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flint

★ 1,178 Open GitHub ↗

Check your project for common sources of contributor friction.

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# Flint

Check your project for common sources of contributor friction.

#### For the Non-Developer

Flint checks if your project's folder contains the proper files and structure to allow potential contributors to understand: 1) the project's goals, 2) how to contribute, 3) usage guidelines, and 4) how to install the project.

### Install

If you've got Go installed, you can install flint with Go's command line
interface:

go get github.com/pengwynn/flint

If you don't have Go installed, you can download a [prebuilt binary for your
platform][releases], optionally renaming it to "flint" for convenience.

If you are on macOS and are using [Homebrew] as package manager you can install
flint with:

brew install flint-checker

You can test your installation by running `flint --version` from any folder.

### Usage

Run `flint` from your project root to check for some common ways to improve the
experience for potential contributors. Here's the output for a blank folder to
show the full gamut of suggestions:

~/projects/dream
    ❯ flint
    [ERROR] README not found
    [INFO] Every project begins with a README. http://bit.ly/1dqUYQF
    [ERROR] CONTRIBUTING guide not found
    [INFO] Add a guide for potential contributors. http://git.io/z-TiGg
    [ERROR] LICENSE not found
    [INFO] Add a license to protect yourself and your users. http://choosealicense.com/
    [WARNING] Bootstrap script not found
    [INFO] A bootstrap script makes setup a snap. http://bit.ly/JZjVL6
    [WARNING] Test script not found
    [INFO] Make it easy to run the test suite regardless of project type. http://bit.ly/JZjVL6
    [CRITICAL] Some critical problems found.

You can also run this in older projects which were created by lazy you, or by
younger, less wise you.

If you want to check a remote GitHub repository, you can now do so without
cloning:

❯ flint --github pengwynn/dotfiles
    [ERROR] CONTRIBUTING guide not found
    [INFO] Add a guide for potential contributors. http://git.io/z-TiGg
    [WARNING] Test script not found
    [INFO] Make it easy to run the test suite regardless of project type. http://bit.ly/JZjVL6
    [CRITICAL] Some critical problems found.

Passing the `-h` flag will show full usage options:

❯ flint -h
    NAME:
       flint - Check a project for common sources of contributor friction
    
    USAGE:
       flint [global options] command [command options] [arguments...]
    
    VERSION:
       0.0.4
    
    COMMANDS:
       help, h      Shows a list of commands or help for one command
    
    GLOBAL OPTIONS:
       --skip-readme        skip check for README
       --skip-contributing  skip check for contributing guide
       --skip-license       skip check for license
       --skip-bootstrap     skip check for bootstrap script
       --skip-test-script   skip check for test script
       --skip-scripts       skip check for all scripts
       --no-color           skip coloring the terminal output
       --github, -g         GitHub repository as owner/repo
       --token, -t          GitHub API access token [$FLINT_TOKEN]
       --help, -h           show help
       --version, -v        print the version

### Philosophy

If you want people to use and contribute to your project, you need to start by
answering their most basic questions. Flint is a command line script that will
check your project for common answers to these questions.

#### What is this?

Since it is so important, GitHub founder [Tom Preston-Werner][mojombo]
suggests you [should write the README before you write a single line of
code][RDD]. A well crafted README includes:

- A description of problems your project solves.
- The philosophy behind your project.
- Basic usage and getting started instructions.
- A list of comparable projects that inspired yours or would be suitable
  alternatives.

#### How am I allowed to use it?

Providing the source to your project isn't enough. While you don't _have to_
provide a license, doing so will make it clear to users and potential
contributors how they can legally use your software and what happens to
contributions they make. [Choose A License][choose] can help you pick the right
license for your project.

#### How do I contribute?

You'll want to tell folks about your development workflow so they'll know how
to submit patches for bugfixes and new features. When you add [CONTRIBUTING
guidelines][contributing] to your project, GitHub will make those available at
the top of every new Pull Request screen.

#### How do I get up and running in development?

A bootstrap script is a thoughtful way to let new users (and future versions of
yourself on new hardware) get up and running quickly. A good bootstrap script
detects and installs all project dependencies. Don't make your less technical
users learn devops. Make it as easy as running `script/bootstrap`.

#### How do I make sure my new features didn't break old functionality?

Good software projects have test suites that ensure the code works as
advertised. Even within language communities, there can be a myriad of test
frameworks. You can make it easy to run the test suite with a platform agnostic
`script/test` executable.

### Maintainers

[@pengwynn][pengwynn]

[pengwynn]: https://github.com/pengwynn
[mojombo]: https://github.com/mojombo
[contributing]: https://github.com/blog/1184-contributing-guidelines
[octokit contrib]: https://github.com/octokit/octokit.rb/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md
[choose]: http://choosealicense.com/
[RDD]: http://tom.preston-werner.com/2010/08/23/readme-driven-development.html
[releases]: https://github.com/pengwynn/flint/releases
[Homebrew]: https://brew.sh

flint

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