Contributing

Thank you for your interest in improving pytest-tzshift! This plugin started from a personal need to test a project over different locales and timezones. Developing cross-platform solutions that involve system-level tools can be tricky, and this is still an ongoing project. Your help is valuable.

Whether you're reporting a bug, suggesting a feature, improving documentation, or sending code, this guide is for you.

How to contribute

Open an Issue

If you've found a bug or have an idea, please open an issue on GitHub. Describe:

  • What you tried
  • What you expected
  • What actually happened
  • Any relevant error messages, stack traces, or logs

Feel free to suggest enhancements, ask questions, or request new features!

Fork & Clone

  • Click "Fork" on GitHub.
  • Clone your fork locally:
git clone https://github.com/YOURUSERNAME/pytest-tzshift.git
cd pytest-tzshift

Set Up Your Environment

We recommend using virtualenv or venv:

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e .[dev]

This will install pytest-tzshift in "editable" mode, along with development dependencies.

Make Changes

  • Follow PEP8 style and keep code readable.
  • Add tests for new features or bugfixes.
  • Update or add docstrings where needed.

Tip: Run the test suite:

pytest

Run Checks

Before you push, run:

pytest               # all tests should pass
ruff src/ tests/     # style/linting
mypy src/            # type checks

Send a Pull Request

Push your branch to your fork and open a pull request against the main branch.

  • Summarize your changes and why they're needed.
  • Reference any related issues.
  • If it’s a work-in-progress, mark it as a draft PR.

Coding Guidelines

  • Tests: Place new tests under tests/
  • Docs: Update Markdown docs in docs/ as needed, especially for new features or config.
  • Commits: Use clear, descriptive commit messages.

Development Tips

  • If testing locale or timezone edge cases, try different environments: Linux, macOS, and Windows.
  • Not all locales are available on every OS! Document any platform-specific quirks.
  • For large changes, discuss first by opening an issue or draft PR.

Thank you!