Add a section for a local workflow to CONTRIBUTING.md

.github/workflows/check_docs.yml

@@ -34,9 +34,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install nipanel (with docs)
         run: poetry install -v --only main,docs
       - name: Generate docs
-        run:  poetry run sphinx-build docs docs/_build -b html -W --keep-going
+        run:  poetry run sphinx-build docs docs/_build -b html -W
       - name: Upload docs artifact
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
         with:
           name: nipanel-docs
-          path: docs/_build/
+          path: docs/_build/

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# Contributing to nipanel-python 
+# Contributing to nipanel-python
 
 Contributions to nipanel-python are welcome from all!
 
@@ -26,7 +26,30 @@ This is the command to generate the files in /src/ni/pythonpanel/v1/:
 
 # Testing
 
-- TODO: include testing steps here.
+## Simple development loop
+
+```
+# Create a new branch
+git fetch
+git switch --create users/{username}/{branch-purpose} origin/main
+
+# Install the project dependencies
+poetry install --with docs
+
+# ✍ Make source changes
+
+# Run the analyzers -- see files in .github/workflows for details
+poetry run nps lint
+poetry run mypy
+poetry run bandit -c pyproject.toml -r src/nipanel
+
+# Run the tests
+poetry run pytest -v
+
+# Build and inspect the documentation
+poetry run sphinx-build docs docs/_build --builder html --fail-on-warning
+start docs\_build\index.html
+```
 
 # Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO)
 
@@ -59,4 +82,4 @@ This is the command to generate the files in /src/ni/pythonpanel/v1/:
 (taken from [developercertificate.org](https://developercertificate.org/))
 
 See [LICENSE](https://github.com/ni/<reponame>/blob/main/LICENSE)
-for details about how \<reponame\> is licensed.
+for details about how \<reponame\> is licensed.