chore: update issue templates and contributing documents for clarity and consistency

Signed-off-by: Lee Calcote <[email protected]>

Author: leecalcote

.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_report.md

@@ -27,8 +27,10 @@ assignees: ''
 -->
 
 ---
+
 #### Contributor Guide and Resources
+
 - 📚 [Instructions for contributing to academy-theme](https://github.com/layer5io/academy-theme/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md)
-   - academy-example documentation [site](https://docs.layer5.io/cloud/academy/) and [source](https://github.com/layer5io/academy-example/)
+  - academy-example documentation [site](https://docs.layer5.io/cloud/academy/) and [source](https://github.com/layer5io/academy-example/)
 - 🎨 Wireframes and [designs for Layer5 site](https://www.figma.com/file/5ZwEkSJwUPitURD59YHMEN/Layer5-Designs) in Figma [(open invite)](https://www.figma.com/team_invite/redeem/qJy1c95qirjgWQODApilR9)
-- 🙋🏾🙋🏼 Questions: [Layer5 Discussion Forum](https://discuss.layer5.io) and [Layer5 Community Slack](http://slack.layer5.io)
+- 🙋🏾🙋🏼 Questions: [Layer5 Discussion Forum](https://discuss.layer5.io) and [Layer5 Community Slack](http://slack.layer5.io)

.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/ci.md

@@ -18,8 +18,10 @@ assignees: ''
 <!-- Stipulations of functional behavior or non-functional items that must be in-place in order for the issue to be closed. -->
 
 ---
+
 #### Contributor Guide and Resources
+
 - 📚 [Instructions for contributing to academy-theme](https://github.com/layer5io/academy-theme/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md)
-   - academy-example documentation [site](https://docs.layer5.io/cloud/academy/) and [source](https://github.com/layer5io/academy-example/)
+  - academy-example documentation [site](https://docs.layer5.io/cloud/academy/) and [source](https://github.com/layer5io/academy-example/)
 - 🎨 Wireframes and [designs for Layer5 site](https://www.figma.com/file/5ZwEkSJwUPitURD59YHMEN/Layer5-Designs) in Figma [(open invite)](https://www.figma.com/team_invite/redeem/qJy1c95qirjgWQODApilR9)
-- 🙋🏾🙋🏼 Questions: [Layer5 Discussion Forum](https://discuss.layer5.io) and [Layer5 Community Slack](http://slack.layer5.io)
+- 🙋🏾🙋🏼 Questions: [Layer5 Discussion Forum](https://discuss.layer5.io) and [Layer5 Community Slack](http://slack.layer5.io)

.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/documentation.md

@@ -7,14 +7,13 @@ assignees: ''
 ---
 ### Current State
 
-
 ### Desired State
 
-
 ---
 
 #### Contributor Guide and Resources
+
 - 📚 [Instructions for contributing to academy-theme](https://github.com/layer5io/academy-theme/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md)
-   - academy-example documentation [site](https://docs.layer5.io/cloud/academy/) and [source](https://github.com/layer5io/academy-example/)
+  - academy-example documentation [site](https://docs.layer5.io/cloud/academy/) and [source](https://github.com/layer5io/academy-example/)
 - 🎨 Wireframes and [designs for Layer5 site](https://www.figma.com/file/5ZwEkSJwUPitURD59YHMEN/Layer5-Designs) in Figma [(open invite)](https://www.figma.com/team_invite/redeem/qJy1c95qirjgWQODApilR9)
-- 🙋🏾🙋🏼 Questions: [Layer5 Discussion Forum](https://discuss.layer5.io) and [Layer5 Community Slack](http://slack.layer5.io)
+- 🙋🏾🙋🏼 Questions: [Layer5 Discussion Forum](https://discuss.layer5.io) and [Layer5 Community Slack](http://slack.layer5.io)

.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature_request.md

@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@ assignees: ''
 <!-- [Optional] Any visual diagrams of the desired user interface. -->
 
