Add GitHub Actions for closing stale issues and pull request template

.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE/pull_request_template.md

@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+## Pull Request Template
+
+### Description
+
+(You can include a summary of the changes and mention the related issue/s Or the relevant context.)  
+
+Moreover every contribution is precious and we would like to learn about you:
+Can we return the favor? Are you like to contribute again? Would you like to be invited as member of the organisation? 
+
+### Fixing Closing issues
+
+This pull request closes #ISSUE_NUMBER
+
+### Type of change/s 
+(you can delete options that are not relevant.)
+
+- [ ] Bug fix
+- [ ] New feature 
+- [ ] Breaking change (fix or feature that would cause existing functionality to not work as expected)
+- [ ] This change requires a documentation update
+
+### How Has This Been Tested?
+
+- [ ] tested
+
+In what browser/s? 
+
+### Checklist:
+
+- [ ] I have commented my code, particularly in hard-to-understand areas
+- [ ] I have made corresponding changes to the documentation
+- [ ] My changes generate no new warnings
+
+( Doesn't apply to this repo: 
+- [ ] New and existing unit tests pass locally with my changes
+- [ ] Any dependent changes have been merged and published in downstream modules
+)
+
+

.github/workflows/stale.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+name: "Close Stale Issues"
+
+on:
+  schedule:
+    - cron: "0 0 * * *"
+
+jobs:
+  stale:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Close stale issues
+        uses: actions/stale@v4
+        with:
+          repo-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          days-before-stale: 30
+          days-before-close: 7
+          stale-issue-message: "This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had recent activity. It will be closed if no further activity occurs."
+          close-issue-message: "This issue has been automatically closed because it has not had recent activity."
+          exempt-issue-labels: "pinned,security"

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -7,3 +7,23 @@ Welcome to work! ("issues")
 ### https://github.com/code-charity/youtube/wiki/Contributing
 you can also just check the (pinned-)issues(, readme & discussion, wiki, ..)  <br><br>
 ### Thanks for caring ♥
+
+## GitHub Actions Workflow for Closing Stale Issues
+
+We have implemented a GitHub Actions workflow to automatically close stale issues. This helps in keeping the issue tracker clean and focused on active issues.
+
+The workflow is defined in the `.github/workflows/stale.yml` file. It uses the `actions/stale@v4` action to automatically close issues that have been inactive for a specified period. The configuration is as follows:
+
+- `days-before-stale`: 30 days
+- `days-before-close`: 7 days
+- Excludes issues with the `pinned` or `security` labels from being marked as stale
+
+For more details, refer to the [GitHub documentation on closing inactive issues](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/use-cases-and-examples/project-management/closing-inactive-issues).
+
+## Pull Request Template
+
+We have added a pull request template to ensure that an issue is closed if a pull request is merged. This helps in keeping the issue tracker up-to-date with the latest changes.
+
+The template is defined in the `.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE/pull_request_template.md` file. It includes verbiage like "This pull request closes #ISSUE_NUMBER" to ensure that an issue is closed when the pull request is merged.
+
+For more details, refer to the [GitHub documentation on using keywords in issues and pull requests](https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/writing-on-github/working-with-advanced-formatting/using-keywords-in-issues-and-pull-requests).