Feat/env example in apps sim

[sundaram2021]

Summary

Brief description of what this PR does and why.

Fixes #(1835)

Type of Change

• Bug fix
• [ x] New feature
• Breaking change
• [x ] Documentation
• Other: ___________

Testing

How has this been tested? What should reviewers focus on?

Checklist

• Code follows project style guidelines
• Self-reviewed my changes
• Tests added/updated and passing
• No new warnings introduced
• I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms outlined in the Contributor License Agreement (CLA)

Screenshots/Videos

[vercel]

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[greptile-apps]

Greptile Overview

Greptile Summary

This PR adds comprehensive environment variable documentation to the project by:

1. Creating apps/sim/.env.example - A well-organized example configuration file with 292 environment variables grouped into three categories:

   • Required Variables: Core functionality variables like DATABASE_URL, BETTER_AUTH_SECRET, BETTER_AUTH_URL, and NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL
   • Required For Certain Operations: Feature-specific variables (AI providers, cloud storage, OAuth integrations, etc.)
   • Optional Variables: Configuration overrides and optional features

2. Updating README.md - Added NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL to the list of required environment variables in the setup instructions (line 120), ensuring developers are aware of all core configuration requirements.

The .env.example file provides comprehensive inline documentation for each variable, including its purpose, expected format, and when it's needed. This significantly improves the developer onboarding experience by making environment setup more discoverable and self-documenting.

The addition of NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL to the README is important as this variable is required in apps/sim/lib/env.ts:252 and used for environment detection in apps/sim/lib/environment.ts:25-26.

Confidence Score: 5/5

• This PR is safe to merge with no risk - it only adds documentation
• Documentation-only change that improves developer experience. The addition of NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL to the README correctly reflects the required environment variable defined in env.ts. The comprehensive .env.example file provides excellent documentation with clear categorization and inline comments.
• No files require special attention

Important Files Changed

File Analysis

Filename	Score	Overview
README.md	5/5	Updated environment variable setup instructions to include NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL
apps/sim/.env.example	5/5	Comprehensive environment configuration example with 292 variables organized by category

Sequence Diagram

sequenceDiagram
    participant Dev as Developer
    participant Repo as Repository
    participant README as README.md
    participant EnvExample as .env.example
    participant LocalEnv as .env (local)
    participant App as Application
    
    Dev->>Repo: Clone repository
    Dev->>README: Read setup instructions
    README-->>Dev: Shows required vars: DATABASE_URL, BETTER_AUTH_SECRET, BETTER_AUTH_URL, NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL
    Dev->>EnvExample: Copy .env.example to .env
    EnvExample-->>LocalEnv: Creates local config with all variables
    Note over EnvExample,LocalEnv: 292 variables organized:<br/>- Required (core)<br/>- Required (features)<br/>- Optional
    Dev->>LocalEnv: Configure required variables
    LocalEnv-->>App: Provides configuration
    App->>App: Validates via env.ts<br/>(line 252: NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL)
    App->>App: Uses in environment.ts<br/>(line 25-26: isHosted check)

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[waleedlatif1]

@sundaram2021 there is already a .env.example in apps/sim/app