add contributing guidelines

CHANGELOG

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ jc changelog
 - Update ls parser to add epoch and epoch_utc fields
 - Add -h option to display the help text. Piping errors no longer show the help text.
 - Add -v option to display version information.
+- Add contributing information to project root
 - Make all external python library dependencies optional: pygments, ruamel.yaml, xmltodict
 - JSON output now supports unencoded unicode characters
 - JSON output is now more compact unless the -p (pretty) option is used

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+# Contributing to jc
+We love your input! We want to make contributing to this project as easy and transparent as possible, whether it's:
+
+- Reporting a bug
+- Discussing the current state of the code
+- Submitting a fix
+- Proposing new features
+- Proposing a new parser
+
+## We Develop with Github
+We use github to host code, to track issues and feature requests, as well as accept pull requests.
+
+## We Use Github Flow, So All Code Changes Happen Through Pull Requests
+Pull requests are the best way to propose changes to the codebase (we use [Github Flow](https://guides.github.com/introduction/flow/index.html)). We actively welcome your pull requests:
+
+1. Open an issue to discuss the new feature, bug fix, or parser before opening a pull request. For new parsers, it is important to agree upon a schema before developing the parser.
+2. Fork the repo and create your branch from `dev`, if available, otherwise `master`.
+3. If you've added code that should be tested, add tests. All new parsers should have several sample outputs and tests.
+4. Documentation is auto-generated from docstrings, so ensure they are clear and accurate.
+5. Ensure the test suite passes.
+6. Make sure your code lints.
+7. Issue that pull request!
+
+## Any contributions you make will be under the MIT Software License
+In short, when you submit code changes, your submissions are understood to be under the same [MIT License](http://choosealicense.com/licenses/mit/) that covers the project. Feel free to contact the maintainers if that's a concern.
+
+## Report bugs using Github's [issues](https://github.com/kellyjonbrazil/jc/issues)
+We use GitHub issues to track public bugs. Report a bug by [opening a new issue](); it's that easy!
+
+## Write bug reports with detail, background, and sample code
+**Great Bug Reports** tend to have:
+
+- A quick summary and/or background
+- Steps to reproduce
+  - Be specific!
+  - Give sample code if you can.
+- What you expected would happen
+- What actually happens
+- Notes (possibly including why you think this might be happening, or stuff you tried that didn't work)
+
+## Use a Consistent Coding Style
+* 4 spaces for indentation rather than tabs
+* Use a Python linter that will enforce PEP 8 and other best practices
+
+## License
+By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under its MIT License.

README.md

@@ -255,6 +255,8 @@ Tested on:
 ## Contributions
 Feel free to add/improve code or parsers! You can use the [`jc/parsers/foo.py`](https://github.com/kellyjonbrazil/jc/blob/master/jc/parsers/foo.py) parser as a template and submit your parser with a pull request.
 
+Please see the [Contributing Guidelines](https://github.com/kellyjonbrazil/jc/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md) for more information.
+
 ## Acknowledgments
 - Local parser plugin feature contributed by [Dean Serenevy](https://github.com/duelafn)
 - CI automation and code optimizations by [philippeitis](https://github.com/philippeitis)