 ---
+
 - 📚 [Instructions for contributing to academy-theme](https://github.com/layer5io/academy-theme/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md)
-   - academy-example documentation [site](https://docs.layer5.io/cloud/academy/) and [source](https://github.com/layer5io/academy-example/)
+  - academy-example documentation [site](https://docs.layer5.io/cloud/academy/) and [source](https://github.com/layer5io/academy-example/)
 - 🎨 Wireframes and [designs for Layer5 site](https://www.figma.com/file/5ZwEkSJwUPitURD59YHMEN/Layer5-Designs) in Figma [(open invite)](https://www.figma.com/team_invite/redeem/qJy1c95qirjgWQODApilR9)
-- 🙋🏾🙋🏼 Questions: [Layer5 Discussion Forum](https://discuss.layer5.io) and [Layer5 Community Slack](http://slack.layer5.io)
+- 🙋🏾🙋🏼 Questions: [Layer5 Discussion Forum](https://discuss.layer5.io) and [Layer5 Community Slack](http://slack.layer5.io)

.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md

@@ -2,12 +2,9 @@
 
 This PR fixes #
 
-
-
-
 **[Signed commits](../blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md#signing-off-on-commits-developer-certificate-of-origin)**
+
 - [ ] Yes, I signed my commits.
- 
 
 <!--
 Thank you for contributing to Meshery! 

CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md

@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@
 
 The Layer5 community follows the code of conduct outlined in the [Community Handbook]([https://layer5.io](https://layer5.io/community/handbook/code-of-conduct).
 
-Instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise unacceptable behavior may be reported by contacting [email protected].
+Instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise unacceptable behavior may be reported by contacting <[email protected]>.

CONTRIBUTING-gitflow.md

@@ -1,41 +1,53 @@
 # Working by Forking
+
 Just head over to the GitHub page and click the "Fork" button. It's just that simple. Once you've done that, you can use your favorite git client to clone your repo or just head straight to the command line:
 
 ## Clone your fork to your local machine
+
 ```
 git clone [email protected]:USERNAME/FORKED-PROJECT.git
 ```
+
 Keeping Your Fork Up to Date
 While this isn't an absolutely necessary step, if you plan on doing anything more than just a tiny quick fix, you'll want to make sure you keep your fork up to date by tracking the original "upstream" repo that you forked. To do this, you'll need to add a remote:
 
 ## Add 'upstream' repo to list of remotes
+
 ```
 git remote add upstream https://github.com/layer5io/meshery.git
-``` 
+```
+
 ("meshery" is used as the example repo. Be sure to reference the _actual_ repo you're contributing to e.g. "meshery-linkerd").
 
 ## Verify the new remote named 'upstream'
+
 ```
 git remote -v
 ```
+
 Whenever you want to update your fork with the latest upstream changes, you'll need to first fetch the upstream repo's branches and latest commits to bring them into your repository:
 
 ## Fetch from upstream remote
+
 ```
 git fetch upstream
 ```
 
 ## View all branches, including those from upstream
+
 ```
 git branch -va
 ```
+
 Now, checkout your own master branch and merge the upstream repo's master branch:
 
 ## Checkout your master branch and merge upstream
+
 ```
 git checkout master
 git merge upstream/master
 ```
+
 If there are no unique commits on the local master branch, git will simply perform a fast-forward. However, if you have been making changes on master (in the vast majority of cases you probably shouldn't be - see the next section, you may have to deal with conflicts. When doing so, be careful to respect the changes made upstream.
 
 Now, your local master branch is up-to-date with everything modified upstream.
@@ -46,11 +58,13 @@ Whenever you begin work on a new feature or bugfix, it's important that you crea
 To create a new branch and start working on it, peform the following flow.
 
 ## Checkout the master branch - you want your new branch to come from master
+
 ```
 git checkout master
 ```
 
 ## Create a new branch (give your branch its own simple informative name)
+
 For enhancements use `feature/your_username/issue#` or `feature/your_username/name_of_feature`
 
 For bugs use `bug/your_username/issue#` or `bug/your_username/name_of_bug`
@@ -60,36 +74,45 @@ git branch feature/jdoe/567
 ```
 
 ## Switch to your new branch
+
 ```
 git checkout feature/jdoe/567
 ```
+
 Now, go to town hacking away and making whatever changes you want to.
 
 ## Submitting your changes (a Pull Request)
+
 Prior to submitting your pull request, you might want to do a few things to clean up your branch and make it as simple as possible for the original repo's maintainer to test, accept, and merge your work.
 
 In the time that you've been working on your changes, if any commits have been made to the upstream master branch, you will need to rebase your development branch so that merging it will be a simple fast-forward that won't require any conflict resolution work.
 
