Merge pull request #123 from ianshulx/ianshulx-patch-1

Create Guidelines&Rules.md

Author: ianshulx

Guidelines&Rules.md

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+# 🛠️ Contribution Rules & Guidelines (Hacktoberfest 2025)
+
+Welcome to this open-source repository for **Django-based beginner and intermediate projects**.  
+We encourage you to learn, explore, and grow through real-world practice — but please read and follow the guidelines below carefully **before contributing.**
+
+---
+
+## ⚙️ 1. Avoid Low-Quality or Meaningless Contributions
+
+Hacktoberfest values **quality over quantity.**  
+Low-effort contributions will be marked as *invalid* or *spam*. Avoid:
+
+- Making random or unnecessary code edits (adding/removing lines without reason).  
+- Changing color themes, indentation, or UI styling without purpose.  
+- Fixing trivial grammatical or punctuation issues in README files.  
+- Renaming files or variables without improving functionality.  
+- Submitting incomplete or non-working projects.  
+
+> 💡 **Tip:** Every contribution should add real value — fix a bug, improve structure, add a meaningful feature, or optimize existing code.
+
+---
+
+## 🧩 2. Add Only Unique Projects
+
+Before adding a new project, ensure it’s **not already present** in the repository.  
+Duplicate or similar ideas will be **rejected immediately.**
+
+---
+
+## 🐍 3. Django-Only Projects
+
+This repository is focused exclusively on **Django-based projects** built using **Python + Django framework**.  
+Do **not** add:
+
+- Frontend-only projects (HTML/CSS/JS without Django).  
+- Flask, FastAPI, or Node.js-based applications.  
+- MERN, React-only, or Next.js projects.  
+
+---
+
+## 🚀 4. Beginner & Intermediate Projects Only
+
+This repo is meant for learners who want to build and understand **Django fundamentals**.
+
+Allowed:
+- Beginner-level projects (basic Django apps demonstrating core MVC concepts).  
+- Intermediate-level projects (apps with user authentication, forms, or small database usage).  
+
+Not allowed:
+- Complex enterprise-level or production-grade systems.  
+- Projects requiring large APIs or third-party service integrations.
+
+---
+
+## 🔄 5. Keep Your Fork Updated
+
+Before submitting a Pull Request (PR):
+
+1. Sync your fork with the latest main branch.  
+2. Resolve any merge conflicts locally.  
+3. Push your clean changes before creating a PR.  
+
+This ensures your PR is conflict-free and easy to review.
+
+---
+
+## 🧱 6. Avoid Redundant “Clone” Projects
+
+Clones are acceptable **only when they offer learning value**.  
+
+- ✅ **Good Example:** Instagram clone focusing on user authentication and media uploads.  
+- ❌ **Bad Example:** Another social media clone with the same basic CRUD operations as an existing project.  
+
+> 💡 Instead of duplicating, try enhancing an existing clone by adding new features or optimizing its code.
+
+---
+
+## 🗄️ 7. Use Proper Database & Environment Handling
+
+When working with Django:
+- Always use **SQLite** or lightweight databases for beginner projects.  
+- Keep sensitive information in a `.env` file (never push `.env` to GitHub).  
+- Include a `.gitignore` file to exclude virtual environments, migrations, and cache files.
+
+---
+
+## ⚠️ 8. Avoid Overly Basic Projects
+
+Please don’t submit extremely simple or repetitive projects such as:
+- Static “Hello World” pages.  
+- Only dark/light theme toggles.  
+- Single-page templates without backend logic.  
+- Plain HTML sites without Django views/models/forms.  
+
+> This repository is for **applying Django fundamentals**, not just setting up basics.
+
+---
+
+## 📁 9. Maintain Proper Project Structure
+
+Each project should:
+
+- Be in its own folder inside `/projects/`.  
+- Use a **virtual environment** (not included in the repo).  
+- Have a clear folder name (e.g., `django-blog-app`, not `myproject1`).  
+- Include a `README.md` file containing:
+  - Project title  
+  - Short description  
+  - Key features  
+  - Setup instructions (commands to run locally)  
+  - Technologies used  
+
+---
+
+## 🧠 10. Write Clean, Commented & Readable Code
+
+Make sure your project follows Python and Django best practices:
+- Use **PEP8** formatting (indentation, naming, line length).  
+- Comment your views, models, and important functions.  
+- Use meaningful variable and function names.  
+- Remove unused imports, print statements, or debugging logs.
+
+---
+
+## 🤝 11. Contribution Ethics
+
+We promote a collaborative and respectful open-source community.  
+By contributing, you agree to:
+
+- Be kind and constructive in discussions.  
+- Avoid plagiarism — submit only your **original work**.  
+- Give proper credit if you’ve used or learned from another repository.  
+- Submit only helpful and educational content.  
+
+---
+
+## 🎉 12. Final Note
+
+Your contribution should **help others learn Django**, not just count as a Hacktoberfest PR.  
+We appreciate **quality, creativity, and clarity** — not quantity.  
+
+Thank you for contributing and supporting this open-source learning initiative! 🙌  
+
+**Happy Coding & Happy Hacktoberfest 2025! 💻✨**