Contributing to TamilNadu.tech Communities

Thank you for your interest in contributing to TamilNadu.tech Communities! We aim to make contributing as easy and transparent as possible. Whether you're adding your community's events, fixing bugs, or improving documentation - every contribution matters!

🎯 Quick Start

Fork the repository

Clone your fork:

git clone https://github.com/your-username/Communities.git
cd Communities

Create a new branch:

git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

💻 Adding Events (Most Common Contribution)

Adding your community events is the most common and easiest way to contribute! Here's a detailed guide:

Step 1: Locate the Events File

Navigate to src/data/events.json in your forked repository.

Step 2: Add Your Event

Add your event to the JSON array using this template:

{
  "eventName": "Your Event Name",
  "eventDescription": "Brief description of the event (max 200 characters)",
  "eventDate": "2024-02-20",
  "eventTime": "14:30",
  "eventEndDate": "2024-02-21",
  "eventEndTime": "17:30",
  "eventVenue": "Full venue address",
  "eventLink": "https://registration-link.com",
  "location": "City Name",
  "communityName": "Your Community Name",
  "communityLogo": "https://url-to-your-logo.svg",
  "alert": {
    // Optional: Add alerts for important updates
    "message": "Important notice about the event",
    "type": "postponed" // Optional: "postponed", "venue-change", "cancelled", or "general"
  }
}

Field Requirements:

eventDate: YYYY-MM-DD format
eventTime: 24-hour format HH:MM
eventEndDate: Optional. Use for multi-day events (YYYY-MM-DD). Must be same as or later than eventDate.
eventEndTime: Optional. 24-hour format HH:MM
communityLogo: Use imgbb to host images or add hostname to next.config.ts

Multi-day Events

If your event runs for 2 or more days, add eventEndDate (and optionally eventEndTime).

{
  "eventName": "Open Source Summit Chennai",
  "eventDescription": "Two-day summit with talks, workshops, and community networking.",
  "eventDate": "2026-04-12",
  "eventTime": "09:00",
  "eventEndDate": "2026-04-13",
  "eventEndTime": "17:00",
  "eventVenue": "Chennai Trade Centre",
  "eventLink": "https://example.com/register",
  "location": "Chennai",
  "communityName": "Open Source Chennai",
  "communityLogo": "https://example.com/logo.png"
}

For single-day events, keep using eventDate and eventTime only.

Adding Event Alerts (Optional)

If your event has been postponed, cancelled, or has important updates (venue changes, time changes, etc.), you can add an alert field to notify attendees directly on the event card:

Alert Types:

"postponed" - Event has been rescheduled to a different date
"venue-change" - Event venue has changed
"cancelled" - Event has been cancelled
"general" - General important notice (or omit type for default)

Example - Postponed Event:

{
  "eventName": "Community Meetup",
  "eventDate": "2025-12-06",
  "eventTime": "09:30",
  ...
  "alert": {
    "message": "Due to cyclone alert, event postponed from Nov 29 to Dec 6. Same venue. We apologise for any inconveniences.",
    "type": "postponed"
  }
}

Example - Venue Change:

{
  "eventName": "Tech Workshop",
  "eventDate": "2025-12-15",
  "eventVenue": "New Venue Address",
  ...
  "alert": {
    "message": "Please note: The event venue has been changed. New location: New Venue Address",
    "type": "venue-change"
  }
}

Example - General Notice:

{
  "eventName": "Hackathon",
  ...
  "alert": {
    "message": "Registration closes 2 days before the event. Limited seats available!",
    "type": "general"
  }
}

Note: The alert field is completely optional. Events without alerts will display normally.

Step 3: Validate Your Event Entry

Ensure:

All dates are in the future
All fields are filled out correctly
The event is taking place in Tamil Nadu
URLs are valid and accessible
Your community logo is a high-quality image (preferably SVG)
If using alert, the message field is provided and clearly communicates the update

Step 4: Submit Your Changes

Commit your changes using Conventional Commits:
```
git add src/data/events.json
git commit -m "feat: add [Your Event Name] on [Date]"
git push origin feature/your-feature-name
```
Commit Message Guidelines:
- feat: New feature (e.g., feat: add React Chennai meetup on Dec 15)
- fix: Bug fix (e.g., fix: correct event date format)
- docs: Documentation (e.g., docs: update setup instructions)
- refactor: Code restructuring
- test: Tests
- chore: Maintenance (e.g., chore: update dependencies)
Create a Pull Request with:
- Title: Follow the conventional commit format (e.g., feat: add [Your Event Name])
- Description: Brief details about the event and why it was added

🐛 Reporting Bugs

Check existing issues first
Create a new issue with:
- Clear title
- Steps to reproduce
- Expected vs actual behavior
- Screenshots (if applicable)

💡 Feature Requests

Have ideas to make the platform better? Create an issue with:

Clear title
Detailed description
Use cases
Potential implementation details

💻 Development Setup

Environment Variables

Copy .env.example to .env:
```
cp .env.example .env
```
(Optional) Generate VAPID keys for push notifications:

Note: Push notifications are disabled in non-production environments. VAPID keys are only required when NODE_ENV=production.
```
npx web-push generate-vapid-keys
```
Update .env with:
- NEXT_PUBLIC_VAPID_PUBLIC_KEY - (Optional) Public VAPID key
- VAPID_PUBLIC_KEY - (Optional) Server-side public key
- VAPID_PRIVATE_KEY - (Optional) Server-side private key
- GITHUB_TOKEN - (Optional) For subscription management
- UMAMI_ANALYTICS_ID - (Optional) Analytics

Development Guidelines

Use TypeScript for all code
Follow existing code style
Use conventional commits
Add comments for complex logic
Update docs when needed
Test locally before PR

🤝 Community Guidelines

Be kind and respectful
Help others
Share knowledge
Participate in discussions

📝 License

By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the GPL 3.0 License.

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