded
      // with { and } because the other blocks in the match
      // statement need them.
      Ok(true)
   },
   3..4 => {
      error!("Bad value for foo");
      Err(Error::BadFoo)
   },
   _ => {
      // similarly, this block uses { }
      Ok(true)
   }
}

// conversely, all of the arms of this match statement
// have one-statement blocks, so { and } can be elided.
match bar {
   1..2 => Some("abc"),
   3..4 => Some("def"),
   _ => None
}

Whitespace

All contributions should use the same whitespacing as the rest of the project. Moreover, Pull requests where a large number of changes only deal with whitespace will be rejected.

Comments

Comments are very important for the readability and correctness of the codebase. The purpose of comments is:

• Allow readers to understand the roles of components and functions without having to check how they are used.
• Allow readers to check the correctness of the code against the comments.
• Allow readers to follow tests.

In the limit, if there are no comments, the problems that arise are:

• Understanding one part of the code requires understanding many parts of the code. This is because the reader is forced to learn the meanings of constructs inductively through their use. Learning how one construct is used requires understanding its neighbors, and then their neighbors, and so on, recursively. Instead, with a good comment, the reader can understand the role of a construct with O(1) work by reading the comment.
• The user cannot be certain if there is a bug in the code, because there is no distinction between the contract of a function, and its definition.
• The user cannot be sure if a test is correct, because the logic of the test is not specified, and the functions do not have contracts.

Comment Formatting

Comments are to be formatted in typical rust style, specifically:

• Use markdown to format comments.

• Use the triple forward slash "///" for modules, structs, enums, traits and functions. Use double forward slash "//" for comments on individual lines of code.

• Start with a high-level description of the function, adding more sentences with details if necessary.

• When documenting panics, errors, or other conceptual sections, introduce a Markdown section with a single #, e.g.:

  • # Errors
    * ContractTooLargeError: Thrown when `contract` is larger than `MAX_CONTRACT_SIZE`.
    

Content of Comments

The following kinds of things should have comments.

Components

Comments for a component (struct, trait, or enum) should explain what the overall purpose of that component is. This is usually a concept, and not a formal contract. Include anything that is not obvious about this component.

Example:

/// The `ReadOnlyChecker` analyzes a contract to determine whether
/// there are any violations of read-only declarations. By a "violation"
/// we mean a function that is marked as "read only" but which tries
/// to modify chainstate.
pub struct ReadOnlyChecker<'a, 'b> {

This comment is considered positive because it explains the concept behind the class at a glance, so that the reader has some idea about what the methods will achieve, without reading each method declaration and comment. It also defines some terms that can be used in the comments on the method names.

Functions

The comments on a function should explain what the function does, without having to read it. Wherever practical, it should specify the contract of a function, such that a bug in the logic could be discovered by a discrepancy between contract and implementation, or such that a test could be written with only access to the function comment.

Without being unnecessarily verbose, explain how the output is calculated from the inputs. Explain the side effects. Explain any restrictions on the inputs. Explain failure conditions, including when the function will panic, return an error or return an empty value.

Example:

/// A contract that does not violate its read-only declarations is called
/// *read-only correct*.
impl<'a, 'b> ReadOnlyChecker<'a, 'b> {
    /// Checks each top-level expression in `contract_analysis.expressions`
    /// for read-only correctness.
    ///
    /// Returns successfully iff this function is read-only correct.
    ///
    /// # Errors
    ///
    /// - Returns CheckErrors::WriteAttemptedInReadOnly if there is a read-only
    ///   violation, i.e. if some function marked read-only attempts to modify
    ///   the chainstate.
    pub fn run(&mut self, contract_analysis: &ContractAnalysis) -> CheckResult<()>

This comment is considered positive because it explains the contract of the function in pseudo-code. Someone who understands the constructs mentioned could, e.g., write a test for this method from this description.

Comments on Implementations of Virtual Methods

Note that, if a function implements a virtual function on an interface, the comments should not repeat what was specified on the interface declaration. The comment should only add information specific to that implementation.

Data Members

Each data member in a struct should have a comment describing what that member is, and what it is used for. Such comments are usually brief but should clear up any ambiguity that might result from having only the variable name and type.

