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Contributing to Teams for Linux

Thank you for considering contributing! This guide will help you get started with development.

New to Electron?

This project is a great starting point for learning Electron development!

Quick Start​

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Clone your fork and create a feature branch
  3. Make changes (entry point: app/index.js)
  4. Test your changes with npm start
  5. Submit a pull request to main branch

Each app/ subfolder contains a README explaining its purpose.

Development Setup​

Prerequisites​

Getting Started​

# Clone your fork
git clone https://github.com/your-username/teams-for-linux.git
cd teams-for-linux

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run from source
npm start

# Lint code (required before commits)
npm run lint
Code Quality

Always run npm run lint before committing. Pull requests with linting errors will not be accepted.

Building​

Local Linux Build​

# Create all Linux packages (deb, rpm, snap, AppImage, tar.gz)
npm run dist:linux

# Development build without packaging
npm run pack

Docker/Podman Build​

For consistent builds across environments:

podman run -it --rm --volume .:/var/mnt:z -w /var/mnt/ node:20 /bin/bash -c \
  "apt update && apt install -y rpm && npm ci && npm run dist:linux"

Snap-specific Build​

npm run dist:linux:snap
cd dist && sudo snap install teams-for-linux_*.snap --dangerous

Architecture Overview​

Key Components​

  • Main Process (app/index.js) - Application entry point
  • Configuration (app/appConfiguration/) - Settings management
  • IPC System (app/ + browser scripts) - Process communication
  • Browser Integration (app/browser/) - Teams web app enhancements
  • System Features (notifications, tray, screen sharing)

Code Standards​

Style Guidelines​

  • ES6+ JavaScript - Use modern JavaScript features
  • No var - Use const by default, let for reassignment
  • async/await - Prefer over promise chains
  • Private fields - Use #property syntax for class private members
  • Arrow functions - For concise callbacks

Example Code Style​

class ExampleModule {
  #privateField = 'value';
  
  constructor(config) {
    this.config = config;
  }
  
  async performAction() {
    try {
      const result = await this.#processData();
      return result;
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Error in performAction:', error);
      throw error;
    }
  }
  
  #processData() {
    // Private method implementation
    return Promise.resolve(this.#privateField);
  }
}

Error Handling​

  • Use try-catch blocks for async operations
  • Log errors with context
  • Provide graceful degradation
  • Use electron-log for structured logging

Documentation​

Contributing to Documentation​

The documentation is built with Docusaurus and automatically deployed to GitHub Pages.

Local Documentation Development​

# Navigate to docs site
cd docs-site

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start development server
npm run start

# Build for production
npm run build

Adding New Documentation​

  1. Create .md or .mdx files in docs-site/docs/
  2. Update docs-site/sidebars.ts to include new pages
  3. Test locally with npm run start
  4. Commit and push changes

Documentation Standards​

  • Use Docusaurus admonitions for callouts (:::note, :::tip, :::warning)
  • Include code examples for technical documentation
  • Add cross-references to related documentation
  • Use Mermaid diagrams for architecture visualization

Testing​

Manual Testing​

# Run application in development mode
npm start

# Test specific features
npm start -- --user-data-dir=/tmp/test-profile

Build Testing​

# Test production build
npm run pack
./dist/linux-unpacked/teams-for-linux

# Test package installation
sudo dpkg -i dist/teams-for-linux_*.deb
teams-for-linux

Pull Request Guidelines​

Before Submitting​

  • Code follows style guidelines
  • npm run lint passes without errors
  • Manual testing completed
  • Documentation updated if needed
  • Commit messages are descriptive

PR Requirements​

  1. Target branch: Always target main branch
  2. Description: Clearly describe changes and motivation
  3. Testing: Include testing instructions
  4. Screenshots: For UI changes, include before/after screenshots
  5. Breaking changes: Clearly mark and document

Commit Message Format​

type(scope): description

Longer explanation if needed

Fixes #123

Examples:

  • feat(config): add support for custom proxy settings
  • fix(notifications): resolve notification sound not playing
  • docs(api): update IPC channel documentation

Release Process​

  1. Update version in package.json:

    • Patches: 1.0.0 → 1.0.1
    • Features: 1.0.0 → 1.1.0
    • Major: Reserved

  2. Update dependencies: npm install

  3. Add release notes in com.github.IsmaelMartinez.teams_for_linux.appdata.xml:

    <release version="2.0.17" date="2025-06-15">
      <description>
        <ul>
          <li>New feature description</li>
          <li>Bug fix description</li>
        </ul>
      </description>
    </release>

  4. Commit and push changes, then create a pull request

See Release Automation for technical details.

Getting Help​

Development Questions​

Community Support​

Code of Conduct​

We are committed to providing a welcoming and inspiring community for all. Please be respectful and constructive in all interactions.

License​

By contributing to Teams for Linux, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the GPL-3.0 license.