Split contributing.rst (#2219)

* create split contributing page (initial)

besides splitting, some rearranging e.g. virtual environments section after pull requests section
some changing of headings for the new pages to make sense and avoid repetition

* Update v0.11.1.rst

* Update docs/sphinx/source/contributing/testing.rst

Co-authored-by: Echedey Luis <80125792+echedey-ls@users.noreply.github.com>

* add example gallery

---------

Co-authored-by: Echedey Luis <80125792+echedey-ls@users.noreply.github.com>

Author: RDaxini

docs/sphinx/source/contributing.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+.. _contributing_new_code:
+
+How to contribute new code
+==========================
+
+The basics
+~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Contributors to pvlib-python use GitHub's pull requests to add/modify
+its source code. The GitHub pull request process can be intimidating for
+new users, but you'll find that it becomes straightforward once you use
+it a few times. Please let us know if you get stuck at any point in the
+process. Here's an outline of the process:
+
+#. Create a GitHub issue and get initial feedback from users and
+   maintainers. If the issue is a bug report, please include the
+   code needed to reproduce the problem.
+#. Obtain the latest version of pvlib-python: Fork the pvlib-python
+   project to your GitHub account, ``git clone`` your fork to your computer.
+#. Make some or all of your changes/additions and ``git commit`` them to
+   your local repository.
+#. Share your changes with us via a pull request: ``git push`` your
+   local changes to your GitHub fork, then go to GitHub make a pull
+   request.
+
+The Pandas project maintains an excellent `contributing page
+<http://pandas.pydata.org/pandas-docs/stable/contributing.html>`_ that goes
+into detail on each of these steps. Also see GitHub's `Set Up Git
+<https://help.github.com/articles/set-up-git/>`_ and `Using Pull
+Requests <https://help.github.com/articles/using-pull-requests/>`_.
+
+You must include documentation and unit tests for any new or improved
+code. We can provide help and advice on this after you start the pull
+request. See the :ref:`documentation` and :ref:`testing` sections for more
+information on these aspects.
+
+
+.. _pull-requests:
+
+Pull requests (PRs)
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. _pull-request-scope:
+
+Scope
+-----
+
+This section can be summed up as "less is more".
+
+A pull request can quickly become unmanageable if too many lines are
+added or changed. "Too many" is hard to define, but as a rule of thumb,
+we encourage contributions that contain less than 50 lines of primary code.
+50 lines of primary code will typically need at least 250 lines
+of documentation and testing. This is about the limit of what the
+maintainers can review on a regular basis.
+
+A pull request can also quickly become unmanageable if it proposes
+changes to the API in order to implement another feature. Consider
+clearly and concisely documenting all proposed API changes before
+implementing any code. Modifying
+`api.rst <https://github.com/pvlib/pvlib-python/tree/main/docs/sphinx/source/reference>`_
+and/or the latest `whatsnew file <https://github.com/pvlib/pvlib-python/tree/main/docs/sphinx/source/whatsnew>`_
+can help formalize this process.
+
+Questions about related issues frequently come up in the process of
+addressing implementing code for a pull request. Please try to avoid
+expanding the scope of your pull request (this also applies to
+reviewers!). We'd rather see small, well-documented additions to the
+project's technical debt than see a pull request languish because its
+scope expanded beyond what the reviewer community is capable of
+processing.
+
+Of course, sometimes it is necessary to make a large pull request. We
+only ask that you take a few minutes to consider how to break it into
+smaller chunks before proceeding.
+
+pvlib-python contains :ref:`3 "layers" of code <modeling-paradigms>`:
+functions, PVSystem/Location, and ModelChain. We recommend that
+contributors focus their work on only one or two of those layers in a
+single pull request. New models are *not* required to be available to
+the higher-level API!
+
+
+When should I submit a pull request?
+------------------------------------
+
+The short answer: anytime.
+
+The long answer: it depends. If in doubt, go ahead and submit. You do
+not need to make all of your changes before creating a pull request.
+Your pull requests will automatically be updated when you commit new
+changes and push them to GitHub.
+
+There are pros and cons to submitting incomplete pull-requests. On the
+plus side, it gives everybody an easy way to comment on the code and can
+make the process more efficient. On the minus side, it's easy for an
+incomplete pull request to grow into a multi-month saga that leaves
+everyone unhappy. If you submit an incomplete pull request, please be
+very clear about what you would like feedback on and what we should
+ignore. Alternatives to incomplete pull requests include creating a
+`gist <https://gist.github.com>`_ or experimental branch and linking to
+it in the corresponding issue.
+
+The best way to ensure that a pull request will be reviewed and merged in
+a timely manner is to:
+
+#. Start by creating an issue. The issue should be well-defined and
+   actionable.
+#. Ask the `maintainers <https://github.com/orgs/pvlib/people>`_ to tag
+   the issue with the appropriate milestone.
+#. Make a limited-scope pull request. It can be a lot of work to check all of
+   the boxes in `pull request guidelines
+   <https://github.com/pvlib/pvlib-python/blob/main/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md>`_,
+   especially for pull requests with a lot of new primary code.
+   See :ref:`pull-request-scope`.
+#. Tag pvlib community members or ``@pvlib`` when the pull
+   request is ready for review. (see :ref:`pull-request-reviews`)
+
+
+.. _pull-request-reviews:
+
+Pull request reviews
+--------------------
+
+The pvlib community and maintainers will review your pull request in a
+timely fashion. Please "ping" ``@pvlib`` if it seems that
+your pull request has been forgotten at any point in the pull request
+process.
+
+Keep in mind that the PV modeling community is diverse and each pvlib
+community member brings a different perspective when reviewing code.
+Some reviewers bring years of expertise in the sub-field that your code
+contributes to and will focus on the details of the algorithm. Other
+reviewers will be more focused on integrating your code with the rest of
+pvlib, ensuring that it is feasible to maintain, that it meets the
+:ref:`code style <code-style>` guidelines, and that it is
+:ref:`comprehensively tested <testing>`. Limiting the scope of the pull
+request makes it much more likely that all of these reviews can be
+conducted and any issues can be resolved in a timely fashion.
+
+Sometimes it's hard for reviewers to be immediately available, so the
+right amount of patience is to be expected. That said, interested
+reviewers should do their best to not wait until the last minute to put
+in their two cents.
+
+
+.. _virtual-environments:
+
+Virtual environments
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+We strongly recommend using virtual environments for development.
+Virtual environments make it easier to switch between different
+versions of software. This `scientific-python.org guide
+<https://learn.scientific-python.org/development/tutorials/dev-environment/>`_
+is a good reference for virtual environments. The pvlib-python `installation
+user guide <https://pvlib-python.readthedocs.io/en/stable/user_guide/
+installation.html#set-up-a-virtual-environment>`_ also provides instructions on
+setting up a virtual environment. If this is your first pull request, don't
+worry about using a virtual environment.

