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Contributing to ZigZag

Thank you for your interest in contributing to ZigZag! This document provides guidelines and information to help you get started.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Zig 0.16.0 or later, it needs to be compatible with the latest version
  • Git

Setup

  1. Fork and clone the repository:

    git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/zigzag.git
cd zigzag

  2. Build the project:

    zig build

  3. Run the tests:

    zig build test

  4. Try an example to verify everything works:

    zig build run-counter

Project Structure

zigzag/
├── src/
│   ├── root.zig           # Public API exports
│   ├── core/              # Elm architecture (program, context, command)
│   ├── components/        # Pre-built UI components
│   ├── input/             # Keyboard/mouse input handling
│   ├── layout/            # Layout utilities (join, place, measure)
│   ├── style/             # Styling system (colors, borders, rendering)
│   └── terminal/          # Terminal I/O and platform-specific code
│       └── platform/      # posix.zig, windows.zig
├── tests/                 # Unit tests
├── examples/              # Example applications
├── build.zig              # Build configuration
└── build.zig.zon          # Package manifest

How to Contribute

Reporting Bugs

  • Open an issue on GitHub with a clear description of the bug
  • Include steps to reproduce, expected behavior, and actual behavior
  • Mention your OS, Zig version, and terminal emulator

Suggesting Features

  • Open an issue describing the feature and its use case
  • For significant additions, discuss the approach before starting work

Submitting Changes

  1. Create a branch from main:

    git checkout -b feature/your-feature
# or
git checkout -b fix/your-bugfix

  2. Make your changes and ensure:

    • All existing tests pass: zig build test
    • New functionality includes tests where applicable
    • Examples still build and run correctly: zig build
    • Code compiles without warnings

  3. Commit your changes with a clear message:

    git commit -m "Short description of the change"

  4. Push your branch and open a pull request against main

Code Guidelines

Architecture

ZigZag follows the Elm Architecture (Model-Update-View). When adding features, keep this pattern in mind:

  • Core logic goes in src/core/
  • Components go in src/components/ and must be exported in src/root.zig
  • Platform-specific code goes in src/terminal/platform/

Style

  • Follow the existing code style in the project
  • Use the Zig standard library naming conventions (camelCase for functions, snake_case for variables)
  • Keep functions focused and reasonably sized
  • Use descriptive names over comments where possible

Components

When adding a new component:

  1. Create the component file in src/components/
  2. Export it in src/root.zig
  3. Add an example in examples/ if appropriate
  4. The component should follow the existing pattern:
    • init() for construction
    • handleKey() for input handling (if interactive)
    • view() for rendering
    • Use the arena allocator from context for per-frame allocations

Testing

  • Tests live in the tests/ directory
  • Add tests for new functionality, especially for styling, input handling, and layout logic
  • Run the full test suite before submitting: 
    zig build test

Cross-Platform

ZigZag supports macOS, Linux, and Windows. When making changes:

  • Avoid platform-specific code outside of src/terminal/platform/
  • Test on your platform and note which platforms you've verified in the PR
  • Use std.posix / std.os.windows through the platform abstraction layer

Zero Dependencies

ZigZag has no external dependencies and should stay that way. All functionality must be implemented using only the Zig standard library.

Pull Request Process

  1. Ensure CI passes (build + tests run on every PR)
  2. Provide a clear description of what the PR does and why
  3. Link related issues if applicable
  4. Keep PRs focused — one feature or fix per PR

License

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