aitbc/docs/advanced/05_development/DEVELOPMENT_GUIDELINES.md

Developer File Organization Guidelines

📁 Where to Put Files

Essential Root Files (Keep at Root)

• .editorconfig - Editor configuration
• .env.example - Environment template
• .gitignore - Git ignore rules
• LICENSE - Project license
• README.md - Project documentation
• pyproject.toml - Python project configuration
• poetry.lock - Dependency lock file
• pytest.ini - Test configuration
• scripts/testing/run_all_tests.sh - Main test runner
• setup.sh - Main project setup script

Development Scripts → dev/scripts/

# Development fixes and patches
dev/scripts/fix_*.py
dev/scripts/fix_*.sh
dev/scripts/patch_*.py
dev/scripts/simple_test.py

Test Files → dev/tests/

# Test scripts and scenarios
dev/tests/test_*.py
dev/tests/test_*.sh
dev/tests/test_scenario_*.sh
dev/tests/run_mc_test.sh
dev/tests/simple_test_results.json

Multi-Chain Testing → dev/multi-chain/

# Multi-chain specific files
dev/multi-chain/MULTI_*.md
dev/multi-chain/test_multi_chain*.py
dev/multi-chain/test_multi_site.py

Configuration Files → config/

# Configuration and environment files
config/.aitbc.yaml
config/.aitbc.yaml.example
config/.env.production
config/.nvmrc
config/.lycheeignore

Development Environment → /etc/aitbc/.env

# Central environment configuration
/etc/aitbc/.env

Cache and Temporary → dev/cache/

# Cache and temporary directories
dev/cache/.pytest_cache/
dev/cache/.ruff_cache/
dev/cache/logs/
dev/cache/.vscode/

🚀 Quick Start Commands

Creating New Files

# Create a new test script
touch dev/tests/test_my_feature.py

# Create a new development script
touch dev/scripts/fix_my_issue.py

# Create a new patch script
touch dev/scripts/patch_component.py

Checking Organization

# Check current file organization
./scripts/check-file-organization.sh

# Auto-fix organization issues
./scripts/move-to-right-folder.sh --auto

Git Integration

# Git will automatically check file locations on commit
git add .
git commit -m "My changes"  # Will run pre-commit hooks

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Don't create these files at root:

• test_*.py or test_*.sh → Use dev/tests/
• patch_*.py or fix_*.py → Use dev/scripts/
• MULTI_*.md → Use dev/multi-chain/
• node_modules/ or .venv/ → Use dev/env/
• .pytest_cache/ or .ruff_cache/ → Use dev/cache/

✅ Do this instead:

# Right way to create test files
touch dev/tests/test_new_feature.py

# Right way to create patch files
touch dev/scripts/fix_bug.py

# Right way to handle dependencies
npm install  # Use in contracts/ directory for smart contracts development
source /opt/aitbc/venv/bin/activate  # Use central Python virtual environment

🔧 IDE Configuration

VS Code

The project includes .vscode/settings.json with:

• Excluded patterns for cache directories
• File watcher exclusions
• Auto-format on save
• Organize imports on save

Git Hooks

Pre-commit hooks automatically:

• Check file locations
• Suggest correct locations
• Prevent commits with misplaced files

📞 Getting Help

If you're unsure where to put a file:

1. Run ./scripts/check-file-organization.sh
2. Check this guide
3. Ask in team chat
4. When in doubt, use dev/ subdirectories

🔄 Maintenance

• Weekly: Run organization check
• Monthly: Review new file patterns
• As needed: Update guidelines for new file types

🛡️ Prevention System

The project includes a comprehensive prevention system:

1. Git Pre-commit Hooks

• Automatically check file locations before commits
• Block commits with misplaced files
• Provide helpful suggestions

2. Automated Scripts

• check-file-organization.sh - Scan for issues
• move-to-right-folder.sh - Auto-fix organization

3. IDE Configuration

• VS Code settings hide clutter
• File nesting for better organization
• Tasks for easy access to tools

4. CI/CD Validation

• Pull request checks for file organization
• Automated comments with suggestions
• Block merges with organization issues

🎯 Best Practices

File Naming

• Use descriptive names
• Follow existing patterns
• Include file type in name (test_, patch_, fix_)

Directory Structure

• Keep related files together
• Use logical groupings
• Maintain consistency

Development Workflow

1. Create files in correct location initially
2. Use IDE tasks to check organization
3. Run scripts before commits
4. Fix issues automatically when prompted

🔍 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Git commit blocked due to file organization"

# Run the auto-fix script
./scripts/move-to-right-folder.sh --auto

# Then try commit again
git add .
git commit -m "My changes"

"Can't find my file"

# Check if it was moved automatically
find . -name "your-file-name"

# Or check organization status
./scripts/check-file-organization.sh

"VS Code shows too many files"

• The .vscode/settings.json excludes cache directories
• Reload VS Code to apply settings
• Check file explorer settings

📚 Additional Resources

• Project Organization Workflow
• File Organization Prevention System
• Git Hooks Documentation
• VS Code Settings

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Last updated: March 2, 2026
For questions or suggestions, please open an issue or contact the development team.