docs/sphinx/source/contributing/how_to_contribute_new_code.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+============
+Contributing
+============
+
+
+.. toctree::
+   :maxdepth: 2
+
+   introduction_to_contributing
+   how_to_contribute_new_code
+   style_guide
+   testing

docs/sphinx/source/contributing/index.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+.. _introduction-to-contributing:
+
+Introduction to contributing
+============================
+
+Encouraging more people to help develop pvlib-python is essential to our
+success. Therefore, we want to make it easy and rewarding for you to
+contribute.
+
+There is a lot of material in this section, aimed at a variety of
+contributors from novice to expert. Don't worry if you don't (yet)
+understand parts of it.
+
+
+.. _easy-ways-to-contribute:
+
+Easy ways to contribute
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Here are a few ideas for how you can contribute, even if you are new to
+pvlib-python, git, or Python:
+
+* Ask and answer `pvlib questions on StackOverflow <http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/pvlib>`_
+  and participate in discussions in the `pvlib-python google group <https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/pvlib-python>`_.
+* Make `GitHub issues <https://github.com/pvlib/pvlib-python/issues>`_
+  and contribute to the conversations about how to resolve them.
+* Read issues and pull requests that other people created and
+  contribute to the conversation about how to resolve them.
+  Look for issues tagged with
+  `good first issue <https://github.com/pvlib/pvlib-python/labels/good%20first%20issue>`_,
+  `easy <https://github.com/pvlib/pvlib-python/labels/easy>`_,
+  or `help wanted <https://github.com/pvlib/pvlib-python/labels/help%20wanted>`_.
+* Improve the documentation and the unit tests.
+* Improve the Example Gallery or add new examples that
+  demonstrate how to use pvlib-python in your area of expertise.
+* Tell your friends and colleagues about pvlib-python.
+* Add your project to our
+  `Projects and publications that use pvlib-python wiki
+  <https://github.com/pvlib/pvlib-python/wiki/Projects-and-publications-
+  that-use-pvlib-python>`_.
+
+
+This documentation
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+If this documentation is unclear, help us improve it! Consider looking
+at the `pandas
+documentation <http://pandas.pydata.org/pandas-docs/stable/
+contributing.html>`_ for inspiration.
+
+
+Code of Conduct
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+All contributors are expected to adhere to the `Contributor Code of Conduct
+<https://github.com/pvlib/pvlib-python/blob/main/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md#contributor-covenant-code-of-conduct>`_.

