How to collaborate

There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. If you want a better portapack, there is no better way to get it than by collaborating.

Write documentation

There is a lot of missing documentation about all the features, so it is really important to write clean and detailed instructions for them. In this current wiki, you can modify or add new content with a normal Github account.

Select a topic you think you can master. It can be an specific app, function of an app or feature or procedure related with your PortaPack
Check the following sources:
To create a new section, you have to edit the sidebar and then edit the page. To modify any actual section, just do it directly. Try to follow the same language and style used in the other articles of the Wiki.

For learning about the text formatting, check the Markdown Cheatsheet.

Coding new stuff or fixing bugs

I know what are you thinking: "I am not an expert, I do not know C++, I am not capable, etc", but nobody really is until they do. The easiest way to get a bug fixed or a new feature is to code it yourself.

So, setup the environment and compile the code as instructed below. Modify something dumb: the title bar of an app, some button, ... compile again and test. Try to understand how things works; this is exactly how everyone gets involved.

Tip

While you learn, you can add comments and rename variables if you think it will help others to understand the code. This is also a very appreciated contribution.

Environment setup

Fork the repository

Download and install Github desktop
Log to Github, open the repository and click Fork on the top right
In your Fork, Click Clone and Open in Desktop
Follow the rest of instructions in Github desktop

Prepare for compilation

Compile your fork
As noted in the details on the previous step, the first time it might take a long time to finish. The result will be left on the build folder, on the root of your fork

Start coding

You can check the following brief video that shows the most of the steps described below.

Work on the code

Install Visual Studio Code
Open the root directory of your local copy of the Fork
Change something
Run the image from Kitematic to compile
Go to step 3 until finished

It is recommended to work in branches, but as a beginner, it is ok to work on your master branch.

Create commits with your changes after you complete them.

Just keep in mind:

Keep it simple, the fewer commits, affected files and lines, the better
Use a descriptive name for the commits, add the URL of the issue if you were fixing something specific
The project needs to compile successfully after each commit

Submit your changes

This is the last stage. Your new feature or fix is ready and this is how you submit the changes:

Publish the branch (if necessary) and push all the commits
Do a pull request. Use a descriptive title and description if you think is necessary
Just follow the interaction on Github now

Note

The wiki is incomplete. Please add content and collaborate.

Important

This is a public wiki. Everything is visible to everyone. Don't use it for personal notes.
Avoid linking to external tutorials/articles; they may become outdated or contain false information.