Developer Guide¶

This page provides information for developers who wish to contribute to TOIREx or understand its internal structure.

Pipeline Architecture¶

The pipeline consists of several independent modules responsible for specific reduction tasks.

Input and configuration handling
Calibration
Image processing
Spectroscopic extraction
Photometric extraction
World Coordinate System calibration
Output generation

The modules communicate primarily through FITS files and the pipeline configuration, allowing individual reduction stages to be reused independently.

Repository Structure¶

The source code follows a standard Python package layout.

TOIREx/
├── docs/              # Documentation source
├── src/
│   └── toirex/        # TOIREx source code
├── tests/             # Unit tests
├── pyproject.toml     # Package metadata
├── LICENSE
└── README.md

The toirex package contains the complete implementation of the pipeline.

Development Installation¶

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/varghesereji/TOIREx.git

Enter the repository

cd TOIREx

Create a virtual environment

python -m venv venv

Activate the environment

Linux/macOS

source venv/bin/activate

Windows

venv\Scripts\activate

Install TOIREx in editable mode

pip install -e .

Editable installation allows modifications to the source code without reinstalling the package.

Coding Style¶

The TOIREx codebase follows the recommendations of PEP 8.

When contributing new code,

use descriptive variable and function names,
keep functions focused on a single task,
avoid duplicated code,
include informative comments where necessary,
write docstrings for all public modules, classes and functions.

Docstrings should follow the NumPy documentation style.

Testing¶

Before submitting any changes, ensure that the existing test suite passes.

Run all tests using

pytest

If only a specific test file needs to be executed,

pytest tests/test_filename.py

Documentation¶

The documentation is generated using Sphinx.

To build the documentation locally,

cd docs
make html

The generated documentation will be available in

docs/build/html/

Open index.html in a web browser to view the documentation.

Configuration File¶

Most pipeline behaviour is controlled through the configuration file.

When introducing a new configuration parameter,

provide a sensible default value,
document the parameter in the User Guide,
ensure backward compatibility whenever possible,
validate user input before use.

Logging¶

TOIREx uses the Python logging module for status messages.

Developers should use

import logging

logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)

instead of using print() statements for diagnostic output.

Error Handling¶

Errors should provide informative messages to help users identify the problem quickly.

Where appropriate,

validate inputs before processing,
raise meaningful exceptions,
avoid using bare except statements.

Contributing¶

Contributions are welcome.

The recommended workflow is

Fork the repository.
Create a new feature branch.
Implement the changes.
Add or update tests where appropriate.
Update the documentation.
Submit a pull request.

Please ensure that all tests pass before opening a pull request.

API Documentation¶

The API reference is generated automatically from the source code using Sphinx.

When adding new public classes or functions,

include complete docstrings,
document parameters and return values,
provide examples where appropriate.

Maintaining high-quality documentation helps both users and developers understand and extend the TOIREx pipeline.