Contributing to FetchX

First off, thank you for considering contributing to FetchX! Every contribution matters — whether it's a bug report, a new distro logo, a feature implementation, or documentation improvement.

Table of Contents

• Getting Started
• Development Setup
• Project Structure
• How to Contribute
  • Reporting Bugs
  • Suggesting Features
  • Adding Distro Logos
  • Code Contributions
• Code Style & Guidelines
• Testing
• Pull Request Process
• Development Tips

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Rust (2021 edition) — install via rustup:

  curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
  

• Git
• A Linux, macOS, or BSD system for testing

Development Setup

# 1. Fork the repo on GitHub, then clone your fork
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/fetchx.git
cd fetchx/fetchx

# 2. Build in debug mode (faster compilation)
cargo build

# 3. Run tests
cargo test

# 4. Run fetchx locally
cargo run

# 5. Build optimized release
cargo build --release

Project Structure

fetchx/
├── Cargo.toml              # Dependencies and project metadata
├── Makefile                 # Build/install shortcuts
├── install.sh              # User install script
├── assets/
│   └── config.example.toml # Example configuration file
├── src/
│   ├── main.rs             # Entry point, CLI args, main flow
│   ├── ascii/
│   │   └── mod.rs          # 60+ distro ASCII art logos
│   ├── colors/
│   │   └── mod.rs          # Color schemes, gradients, palette
│   ├── config/
│   │   └── mod.rs          # TOML config parsing, defaults
│   ├── display/
│   │   └── mod.rs          # Render engine: side-by-side layout
│   ├── image_backend/
│   │   └── mod.rs          # Kitty, sixel, chafa, w3m, iTerm2
│   ├── image_cache.rs      # API image download & smart caching
│   ├── system/
│   │   └── mod.rs          # System info detection (OS, CPU, etc.)
│   └── utils/
│       └── mod.rs          # Unicode width, padding, truncation
└── .github/
    └── workflows/
        ├── ci.yml          # CI: lint, test, coverage, build
        └── release.yml     # Auto-release on tag push

How to Contribute

Reporting Bugs

Found a bug? Please open an issue with:

1. Your FetchX version (fetchx --version)
2. Your OS, terminal, and DE/WM
3. Your config file (relevant parts)
4. Steps to reproduce
5. Expected vs actual behavior
6. Terminal output or screenshots

Suggesting Features

Have an idea? Open a feature request. Great features to work on:

• New system info detections
• Image backend improvements
• Config options
• Platform support (macOS, BSD, WSL)
• Status bar integrations (Waybar, Polybar, EWW)

Adding Distro Logos

This is the easiest way to contribute! ASCII logos are in src/ascii/mod.rs.

Steps:

1. Find the distro's logo (check neofetch's source for reference)

2. Convert to ASCII art (roughly 18-25 lines tall, ~40 chars wide)

3. Use {c1} through {c6} for color placeholders

4. Add to src/ascii/mod.rs:

// In the get_ascii_art() match statement:
"mydistro" | "my_distro_id" => (vec![4, 6], r#"
{c1}         /\
{c1}        /  \
{c1}       /    \
{c1}      /      \
{c2}     /________\
{c2}    /          \
{c2}   /____________\
"#.to_string()),

5. The first element vec![4, 6] is the color list (terminal color numbers)

6. The distro ID must match the ID field in /etc/os-release

7. Test with: cargo run -- --ascii-distro mydistro

Code Contributions

1. Check open issues for tasks labeled good first issue or help wanted
2. Comment on the issue to claim it
3. Fork, branch, code, test, PR

Code Style & Guidelines

Rust Style

• Format with cargo fmt before committing
• Lint with cargo clippy — zero warnings required
• No unwrap() in production code — use ?, .unwrap_or(), or .ok()
• Error handling: use descriptive error messages with context
• Document public functions with /// doc comments
• Keep functions focused and small (< 50 lines ideally)

Commit Messages

Use clear, descriptive commit messages:

feat: add CachyOS ASCII art logo
fix: resolve kitty image not displaying on first run
docs: update config reference with new options
refactor: extract GPU detection into separate function
test: add unit tests for uptime parsing
ci: add codecov integration

Prefixes: feat:, fix:, docs:, refactor:, test:, ci:, chore:

Branch Naming

feat/add-bazzite-logo
fix/kitty-image-crash
docs/update-readme

Testing

Running Tests

# Run all tests
cargo test

# Run a specific test
cargo test test_parse_uptime

# Run tests with output
cargo test -- --nocapture

# Run tests in a specific module
cargo test system::tests

Writing Tests

Add tests in the same file using #[cfg(test)] modules:

#[cfg(test)]
mod tests {
    use super::*;

    #[test]
    fn test_my_function() {
        let result = my_function("input");
        assert_eq!(result, "expected output");
    }
}

What to Test

• Parsing functions (uptime, memory, CPU info)
• Config loading and defaults
• ASCII art color placeholder substitution
• Utility functions (padding, truncation, width)

Coverage

CI runs cargo-tarpaulin and uploads to Codecov. Check coverage before submitting:

cargo install cargo-tarpaulin
cargo tarpaulin --all-features

Pull Request Process

1. Fork the repository and create a feature branch from main

2. Make your changes — keep PRs focused on one thing

3. Run checks locally:

   cargo fmt --all -- --check   # Format check
   cargo clippy -- -D warnings  # Lint check
   cargo test                   # All tests pass
   cargo build --release        # Clean release build (0 warnings)
   

4. Push to your fork and open a PR against main

5. Fill out the PR template — describe changes, link issues, add screenshots

6. Wait for CI — all checks must pass (lint, test, build)

7. Address review feedback — maintainers may request changes

8. Merge! — once approved, a maintainer will merge your PR

PR Tips

• Keep diffs small and focused — large PRs are harder to review
• Add screenshots for visual changes (new logos, layout changes)
• If adding a feature, update the README and config example
• If fixing a bug, add a test that catches the regression

Development Tips

Quick Iteration

# Watch mode — rebuilds on file changes (install cargo-watch first)
cargo install cargo-watch
cargo watch -x run

# Test a specific distro logo
cargo run -- --ascii-distro arch

# Test with kitty image backend
cargo run -- --backend kitty

# Test JSON output
cargo run -- --json | jq .

# Check binary size
cargo build --release && ls -lh target/release/fetchx

Debugging

# Run with backtrace
RUST_BACKTRACE=1 cargo run

# Check what info is detected
cargo run -- --json 2>/dev/null | jq .

# Test config loading
cargo run -- --print-config

Adding a New Info Field

1. Add detection logic in src/system/mod.rs
2. Add show_my_field: bool to Config struct in src/config/mod.rs
3. Add display logic in src/display/mod.rs
4. Add Nerd Font icon in the icon mapping
5. Add toggle to example config in assets/config.example.toml
6. Add tests for the detection
7. Update README documentation

Community

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions
• Share your rice: Post screenshots on r/unixporn with fetchx tag!

License

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

Thank you for making FetchX better! Every contribution, no matter how small, helps the project grow. ⚡