Developer Guide

This guide is the contributor-facing handbook for DTL internals, workflows, standards, and release gates.

Who this is for

Use this guide if you are:

• adding or changing C++ library behavior

• changing C, Python, or Fortran bindings

• touching ABI surface areas

• updating test strategy, docs, packaging, or release assets

How to use this guide

Read chapter 1 through 4 once before major changes. Then use the API- and language-specific chapters as needed.

• 1. Development Environment
  • Prerequisites
  • Repository setup
  • Local build profiles
  • Build safety policy
  • Recommended day-to-day loop
• 2. Codebase Architecture
  • High-level layout
  • Layers
  • Change impact map
  • Compatibility expectations
  • Runtime/handle references
• 3. C++ Contribution Standards
  • Baseline coding expectations
  • Public API discipline
  • Error handling model
  • Performance and correctness
  • Review checklist for C++ changes
• 4. Memory Management and Lifetime
  • Ownership model
  • Rules
  • Non-owning span/view rules
  • ABI boundary exceptions
  • Python binding lifetime rules
  • Fortran binding lifetime rules
  • Memory review checklist
• 5. C ABI Development
  • Scope
  • ABI design rules
  • Backend availability behavior
  • Handle lifecycle
  • API evolution
  • Testing
  • Related chapter
• 6. Python Bindings Development
  • Structure
  • Layering model
  • API design expectations
  • Lifetime and memory safety
  • distributed_span in Python
  • Running tests
  • Common pitfalls
  • Related chapter
• 7. Fortran Bindings Development
  • Structure
  • Design principles
  • Interface rules
  • Lifetime expectations
  • Validation
  • When changing C ABI
  • Related chapter
• 8. Testing and Quality Gates
  • Test categories
  • Minimum pre-merge gate for binding or ABI work
  • Recommended command set
  • Regression triage guidance
  • Quality bar
• 9. Documentation and API Comments
  • Toolchain
  • Local docs commands
  • Doxygen standards for public APIs
  • Python docs and docstrings
  • Site organization expectations
• 10. Release Process and Checklists
  • Release goals
  • Contributor release checklist
  • Version and packaging notes
• 11. Debugging and Troubleshooting
  • Build failures
  • Python import/runtime issues
  • C ABI runtime issues
  • Fortran interop issues
  • Documentation issues
  • Escalation path for hard regressions
• 12. Runtime and Handle Development
  • Scope
  • Runtime architecture touchpoints
  • Handle categories
  • Required invariants
  • C ABI-specific requirements
  • Python wrapper requirements
  • Fortran wrapper requirements
  • Review checklist for runtime/handle changes
  • Validation commands