OptiScaler/CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing to OptiScaler

To maintain build efficiency and project structure, please follow these requirements for all code contributions.

Precompiled Header (PCH) Usage

We use Precompiled Headers to significantly reduce compile times. To prevent build degradation, please follow these rules:

• Source Files (.cpp): Every source file must include "pch.h" as the very first non-comment line.
• Header Files (.h): Never include "pch.h" inside a header file.
• Utility Code: Do not add general-purpose utilities, macros, or global declarations to pch.h. Use SysUtils.h or create a new functional header instead.
• Adding Dependencies: Only add large, stable, third-party or system headers (e.g., Windows/SDK headers) to pch.h.

Why this matters

Correct PCH usage keeps our build times fast (more than 2x faster than a standard build). Including pch.h in other headers or using it as a global utility bucket breaks the compiler's ability to cache the precompiled state and forces unnecessary full rebuilds.