docs/sphinx/source/contributing/introduction_to_contributing.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+.. _documentation-and-style-guide:
+
+Documentation and style guide
+=============================
+
+.. _code-style:
+
+Code style
+~~~~~~~~~~
+
+pvlib python generally follows the `PEP 8 -- Style Guide for Python Code
+<https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/>`_. Maximum line length for code
+is 79 characters.
+
+pvlib python uses a mix of full and abbreviated variable names. See
+:ref:`variables_style_rules`. We could be better about consistency.
+Prefer full names for new contributions. This is especially important
+for the API. Abbreviations can be used within a function to improve the
+readability of formulae.
+
+Set your editor to strip extra whitespace from line endings. This
+prevents the git commit history from becoming cluttered with whitespace
+changes.
+
+Please see :ref:`Documentation` for information specific to documentation
+style.
+
+Remove any ``logging`` calls and ``print`` statements that you added
+during development. ``warning`` is ok.
+
+We typically use GitHub's
+"`squash and merge <https://help.github.com/articles/about-pull-request-merges/#squash-and-merge-your-pull-request-commits>`_"
+feature to merge your pull request into pvlib. GitHub will condense the
+commit history of your branch into a single commit when merging into
+pvlib-python/main (the commit history on your branch remains
+unchanged). Therefore, you are free to make commits that are as big or
+small as you'd like while developing your pull request.
+
+
+.. _documentation:
+
+Documentation
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. _documentation-style:
+
+Documentation style
+-------------------
+
+Documentation must be written in
+`numpydoc format <https://numpydoc.readthedocs.io/>`_ format which is rendered
+using the `Sphinx Napoleon extension
+<https://www.sphinx-doc.org/en/master/usage/extensions/napoleon.html>`_.
+
+The numpydoc format includes a specification for the allowable input
+types. Python's `duck typing <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_typing>`_
+allows for multiple input types to work for many parameters. pvlib uses
+the following generic descriptors as short-hand to indicate which
+specific types may be used:
+
+* dict-like : dict, OrderedDict, pd.Series
+* numeric : scalar, np.array, pd.Series. Typically int or float dtype.
+* array-like : np.array, pd.Series. Typically int or float dtype.
+
+Parameters that specify a specific type require that specific input type.
+
+Read the Docs will automatically build the documentation for each pull
+request. Please confirm the documentation renders correctly by following
+the ``docs/readthedocs.org:pvlib-python`` link within the checks
+status box at the bottom of the pull request.
+
+
+.. _building-the-documentation:
+
+Building the documentation
+--------------------------
+
+Building the documentation locally is useful for testing out changes to the
+documentation's source code without having to repeatedly update a PR and have
+Read the Docs build it for you.  Building the docs locally requires installing
+pvlib python as an editable library (see :ref:`installation` for instructions).
+First, install the ``doc`` dependencies specified in the
+``EXTRAS_REQUIRE`` section of
+`setup.py <https://github.com/pvlib/pvlib-python/blob/main/setup.py>`_.
+An easy way to do this is with::
+
+    pip install pvlib[doc]    # on Mac:  pip install "pvlib[doc]"
+
+Note: Anaconda users may have trouble using the above command to update an
+older version of docutils. If that happens, you can update it with ``conda``
+(e.g. ``conda install docutils=0.15.2``) and run the above command again.
+
+Once the ``doc`` dependencies are installed, navigate to ``/docs/sphinx`` and
+execute::
+
+    make html
+
+Be sure to skim through the output of this command because Sphinx might emit
+helpful warnings about problems with the documentation source code.
+If the build succeeds, it will make a new directory ``docs/sphinx/build``
+with the documentation's homepage located at ``build/html/index.html``.
+This file can be opened with a web browser to view the local version
+like any other website. Other output formats are available; run ``make help``
+for more information.
+
+Note that Windows users need not have the ``make`` utility installed as pvlib
+includes a ``make.bat`` batch file that emulates its interface.
+
+
+.. _example-gallery:
+
+Example Gallery
+---------------
+
+The example gallery uses `sphinx-gallery <https://sphinx-gallery.github.io/>`_
+and is generated from script files in the
+`docs/examples <https://github.com/pvlib/pvlib-python/tree/main/docs/examples>`_
+directory.  sphinx-gallery will execute example files that start with
+``plot_`` and capture the output.
+
+Here is a starter template for new examples:
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    """
+    Page Title
+    ==========
+
+    A sentence describing the example.
+    """
+
+    # %%
+    # Explanatory text about the example, what it does, why it does it, etc.
+    # Text in the comment block before the first line of code `import pvlib`
+    # will be printed to the example's webpage.
+
+    import pvlib
+    import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
+
+    plt.scatter([1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6])
+    plt.show()
+
+For more details, see the sphinx-gallery
+`docs <https://sphinx-gallery.github.io/stable/syntax.html#embedding-rst>`_.