Skip to contents

Contributing to fastsemR

Source: CONTRIBUTING.md

Thanks for your interest in fastsemR. This document describes how to file issues, contribute code, and where to direct questions.

Where to file an issue

There are two related repositories:

  • fastsemR (this repo) — the R package, umx / OpenMx bridge, syntax translators, and R-side tests. File issues here for: bugs in the R API, unexpected summary() output, problems with run_fastsem(), installation issues on Windows / macOS / Linux, documentation, vignettes. → https://github.com/lf-araujo/fastsemR/issues

  • fastsem — the underlying Nim SEM engine. File issues there for: numerical results, optimiser convergence, GPU / OpenCL kernels, performance, or the lavaan-style syntax parser. → https://github.com/lf-araujo/fastsem/issues

If you are not sure which side a bug lives on, file in fastsemR and we will move it if needed.

Reporting a bug

A useful bug report includes:

  1. The output of sessionInfo() or utils::sessionInfo().
  2. The fastsem engine version reported by getOption("fastsem.version") after the package loads.
  3. A minimal reproducible example — ideally one that fits in ~20 lines and uses simulated data or a built-in dataset.
  4. The full error message and traceback (traceback() after the failure, or options(error = recover)).

Submitting a pull request

  1. Fork the repository and create a feature branch off main.
  2. Run R CMD check locally; the GitHub Actions workflow runs the same checks on Linux, macOS, and Windows for every PR.
  3. Add or update tests under tests/testthat/ for any change in behaviour. We use the testthat 3rd edition.
  4. Update NEWS.md under “fastsemR (development version)” with a one-line user-facing summary of the change.
  5. Open a PR against main. Small, focused PRs are easier to review than large ones.

Asking a question

For usage questions that are not bug reports, please open a GitHub Discussion (or an issue with the question label) so the answer is searchable for other users.

Code of conduct

Please be respectful in all project communications. Personal attacks, harassment, and discriminatory language are not tolerated.