Initial attempt (unfinished) of contributing guide

1 files changed, 95 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/source/contributing.rst b/source/contributing.rst
index fcdfce1..3af5b60 100644
--- a/source/contributing.rst
+++ b/source/contributing.rst
@@ -54,5 +54,100 @@ create a directory and name it ``sympy``, and proceed inside:
     **Hint:** Investigate the contents of the recipes in astroconda-contrib. For most cases, copying an existing recipe and
     changing its values will suffice.
 
+Copy the contents of the ``astroconda-contrib/template`` recipe.  Three files ``bld.bat``, ``build.sh``, and ``meta.yaml``
+will be copied to your working directory:
 
+.. code-block:: sh
+
+    cp ../template/* .
+
+
+Go ahead and open ``meta.yaml`` with your favorite plain-text editor:
+
+.. caution::
+
+    It is *highly recommended* that you enable "tabs to spaces" for your editor. Tab widths are unpredictable and may cause
+    Conda's YAML parser to fail.
+
+.. code-block:: sh
+
+    vim meta.yaml
+
+The general structure of the file is as follows:
+
+.. code-block:: yaml
+
+    # These directives are commented here due to Pygments
+    # failing to parse this section of code.
+    # ... They are not commented in the real file.
+
+    #{% set name = '' %}
+    #{% set version = '' %}
+    #{% set number = '0' %}
+
+    about:
+        # Package homepage
+        home:
+        # Package license
+        license:
+        # A brief description
+        summary:
+
+    package:
+        # Define these values above
+        name: {{ name }}
+        version: {{ version }}
+
+    build:
+        # Define this value above
+        number: {{ number }}
+
+    source:
+        fn: {{ name }}-{{ version }}.tar.gz
+        url: http://example.com/example/{{ name }}-{{ version }}.tar.gz
+
+    requirements:
+        build:
+        # Dependencies required at BUILD-TIME go here
+        - setuptools
+        - python x.x
+        run:
+        # Dependencies required at RUN-TIME go here
+        # - ...
+
+    #test:
+    #   imports:
+    #   # - (e.g. a_python_module)
+    #
+    #   commands:
+    #   # - (e.g. program --help)
+
+
+First, let's fill in the blanks. Modify the JINJA2 template markers for ``name``, ``version``:
+
+.. code-block:: none
+
+    {% set name = 'sympy' %}
+    {% set version = '1.0' %}
+
+Fill in the ``about`` section with relevant information regarding the package:
+
+.. code-block:: yaml
+
+    about:
+        home: http://sympy.org
+        license: GPL
+        summary: Python library for symbolic mathematics
+
+Next, modfy the ``source`` section's ``url`` variable so that it points to ``sympy``'s source archive (on the internet):
+
+.. code-block:: sh
+
+    source:
+        fn: {{ name }}-{{ version }}.tar.gz
+        url: https://github.com/{{ name }}/{{ name }}/releases/download/{{ name }}-{{ version }}/{{ name }}-{{ version }}.tar.gz
+
+What's with the never-ending stream of bracket encapsulated keywords, you ask? JINJA2 provides basic string interpolation. If you
+decide to build, for example, ``sympy-1.1`` in the future, you need only modify the first two settings in this file (assuming
+the URL structure has not changed).