Example:

pub struct ReadOnlyChecker<'a, 'b> {
    /// Mapping from function name to a boolean indicating whether
    /// the function with that name is read-only.
    /// This map contains all functions in the contract analyzed.
    defined_functions: HashMap<ClarityName, bool>,

This comment is considered positive because it clarifies users might have about the content and role of this member. E.g., it explains that the bool indicates whether the function is read-only, whereas this cannot be gotten from the signature alone.

Tests

Each test should have enough comments to help an unfamiliar reader understand:

1. what is conceptually being tested
2. why a given answer is expected

Sometimes this can be obvious without much comments, perhaps from the context, or because the test is very simple. Often though, comments are necessary.

Example:

#[test]
#[ignore]
fn transaction_validation_integration_test() {
    /// The purpose of this test is to check if the mempool admission checks
    /// for the post tx endpoint are working as expected wrt the optional
    /// `mempool_admission_check` query parameter.
    ///
    /// In this test, we are manually creating a microblock as well as
    /// reloading the unconfirmed state of the chainstate, instead of relying
    /// on `next_block_and_wait` to generate microblocks. We do this because
    /// the unconfirmed state is not automatically being initialized
    /// on the node, so attempting to validate any transactions against the
    /// expected unconfirmed state fails.

This comment is considered positive because it explains the purpose of the test (checking the case of an optional parameter), it also guides the reader to understand the low-level details about why a microblock is created manually.

How Much to Comment

Contributors should strike a balance between commenting "too much" and commenting "too little". Commenting "too much" primarily includes commenting things that are clear from the context. Commenting "too little" primarily includes writing no comments at all, or writing comments that leave important questions unresolved.

Human judgment and creativity must be used to create good comments, which convey important information with small amounts of text. There is no single rule which can determine what a good comment is. Longer comments are not always better, since needlessly long comments have a cost: they require the reader to read more, take up whitespace, and take longer to write and review.

Don't Restate the Function Names

The contracts of functions should be implemented precisely enough that tests could be written looking only at the declaration and the comments (and without looking at the definition!). However:

• the author should assume that the reader has already read and understood the function name, variable names, type names, etc.
• the author should only state information that is new

So, if a function and its variables have very descriptive names, then there may be nothing to add in the comments at all!

Bad Example

/// Appends a transaction to a block.
fn append_transaction_to_block(transaction:Transaction, &mut Block) -> Result<()>

This is considered bad because the function name already says "append transaction to block", so it doesn't add anything to restate it in the comments. However, do add anything that is not redundant, such as elaborating what it means to "append" (if there is more to say), or what conditions will lead to an error.

Good Example

/// # Errors
///
/// - BlockTooBigError: Is returned if adding `transaction` to `block` results
/// in a block size bigger than MAX_BLOCK_SIZE.
fn append_transaction_to_block(transaction:Transaction, block:&mut Block) -> Result<()>

This is considered good because the reader builds on the context created by the function and variable names. Rather than restating them, the function just adds elements of the contract that are not implicit in the declaration.

Do's and Dont's

Don't over-comment by documenting things that are clear from the context. E.g.:

• Don't document the types of inputs or outputs, since these are parts of the type signature in rust.
• Don't necessarily document standard "getters" and "setters", like get_clarity_version(), unless there is unexpected information to add with the comment.
• Don't explain that a specific test does type-checking, if it is in a file that is dedicated to type-checking.

Do document things that are not clear, e.g.:

• For a function called process_block, explain what it means to "process" a block.
• For a function called process_block, make clear whether we mean anchored blocks, microblocks, or both.
• For a function called run, explain the steps involved in "running".
• For a function that takes arguments peer1 and peer2, explain the difference between the two.
• For a function that takes an argument height, either explain in the comment what this is the height of. Alternatively, expand the variable name to remove the ambiguity.
• For a test, document what it is meant to test, and why the expected answers are, in fact, expected.

Changing Code Instead of Comments

Keep in mind that better variable names can reduce the need for comments, e.g.:

• burnblock_height instead of height may eliminate the need to comment that height refers to a burnblock height
• process_microblocks instead of process_blocks is more correct, and may eliminate the need to to explain that the inputs are microblocks
• add_transaction_to_microblock explains more than handle_transaction, and reduces the need to even read the comment

Licensing and contributor license agreement

Blockstack Core is released under the terms of the GPL version 3. Contributions that are not licensed under compatible terms will be rejected. Moreover, contributions will not be accepted unless all authors accept the project's contributor license agreement.