Initial YAML issue template for adding new database entry for a sensor

[weiji14]

A more user-friendly form-based way of contributing to the Polar EO Database! Users can open an issue and select dropdowns to fill up the template.

Preview at https://github.com/APECS-Earth-Observation/Polar-EO-Database/blob/issue-yaml-form/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/new_database_entry.yml

References:

• https://github.blog/changelog/2021-06-23-issues-forms-beta-for-public-repositories
• https://docs.github.com/en/communities/using-templates-to-encourage-useful-issues-and-pull-requests/syntax-for-githubs-form-schema.

[AdrienWehrle]

Awesome, thanks a lot for working on this! So if I understand correctly, this is a GUI that's filling in a YAML? And this is through an issue, but how is it linked to a potential PR then? Is that the part that we still have to develop? A bot that would create a PR based on a template-generated issue?

[weiji14]

Awesome, thanks a lot for working on this! So if I understand correctly, this is a GUI that's filling in a YAML?

Yes, it's essentially just a structured form. This is actually designed for filling up bug reports/feature requests so the output isn't actually a YAML but there will be a GitHub issue opened as a result. From that issue, we will then need to parse the outputs (which is already structured) into a proper Pull Request.

And this is through an issue, but how is it linked to a potential PR then? Is that the part that we still have to develop? A bot that would create a PR based on a template-generated issue?

Yep, so there are a few ways/steps to link an issue to a PR, which can be automated by a bot. Just some ideas:

1. Response directly. Have a welcome bot that reads the issue, and generates a proper YAML that users can then copy and paste to open a Pull Request.
2. Only repond on trigger. Wait for a maintainer to respond via a comment or a label, the next event is triggered via a bot like https://github.com/peter-evans/slash-command-dispatch, or some other method.

Either way, we could pretty much just guide the user on what to do next, e.g. provide a link to https://github.com/APECS-Earth-Observation/Polar-EO-Database/new/main/data, maybe pre-fill all the data they've already filled in from the YAML, and then it's close enough to a PR, What do you think?

[AdrienWehrle]

Super nice, I love it! Having a welcome bot sounds like a good idea and fun to setup! Since, as you say it, this is already structure, it shouldn't be too hard! :)

[AdrienWehrle]

Super nice, thanks a lot for working on this!