mirror of https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/LEDMatrix.git synced 2026-04-10 21:03:01 +00:00

Files

Chuck 44cd3e8c2f Add LICENSE (GPL-3.0) and CONTRIBUTING.md

LICENSE
- The repository previously had no LICENSE file. The README and every
  downstream plugin README already reference GPL-3.0 ("same as
  LEDMatrix project"), but the canonical license text was missing —
  contributors had no formal record of what they were contributing
  under, and GitHub couldn't auto-detect the license for the repo
  banner.
- Added the canonical GPL-3.0 text from
  https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.txt (verbatim, 674 lines).
- Compatibility verified: rpi-rgb-led-matrix is GPL-2.0-or-later
  (per its COPYING file and README; the "or any later version" clause
  in lib/*.h headers makes GPL-3.0 distribution legal).

CONTRIBUTING.md
- The repository had no CONTRIBUTING file. New contributors had to
  reconstruct the dev setup from DEVELOPMENT.md, PLUGIN_DEVELOPMENT_GUIDE.md,
  SUBMISSION.md, and the root README.
- Added a single page covering: dev environment setup (preview
  server, emulator, hardware), running tests, PR submission flow,
  commit message convention, plugin contribution pointer, and the
  license terms contributors are agreeing to.

> Note for the maintainer: I (the AI assistant doing this audit) am
> selecting GPL-3.0 because every reference in the existing
> documentation already says GPL-3.0 — this commit just makes that
> declaration legally binding by adding the actual file. Please
> confirm during PR review that GPL-3.0 is what you want; if you
> prefer a different license, revert this commit before merging.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

2026-04-07 12:21:46 -04:00

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Contributing to LEDMatrix

Thanks for considering a contribution! LEDMatrix is built with help from the community and we welcome bug reports, plugins, documentation improvements, and code changes.

Quick links

Bugs / feature requests: open an issue using one of the templates in .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/.
Real-time discussion: the LEDMatrix Discord.
Plugin development: docs/PLUGIN_DEVELOPMENT_GUIDE.md and the ledmatrix-plugins repository.
Security issues: see SECURITY.md. Please don't open public issues for vulnerabilities.

Setting up a development environment

Clone with submodules:

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/LEDMatrix.git
cd LEDMatrix

For development without hardware, run the dev preview server:
```
python3 scripts/dev_server.py
# then open http://localhost:5001
```
See docs/DEV_PREVIEW.md for details.
To run the full display in emulator mode:
```
EMULATOR=true python3 run.py
```
To target real hardware on a Raspberry Pi, follow the install instructions in the root README.md.

Running the tests

pip install -r requirements.txt
pytest

See docs/HOW_TO_RUN_TESTS.md for details on test markers, the per-plugin tests, and the web-interface integration tests.

Submitting changes

Open an issue first for non-trivial changes. This avoids wasted work on PRs that don't fit the project direction.
Create a topic branch off main: feat/<short-description>, fix/<short-description>, docs/<short-description>.
Keep PRs focused. One conceptual change per PR. If you find adjacent bugs while working, fix them in a separate PR.
Follow the existing code style. Python code uses standard black/ruff conventions; HTML/JS in web_interface/ follows the patterns already in templates/v3/ and static/v3/.
Update documentation alongside code changes. If you add a config key, document it in the relevant *.md file (or, for plugins, in config_schema.json so the form is auto-generated).
Run the tests locally before opening the PR.
Use the PR template — .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md will prompt you for what we need.

Commit message convention

Conventional Commits is encouraged but not strictly enforced:

feat: add NHL playoff bracket display
fix(plugin-loader): handle missing class_name in manifest
docs: correct web UI port in TROUBLESHOOTING.md
refactor(cache): consolidate strategy lookup

Keep the subject under 72 characters; put the why in the body.

Contributing a plugin

LEDMatrix plugins live in their own repository: ledmatrix-plugins. Plugin contributions go through that repo's SUBMISSION.md process. The hello-world plugin is the canonical starter template.

Reviewing pull requests

Maintainer review is by @ChuckBuilds. Community review is welcome on any open PR — leave constructive comments, test on your hardware if applicable, and call out anything unclear.

Code of conduct

This project follows the Contributor Covenant. By participating you agree to abide by its terms.

License

LEDMatrix is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later. By submitting a contribution you agree to license it under the same terms (the standard "inbound = outbound" rule that GitHub applies by default).

LEDMatrix builds on rpi-rgb-led-matrix, which is GPL-2.0-or-later. The "or later" clause makes it compatible with GPL-3.0 distribution.

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