Add GitHub Copilot instructions

As per discussion in https://github.com/orgs/PrivateBin/discussions/1696 here are some instructions generated by Copilot itself.

I used this prompt (in chat not agent mode, but well... should be enough) as suggested by GitHub: https://docs.github.com/copilot/how-tos/configure-custom-instructions/add-repository-instructions#anweisen-von-copilot-programmier-agent-zum-generieren-einer-copilot-instructionsmd-datei

Also added the feedback from the discussion.
This commit is contained in:
rugk 2025-10-30 13:18:30 +01:00 committed by GitHub
parent 9d7508f44f
commit 207c79057b
No known key found for this signature in database
GPG key ID: B5690EEEBB952194

118
.github/copilot-instructions.md vendored Normal file
View file

@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
# Copilot Coding Agent Onboarding for PrivateBin
## Repository Overview
**PrivateBin** is a minimalist, open-source online pastebin where the server has zero knowledge of the pasted data. All data is encrypted/decrypted in the browser via 256-bit AES (Galois Counter Mode). The project is a refactored fork of ZeroBin focused on extensibility and additional features.
- **Main Use Case:** Secure, ephemeral sharing of text/code, with encryption happening exclusively client-side.
- **Languages:** PHP (~48%), JavaScript (~35%), CSS (~17%), with some legacy browser support (see `legacy.js`).
- **Type:** Web application (pastebin), with both server (PHP) and client (JavaScript) components.
## Build & Validation Instructions
### Prerequisites
- **PHP:** 7.0+ (recommended: latest stable 7.x or 8.x)
- **Composer:** For dependency management (`composer install`)
- **Node.js & npm:** Only required for running JavaScript unit tests. **Main JS logic must remain browser-compatible!**
- **Recommended Environment:** Unix-like OS (Linux, macOS) with Apache or Nginx for full demo.
### Bootstrap & Install
1. **Clone the repository** and enter its root directory.
2. **Install PHP dependencies:**
```sh
composer install
```
- Always run this before building or testing PHP code.
- If you receive permission errors, verify `vendor/` is writable.
3. **Install JS dependencies (for test only):**
```sh
npm install
```
- Only required for running JS tests. Not needed for building or running the app.
### Build
- **No explicit build step** for PHP. The web app is served directly from source.
- **For JavaScript:** There is no webpack/bundler step for release; browser JS is written in compatible ES5+ syntax except in `legacy.js` (ES3).
### Run
- **PHP Server Mode:** Use Apache/Nginx with PHP, pointing the web root to the repo root or the `public/` directory (if present).
- **Demo:** Open `index.php` in a browser (via your web server).
### Test
- **PHP Unit Tests:**
```sh
vendor/bin/phpunit
```
- Always run after code changes to backend logic.
- If `vendor/bin/phpunit` does not exist, ensure `composer install` completed without errors.
- **JavaScript Unit Tests:**
```sh
npm test
```
- Runs Jasmine-based tests in Node.js context.
- Note: **Production JS must not use Node-only APIs.** Test code may use Node.js features, but main JS logic must remain browser-compatible.
- If you encounter `ReferenceError` for browser features, ensure only test code uses Node.js APIs.
### Lint
- **PHP:** Run (if `phpcs.xml` or similar config exists):
```sh
vendor/bin/phpcs
```
- **JavaScript:** If `eslint` is present:
```sh
npm run lint
```
- Check for configuration in `.eslintrc.*` files.
### Validation / CI
- **GitHub Actions:** CI runs `composer install`, `phpunit`, and JS tests on PRs and pushes.
- **Pre-commit:** Always run both PHP and JS tests before submitting PRs. Fix any warnings or errors.
## Project Layout & Structure
- **Root files:**
- `index.php`: Main server entry point.
- `README.md`: Project overview ([view full](https://github.com/PrivateBin/PrivateBin/blob/9d7508f44fac95dfadf4aad4fb3d3be128633336/README.md)).
- `composer.json`, `composer.lock`: PHP dependencies.
- `package.json`: JS test/lint dependencies (not for production JS).
- `.github/workflows/`: CI configuration.
- `cfg/`: Default configuration files.
- `js/`: Main client logic (browser JS), including:
- `legacy.js`: Must remain compatible with legacy browsers (ES3). **Do not use modern JS here.**
- `main.js`: Core encryption and paste interface logic.
- `tpl/`: HTML templates.
- `css/`: Stylesheets.
- **Testing & Validation:**
- `test/`: Contains PHP and JS unit tests.
- `phpunit.xml`: PHPUnit config.
- JS test files may use Node.js features; browser JS must not.
- **Key architectural notes:**
- **Encryption:** Only client-side in JS.
- **Backend:** Serves encrypted blobs, never sees plaintext.
- **Legacy Support:** `js/legacy.js` must remain ES3 for feature detection in old browsers.
- **Configuration:** See `cfg/conf.php` and wiki for available options.
## Automated Checks
- **GitHub CI:** On PRs, runs `composer install`, `phpunit`, and JS tests.
- **Validation Steps:** PRs failing tests will be blocked. Always ensure a clean test run before submitting.
## Guidance for Copilot Agent
- **Trust these instructions.** Only perform a search if information is missing or appears incorrect.
- **Do NOT use Node.js APIs in production JS code.** Only test code may do so.
- **Never modernize `legacy.js`.** It must work in very old browsers.
- **Always run `composer install` before PHP tests, and `npm install` before JS tests.**
- **Validate all changes by running both PHP and JS tests.**
- **Review `.github/workflows/` for the latest validation pipeline steps.**