doc: Add directions for using dev containers

CONTRIBUTING.rst

@@ -102,48 +102,43 @@ and use Python's built-in web server for a preview in your web browser
 
     python3 -m http.server --directory 'docs/_build/html'
 
+Project Setup
+=============
 
-Code Contributions
-==================
+Clone the repository
+--------------------
 
-.. todo:: Please include a reference or explanation about the internals of the project.
+#. Create an user account on |the repository service| if you do not already have one.
+#. Fork the project repository_: click on the *Fork* button near the top of the
+   page. This creates a copy of the code under your account on |the repository service|.
+#. Clone this copy to your local disk::
 
-   An architecture description, design principles or at least a summary of the
-   main concepts will make it easy for potential contributors to get started
-   quickly.
+    git clone [email protected]:YourLogin/strawberry-sqlalchemy-mapper.git
+    cd strawberry-sqlalchemy-mapper
 
-Submit an issue
----------------
+Install dependencies and plugins
+--------------------------------
 
-Before you work on any non-trivial code contribution it's best to first create
-a report in the `issue tracker`_ to start a discussion on the subject.
-This often provides additional considerations and avoids unnecessary work.
+There are two ways to set up the environment for local development:
 
-Create an environment
----------------------
+#. Manual environment setup
 
-Before you start coding, we recommend creating an isolated `virtual
-environment`_ to avoid any problems with your installed Python packages.
-This can easily be done via either |virtualenv|_::
+#. Dev Container setup
 
-    virtualenv <PATH TO VENV>
-    source <PATH TO VENV>/bin/activate
+Method 1: Manual environment setup
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
-or Miniconda_::
+#. Before you start coding, we recommend creating an isolated `virtual
+   environment`_ to avoid any problems with your installed Python packages.
+   This can easily be done via either |virtualenv|_::
 
-    conda create -n strawberry-sqlalchemy-mapper python=3 six virtualenv pytest pytest-cov
-    conda activate strawberry-sqlalchemy-mapper
+      virtualenv <PATH TO VENV>
+      source <PATH TO VENV>/bin/activate
 
-Clone the repository
---------------------
+   or Miniconda_::
 
-#. Create an user account on |the repository service| if you do not already have one.
-#. Fork the project repository_: click on the *Fork* button near the top of the
-   page. This creates a copy of the code under your account on |the repository service|.
-#. Clone this copy to your local disk::
-
-    git clone [email protected]:YourLogin/strawberry-sqlalchemy-mapper.git
-    cd strawberry-sqlalchemy-mapper
+      conda create -n strawberry-sqlalchemy-mapper python=3 six virtualenv pytest pytest-cov
+      conda activate strawberry-sqlalchemy-mapper
 
 #. You should run::
 
@@ -161,6 +156,38 @@ Clone the repository
    ``strawberry-sqlalchemy-mapper`` comes with a lot of hooks configured to automatically help the
    developer to check the code being written.
 
+
+Method 2: Dev Container setup
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+#. Install `Dev Containers`_.
+
+#. Press ``Ctrl+Shift+P`` to open the command tab and enter ``Dev Containers: Open Folder in Container...``.
+
+#. Select the root directory of this repository.
+   Dev Containers will now install the environment dependencies as well as |pre-commit|_
+
+#. When installation is complete, press ``Ctrl+Shift+P`` to open the command tab and enter ``Python Select Interpreter``
+
+#. Select the environment labeled 'poetry'.
+
+
+Code Contributions
+==================
+
+.. todo:: Please include a reference or explanation about the internals of the project.
+
+   An architecture description, design principles or at least a summary of the
+   main concepts will make it easy for potential contributors to get started
+   quickly.
+
+Submit an issue
+---------------
+
+Before you work on any non-trivial code contribution it's best to first create
+a report in the `issue tracker`_ to start a discussion on the subject.
+This often provides additional considerations and avoids unnecessary work.
+
 Implement your changes
 ----------------------
 
@@ -329,6 +356,7 @@ on PyPI_, the following steps can be used to release a new version for
 .. _contribution-guide.org: https://www.contribution-guide.org/
 .. _creating a PR: https://docs.github.com/en/pull-requests/collaborating-with-pull-requests/proposing-changes-to-your-work-with-pull-requests/creating-a-pull-request
 .. _descriptive commit message: https://chris.beams.io/posts/git-commit
+.. _Dev Containers: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.remote-containers
 .. _docstrings: https://www.sphinx-doc.org/en/master/usage/extensions/napoleon.html
 .. _first-contributions tutorial: https://github.com/firstcontributions/first-contributions
 .. _flake8: https://flake8.pycqa.org/en/stable/

README.md

@@ -213,6 +213,8 @@ If you have a suggestion that would make this better, please fork the repo and c
 4. Push to the Branch (git push origin feature)
 5. Open a Pull Request
 
+For more details on how to contribute, as well as how to setup the project on your local machine, please refer to [the docs](CONTRIBUTING.rst)
+
 
 ### Prerequisites