Merge pull request #8 from bugparty/copilot/setup-copilot-instructions

Add Copilot instructions for repository conventions and patterns

Author: bugparty

.github/copilot-instructions.md

@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+# Copilot Instructions for RingBufferCpp
+
+## Project Overview
+
+This is a modern, header-only C++17 ring buffer (circular buffer) implementation designed for performance, safety, and ease of use. The project demonstrates C++17 best practices and is tested with Google Test.
+
+## Architecture
+
+- **Header-only library**: All implementation is in `RingBuffer.hpp`
+- **Template-based**: Generic implementation using `template<typename T, size_t N, bool Overwrite>`
+- **Namespace**: All code is in the `buffers` namespace
+- **Iterator support**: Custom forward iterators in `buffers::detail` namespace
+
+## Code Standards
+
+### C++ Version and Style
+
+- Use **C++17** features and idioms
+- Follow modern C++ best practices:
+  - Perfect forwarding with `std::forward`
+  - `constexpr if` for compile-time branching
+  - Conditional `noexcept` specifications
+  - RAII and strong exception safety guarantees
+  - `[[nodiscard]]` attributes where appropriate
+
+### Naming Conventions
+
+- **Classes/Types**: `snake_case` (e.g., `ring_buffer`, `ring_buffer_iterator`)
+- **Member variables**: `snake_case_` with trailing underscore (e.g., `source_`, `index_`, `count_`)
+- **Functions/Methods**: `snake_case` (e.g., `push_back`, `pop_front`, `cbegin`)
+- **Template parameters**: PascalCase (e.g., `T`, `N`, `Overwrite`, `C`)
+
+### Code Organization
+
+- Place implementation details in `buffers::detail` namespace
+- Use forward declarations before implementation
+- Include necessary headers at the top (`<iostream>`, `<type_traits>`, `<algorithm>`, `<cstring>`, `<vector>`)
+- Use `#pragma once` for header guards
+
+## Building and Testing
+
+### Build Commands
+
+```bash
+mkdir build && cd build
+cmake ..
+cmake --build .
+```
+
+### Test Commands
+
+From within the `build` directory:
+
+```bash
+ctest --output-on-failure
+```
+
+### Test Framework
+
+- Use **Google Test** framework
+- Test file: `test_main.cpp`
+- GoogleTest is fetched automatically via CMake's `FetchContent`
+- Tests use the pattern: `TEST(RingBufferTest, TestName)`
+
+## Testing Guidelines
+
+When adding or modifying functionality:
+
+1. **Write tests first** or alongside implementation
+2. **Test naming**: The project uses numerical test names (`Test1`, `Test2`) with some descriptive ones (`Test6IteratorOrder`). Follow this convention for consistency.
+3. **Use Google Test macros**: `EXPECT_EQ`, `EXPECT_TRUE`, `EXPECT_FALSE`, etc.
+4. **Test edge cases**:
+   - Empty buffer
+   - Full buffer
+   - Overwrite behavior
+   - Iterator operations
+   - Copy/move semantics
+5. **Verify both const and non-const operations** where applicable
+
+## Key Features to Maintain
+
+- **Overwrite mode**: When buffer is full, new elements can overwrite oldest
+- **STL-compatible interface**: `begin()`, `end()`, `cbegin()`, `cend()`, `size()`, `empty()`
+- **Constant time operations**: All core operations should be O(1)
+- **Exception safety**: Maintain strong exception guarantees
+- **Type safety**: Use SFINAE and type traits appropriately
+
+## Common Patterns in This Codebase
+
+- Use SFINAE with `typename std::enable_if<condition, int>::type* = nullptr` pattern (e.g., `typename std::enable_if<(!Z), int>::type* = nullptr` for non-const, `typename std::enable_if<(Z), int>::type* = nullptr` for const)
+- Iterator comparisons based on `count()` not `index()`
+- Modulo arithmetic for circular indexing: `index_ = ++index_ % N`
+- Template specialization for const/non-const iterators
+
+## What NOT to Do
+
+- Don't add dependencies beyond standard library (except GoogleTest for tests)
+- Don't break header-only design
+- Don't remove or weaken exception safety guarantees
+- Don't change API to be incompatible with STL conventions
+- Don't add features that would compromise O(1) operation complexity
+- Avoid dynamic allocation; maintain fixed-size design
+
+## Special Considerations
+
+- The buffer size `N` is a compile-time constant (template parameter)
+- Support both trivial and non-trivial types for `T`
+- Handle move-only types appropriately
+- Maintain compatibility with C++17 (the project has a `Simulate_Android_ToolChain` CMake option that when enabled uses C++14 with `-fno-exceptions`, but the default is C++17)