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Contributing to placement_prep

Thank you for contributing! This book is a community-maintained knowledge base for software-engineering and placement preparation. This guide explains how to add and improve content.

Repository Overview

ItemDescription
src/All book content (Markdown)
src/SUMMARY.mdThe table of contents — every chapter must be listed here
book.tomlmdBook configuration
scripts/Validation tooling (links, SUMMARY, MathJax, Mermaid)
custom.css, mermaid-init.jsStyling and diagram rendering

The book is built with mdBook.

Getting Started

git clone https://github.com/vanos001/placement_prep.git
cd placement_prep
git checkout dev            # work on the dev branch

Never push directly to main. All content work happens on dev.

How to Add a Chapter

  1. Check for duplicates first — search src/, filenames, and SUMMARY.md for the topic. Prefer deepening an existing page over creating a duplicate.

  2. Create the Markdown file under the appropriate section, e.g.:

    src/networks/tcp/congestion-control.md

  3. Register it in src/SUMMARY.md so it is discoverable, e.g. a line of the form - [Congestion Control] → ./networks/tcp/congestion-control.md.

  4. Write real content — no placeholder pages. Aim for definition, intuition, examples, trade-offs, and (where useful) interview questions.

Content Guidelines

  • Follow existing structure — do not invent a new hierarchy when one already works.
  • Prefer primary sources — official documentation, RFCs, standards, man pages.
  • Add references — and never invent them.
  • Use diagrams sparingly — Mermaid where they genuinely aid understanding.
  • Keep pages focused — one excellent 2,000-word page beats ten shallow ones.
  • Style: technically rigorous, beginner-friendly, interview-oriented, no filler.

Validation

Before committing, run the repo’s checks (lightweight, no full build required):

python3 scripts/check-links.py .           # broken relative links
python3 scripts/check-summary.py src       # SUMMARY completeness
python3 scripts/check-mathjax.py .         # MathJax delimiter balance
node scripts/validate-mermaid-heuristic.mjs

Commit Conventions

Use conventional, scoped messages:

feat(networking): add TCP congestion control
feat(dsa): add advanced graph algorithms
docs(interview): add OS interview questions
fix(summary): repair broken links

License & Code of Conduct

  • Be respectful and constructive in all interactions.
  • Only submit content you have the right to share.
  • Do not commit secrets, credentials, or large binaries.