Automate Contributor Updates in Anki’s About Page Using GitHub Actions

Anki Suggestions
1

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

Currently, the About page in the Anki application does not dynamically reflect the CONTRIBUTORS list, meaning users may not see an up-to-date acknowledgment of those who have contributed to the software. This lack of automation and visibility can result in contributors not being properly recognized for their efforts in a timely manner.

Describe the solution you’d like

I propose automating the contributor update process using GitHub Actions. Here’s how it could work:

  1. Maintain a CONTRIBUTORS File: Keep the existing CONTRIBUTORS file in the Anki GitHub repository as the source of truth for contributor names.
  2. Set Up a GitHub Action: Create a workflow that triggers whenever a Pull Request is merged. The Action would:
  • Use the GitHub API to identify the PR author.
  • Check if the author is already in the CONTRIBUTORS file.
  • Update the About Page.

This approach would:

  • Automate the process, reducing the workload for maintainers.
  • Ensure Accuracy, as contributors are added promptly and consistently.
  • Improve Visibility, allowing users to see an up-to-date list of contributors directly in the app.
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This was rejected before. E.g. see

4 Likes
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Copying my comment there:

That’s because there are contributors who haven’t contributed code but did translations etc.

Also, not everyone who contributed may want their name to be on Anki’s About screen (or they might have been contributing from different aliases). I think both should files should be separated.

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Code contributors are required to update CONTRIBUTORS for licensing purposes.

But the “About” list is different:

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