This is to explain what each part of the project template is. Any items in the other included files that are bolded (with **around** in the markdown) needs to be modified before it should be used. Please remove this file from the repository once it is set up.
The files have been organized in to two groups to show which ones are required for an open source project and which ones are heavily suggested. Though everything here is useful, the project team should decide what is necessary, and keep all files up-to-date.
README.md - This is the first thing someone will see when they open up the project. It should give a description of what the project is, how to get started using it, and link to the other documents (CONTRIBUTING.md, DESIGN.md, and the LICENSE.md).
LICENSE.md - This document describes what Open Source License the project uses. Check out this site for information about different licenses. This file can be generated by Github and differ from project to project, so it is not included here.
CONTRIBUTING.md - This document explains how to contribute code to the project. It should point to what things need to be done, how to submit code, how to report bugs, and style guidelines.
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md - This describe the expectations for behavior of community members. It helps to create a positive environment that is inviting to both new and returning members. Note: must be followed to be meaningful.
CREDITS.md - This file gives credits to any open source code used in the project. It gives a short description of each project, links to the source code, and includes the corresponding license.
CHANGELOG.md - This keeps track of the changes the project has gone through. It tells users about features, bug fixes, deprecations, etc for each version of the project (only have a section if relevant changes were made). It uses Semantic Versioning and Keep a Changelog as standards for the version numbers and file format.
CONTRIBUTORS.md - This list all maintainers and contributors who have made a positive impact on the project. Keep it up to date. People will look at this know who the maintainers are to contact about any problems.
DESIGN.md - This document describes the architecure of the project. It should provide both a brief description of the entire project and a more in depth guide for each component. It's goal is to help anyone new to the project understand how it works.
TODO.md - This list planned features with links to relevant issues. It's a good spot for people to check to see the project road map.
ISSUE_TEMPLATE.md - This template appears when someone creates a new issue. It provides an outline for what information is needed for different types of issues.
PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md - This template appears when someone creates a new pull request. It provides an outline for what information is needed to know what the pull request is for.
.gitignore - This file tells Git to ignore the specified files. These files will not be pushed to any repository.
.editorconfig - This file helps configure certain aspects of your editor to be inline with the project's guidelines. Your editor needs to support it in order to work, so check out this website for installing a plugin to support it.