 ## Fetch upstream master and merge with your repo's master branch
+
 ```
 git fetch upstream
 git checkout master
 git merge upstream/master
 ```
 
 ## If there were any new commits, rebase your development branch
+
 ```
 git checkout feature/jdoe/567
 git rebase master
 ```
+
 Now, it may be desirable to squash some of your smaller commits down into a small number of larger more cohesive commits. You can do this with an interactive rebase:
 
 ## Rebase all commits on your development branch
+
 ```
 git checkout
 git rebase -i master
 ```
+
 This will open up a text editor where you can specify which commits to squash.
 
 ## Submitting
+
 Once you've committed and pushed all of your changes to GitHub, go to the page for your fork on GitHub, select your development branch, and click the pull request button. If you need to make any adjustments to your pull request, just push the updates to GitHub. Your pull request will automatically track the changes on your development branch and update.

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -26,38 +26,41 @@ information on using pull requests.
 
 To develop this theme locally, you can link it to a Hugo site (like the [academy starter template](https://github.com/layer5io/academy-example)) using a `replace` directive in the site's `go.mod` file.
 
-1.  **Directory Setup**
+1. **Directory Setup**
 
     Ensure you have cloned both this theme repository and your Hugo site repository into the same parent directory. Your folder structure should look like this:
+
     ```
     my-academy-content/
     ├── academy-example/     <-- Your content project
     └── academy-theme/  <-- This theme project
     ```
 
-2.  **Modify `go.mod`**
+2. **Modify `go.mod`**
 
     In your site's (`academy-example/`) `go.mod` file, add the following `replace` directive to point to your local theme folder:
+
     ```go
     replace github.com/layer5io/academy-theme => ../academy-theme
     ```
 
-3.  **Run the Server**
+3. **Run the Server**
     Now, when you run `make site` from within your site's directory, Hugo will use your local theme files instead of fetching the remote module, allowing you to see your changes live.
 
 ## Updating the Theme
 
 To ensure you have the latest version of the theme or to upgrade to a newer release, follow these steps:
 
-1.  **Update Go Module**
+1. **Update Go Module**
     Navigate to your Hugo site's root directory (e.g., `academy-example/`) in your terminal. Run the following command to update the theme module:
+
     ```bash
     go get -u github.com/layer5io/academy-theme
     ```
-    This command will fetch the latest version of the theme and update your `go.mod` and `go.sum` files accordingly.
 
+    This command will fetch the latest version of the theme and update your `go.mod` and `go.sum` files accordingly.
 
-2.  **Rebuild Your Site**
+2. **Rebuild Your Site**
     After updating the theme, rebuild your Hugo site to incorporate the changes:
 
     ```bash
@@ -73,4 +76,4 @@ To ensure you have the latest version of the theme or to upgrade to a newer rele
     Your site should now be running with the updated theme.
 
     For detailed guide, check：
-    [Creating your learning path – ongoing maintenance and updates](https://docs.layer5.io/cloud/academy/creating-your-learning-path/#6-ongoing-maintenance-and-updates)
+    [Creating your learning path – ongoing maintenance and updates](https://docs.layer5.io/cloud/academy/creating-your-learning-path/#6-ongoing-maintenance-and-updates)

Makefile

@@ -31,6 +31,18 @@ clean:
 	hugo --cleanDestinationDir
 	make site
 
+## Fix Markdown linting issues
+lint-fix:
+	@echo "Checking for markdownlint-cli2..."
+	@command -v markdownlint-cli2 > /dev/null || { \
+		echo "markdownlint-cli2 not found. Attempting to install globally..."; \
+		command -v npm > /dev/null || { echo "npm is not installed. Please install Node.js/npm and re-run 'make lint-fix'."; exit 1; }; \
+		npm install -g markdownlint-cli2; \
+	}
+	@echo "Running markdownlint-cli2 --fix..."
+	@markdownlint-cli2 --fix "**/*.md" "#node_modules" "#public" "#resources"
+
+
 check-go:
 	@echo "Checking if Go is installed..."
 	@command -v go > /dev/null || (echo "Go is not installed. Please install it before proceeding."; exit 1)

README.md

@@ -5,5 +5,4 @@ The recommended approach to use this theme is through the academy starter templa
 
 ## Getting started with this theme
 
-
 The recommended approach to use this theme is through the academy starter template .