Merge pull request #20 from trenner1/feature/pr_rules

docs(pr-rules): Add guidelines for Pull Request title formatting and types

Author: damienjburks

PR_RULES.md

@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+# Pull Request (PR) Rules - The Herald Bot
+
+## Introduction
+
+The **DevSec Blueprint (DSB)** community is dedicated to educating members about **DevSecOps** principles, tools, and best practices. As part of our commitment to maintaining high-quality software development, **The Herald** Discord bot follows structured **Pull Request (PR) guidelines** to ensure clarity, maintainability, and consistency across contributions.
+
+This document outlines the **Conventional Commits** specification for PR titles, ensuring that contributions align with **best DevSecOps practices**, facilitate automated release generation, and maintain a structured commit history.
+
+---
+
+## PR Title Formatting
+
+Every **non-draft PR** must follow the **Conventional Commits** specification for PR titles. This ensures:
+
+- **Consistent and readable commit history**
+- **Automatic generation of release notes**
+- **Avoidance of merge conflicts in release documentation**
+
+### PR Title Format
+
+A PR title should follow this structure:
+
+```
+<type>([optional scope]): <description>
+```
+
+Where:
+
+- **`<type>`** – Defines the nature of the change (see **Types** below)
+- **`[optional scope]`** – Provides additional context (optional but recommended)
+- **`<description>`** – Brief and meaningful description of the change
+
+---
+
+## PR Types
+
+Each PR must fall under one of the following types:
+
+| Type         | Description                                                                                |
+| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
+| **feat**     | Introduces a new feature for The Herald bot                                                |
+| **fix**      | Resolves a bug or issue in the bot’s code                                                  |
+| **chore**    | Non-code changes, such as documentation updates, manual release notes, or repo maintenance |
+| **docs**     | Updates to documentation, including README or wiki pages                                   |
+| **build**    | Changes to build scripts or dependency updates                                             |
+| **ci**       | Modifications to CI/CD pipelines, such as GitHub Actions                                   |
+| **refactor** | Code refactoring without functional changes                                                |
+| **style**    | Formatting, whitespace, or stylistic changes that don’t alter logic                        |
+| **test**     | Adding or updating tests                                                                   |
+| **perf**     | Performance improvements (unlikely to be common for The Herald)                            |
+
+---
+
+## Examples
+
+| PR Title                                                              | Description                                                   |
+| --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `feat(bot): Add role-based access control`                            | Introduces role-based access control (RBAC) to The Herald bot |
+| `fix(auth): Resolve incorrect token expiration handling`              | Fixes a bug where tokens were expiring prematurely            |
+| `ci(workflows): Update deployment pipeline to include security scans` | Enhances CI/CD pipeline with security checks                  |
+| `docs(readme): Add setup guide for contributors`                      | Improves documentation for new contributors                   |
+| `test(commands): Add unit tests for moderation commands`              | Adds missing tests for bot moderation features                |
+| `chore: Release v1.2.0`                                               | Manual release note update for version 1.2.0                  |
+
+---
+
+## Additional Guidelines
+
+- **Scope (optional but encouraged):** Use it when it provides meaningful context (e.g., `feat(bot): ...` instead of just `feat: ...`).
+- **Keep descriptions clear and concise:** Avoid unnecessary details in the title; add further context in the PR description.
+- **Follow best security practices:** Any security-related PRs should be labeled accordingly and reviewed carefully before merging.
+
+---
+
+## Why This Matters
+
+By following this **PR title convention**, contributors to **The Herald** help:
+
+✅ Maintain a **structured and meaningful commit history**  
+✅ Enable **automated changelogs** and **release note generation**  
+✅ Improve **code review efficiency** for the **DSB** community
+
+Thank you for contributing to **The Herald** and supporting **DevSecOps education!** 🚀
+
+---
+