how to start developing

Dev Manual - how to develop 2

source/fusiondirectory/development/How to/how-to.rst

-=============================
-How to Start Your Development Journey
-=============================
-
-This guide will help you get started with development within our GitLab environment.
-It covers account creation, issue reporting, branch creation, and submitting a Merge Request (MR).
-
-------------------------------
-1. Create a GitLab Account
-------------------------------
-
-1. Go to our GitLab instance: `<insert_gitlab_url_here>`
-2. Click on **Register** or **Sign In** if you already have an account.
-3. Follow the registration process, and once your account is active, sign in.
-4. Ensure you have the necessary permissions to access projects. If not, request access from an administrator.
-
-------------------------------
-2. Select a Project
-------------------------------
-
-1. After logging into GitLab, click on **Projects** in the top navigation bar.
-2. Select **"Explore Projects"** or **"Your Projects"** to find the relevant repository.
-3. Most developments take place in the **plugins** section, so navigate there if applicable.
-
-------------------------------
-3. Create an Issue
-------------------------------
-
-To report a new feature or a bug, follow these steps:
-
-1. Navigate to the **Issues** section within the selected project:
-   - In the project repository, click on **Issues** in the left sidebar.
-   - Click on the **New Issue** button.
-
-2. Fill in the issue details:
-   - **Title**: A short and clear summary of the issue.
-   - **Description**: Provide a detailed explanation of the issue or feature request.
-   - **Template**: Use the available issue template and ensure all sections are completed properly.
-
-3. Click **Submit Issue** to create it.
-
-------------------------------
-4. Create a New Branch
-------------------------------
-
-When you create an issue, you should also create a branch for your development:
-
-1. Open the newly created issue.
-2. In the right-hand sidebar, locate the **"Create merge request"** button and click on it.
-3. A dialog will appear:
-   - Keep the source branch name descriptive (e.g., `feature-new-plugin` or `fix-bug-xyz`).
-   - The target branch should be the project's development branch (e.g., `develop`).
-   - Check **"Start a new merge request"** to begin tracking progress.
-4. Click **Create Branch**.
-
-------------------------------
-5. Checkout Your Branch Locally
-------------------------------
-
-Once the branch is created, you can start developing:
-
-1. Open your terminal and navigate to your local repository.
-2. Run the following command to fetch the latest changes:
-

source/fusiondirectory/development/howtodev/how-to.rst

+========================
+Your Development Journey
+========================
+
+This guide will help you get started with development within our GitLab environment.
+It covers account creation, issue creation, project forking, and submitting a Merge Request (MR).
+
+-----------------------------------
+1. Create a FusionDirectory Account
+-----------------------------------
+
+We have a fully automated process to grant you the necessary permissions for contributing to our projects.
+
+Follow the link below to register:
+`https://iam.fusiondirectory.org/publicform.php?form=register`
+
+Once registered, go to our GitLab instance: `https://gitlab.fusiondirectory.org/` to log in and access projects.
+
+------------------------------
+2. Select and Fork a Project
+------------------------------
+
+1. After logging into GitLab, click **Projects** in the top navigation bar.
+
+   .. note::
+      The default project is **FusionDirectory**, located here:
+      `https://gitlab.fusiondirectory.org/fusiondirectory/`
+
+2. Click **"Explore Projects"** to browse available repositories or **"Your Projects"** to view assigned projects.
+3. Most development work occurs in the **fd-plugins** section, so navigate there if applicable.
+4. In the top-right corner of the project page, click **Fork Project**. This will create a copy of the full project within your namespace.
+
+   .. image:: images/ForkFdPlugins.png
+
+5. Select the project URL, ensuring your username is included, as shown in the example below. You may change the **Project Slug**, but we recommend leaving it unchanged.
+
+   .. image:: images/ForkFdPlugins2.png
+
+6. Click **Fork Project**.
+
+You will be automatically redirected to your own space, where you can now modify the project and create your first Merge Request.
+
+------------------------------
+3. Create a Development Branch
+------------------------------
+
+Now, let's create a **new merge request** for your forked project.
+
+1. Go to the **Merge Requests** section in the left sidebar and click **"New Merge Request"**.
+
+   .. image:: images/NewMergeRequest.png
+
+2. On the new page, ensure the settings are correct:
+
+   - **Source project**: Your personal fork (`[username]/[project-name]`)
+   - **Target project**: The original repository (`fusiondirectory/[project-name]`)
+
+   .. image:: images/MergeRequestFromTo.png
+
+   Click **Compare Branch and Continue**.
+
+3. In the dialog that appears:
+
+   - Leave the branch name as suggested. We recommend using the same branch name as the issue title.
+   - Ensure the target branch is the development branch (e.g., `dev`).
+
+   .. image:: images/FromTo.png
+
+4. Fill in the optional fields:
+
+   - **Assignee**: Assign the MR to yourself.
+   - **Reviewer**: Assign another contributor or a FusionDirectory developer as a reviewer.
+   - **Milestone**: Select a milestone if applicable.
+   - **Labels**: These will be set automatically—leave them unchanged.
+   - **Merge options**:
+
+     - Select **"Delete source branch when merge request is accepted"**, which is the default setting.
+
+   .. image:: images/MergeRequestOptions.png
+
+5. Click **Create Merge Request** to begin tracking progress.
+
+-------------------------------
+4. Checkout Your Branch Locally
+-------------------------------
+
+Once the branch is created, you can start development.
+
+1. Click the **Code** button in the top-right corner of the page.
+2. Click **Check out branch** to view checkout instructions.
+
+   .. image:: images/Checkout.png
+
+3. Copy the provided Git command and execute it in your local repository to switch to your branch.
+
+   .. note::
+      Ensure your new branch is available locally. If not, clone your forked repository before running the above command.
+
+----------------------------------------
+5. Create an Issue on the Origin Project
+----------------------------------------
+
+Once you have completed your development and your merge request is ready, you need to create an issue on the original project.
+
+1. Navigate to the **Issues** section of the original project:
+
+   - In the project repository, click **Issues** in the left sidebar.
+   - Click the **New Issue** button.
+
+2. Fill in the issue details:
+
+   - **Title**: Provide a concise and clear summary of the issue.
+   - **Description**: Explain the issue or feature request in detail, including expected behavior.
+   - **Template**: Use the available issue template and ensure all sections are completed correctly.
+
+3. In the **Description**, make sure to link your Merge Request from your personal fork.
+This allows the FusionDirectory developers to review your code and integrate it into the original codebase.
+
+4. Click **Submit Issue** to create it.
+
+---
+
+That's it!
+We look forward to your contributions and innovations!

source/fusiondirectory/development/howtodev/index.rst

+Start developing
+================
+
+.. toctree::
+   :maxdepth: 2
+
+   howtodev/how-to.rst

source/fusiondirectory/development/index.rst

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ Development
 
 
    contribute/guidelines.rst
+   howtodev/how-to.rst
    codingstyle/index.rst
    writeplugin/index.rst   
    api/index.rst