[doc][contribute] Improve coding instructions

doc/contribute.rst

@@ -74,6 +74,58 @@ If you would like to install them all using pip you can call: ::
     $ pip install -r pre-commit-dependencies.txt
 
 
+Development
+===========
+
+Writing code
+------------
+
+beat.editor is a python application or rather Qt Python application. It will use
+the `QtWidgets`_ module for the GUI part.
+
+The current implementation will use `PyQt`_ as `Qt for Python`_ is not yet
+available on conda.
+
+While the code is written in Python the API is mostly the same as the C++
+framework minus some pythonism that can be found in the `PyQt documentation`_.
+
+
+Writing tests
+-------------
+
+beat.editor uses pytest as its testing framework because of the `pytest-qt`_
+module that provides support for testing Qt based application.
+
+An example of tests is shown here:
+
+.. literalinclude:: ../beat/editor/test/test_editors.py
+
+
+Tests can fall in to categories:
+
+- Automatic tests
+- Manual tests
+
+Automatic tests are tests that can be fully automated using pytest and pytest-qt
+while manual tests are tests than requires that a person takes a look at the
+output of said test. For example check that the rendering of some GUI element is
+the expected output. This kind of test may require writing a minimal application
+that will be as automated as possible in order for the operator to only have to
+do the manual check(s) required.
+
+
+Run tests
+---------
+
+beat.editor uses pytest to run its test suite. ::
+
+    $ pytest -sv
+
+Will run all the tests verbosely and not capture the outputs of the test. The
+`-s` option is mandatory if there's a need to brake in the code using python's
+debugger.
+
+
 Coding guidelines
 =================
 
@@ -190,3 +242,5 @@ Merge message
 
 Merge messages should again be meaningful and concise about the what and the
 why.
+
+.. include:: links.rst

doc/links.rst

@@ -19,4 +19,11 @@
 .. _beat editor: https://www.idiap.ch/software/beat/docs/beat/docs/new/beat.editor/doc/index.html
 .. _bob: https://www.idiap.ch/software/bob/docs/bob/docs/stable/bob/doc/index.html
 .. _idiap: http://www.idiap.ch
-.. _eigenface: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eigenface
+.. _eigenface: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eigenface
\ No newline at end of file
+
+.. _Qt: http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/
+.. _QtWidgets: http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qtwidgets-index.html
+.. _Qt for python: https://www.qt.io/qt-for-python
+.. _PyQt: https://www.riverbankcomputing.com/software/pyqt/intro
+.. _PyQt documentation: http://pyqt.sourceforge.net/Docs/PyQt5/index.html
+.. _pytest-qt: https://pytest-qt.readthedocs.io/en/latest/