Introduction
This file contains some generic information about the development of FONSim.
Branching
The FONS project branching is based on the
[Driessen or git-flow model](https://nvie.com/posts/a-successful-git-branching-model/).
Put simply,
the master branch is reserved for production-ready code.
All code in master should be stable and usable.
The dev branch contains the latest developed features,
yet as a result the software is not as stable.
The actual features (and improvements in general) are developed in the
feature branches, for example feature-plotting.
To get this repo locally
1. Clone the repo (notice the $ - this means to do it in a terminal/console). The directory with the project will be located in the current working directory of the terminal.
$ git clone https://gitlab.com/abaeyens/fonsim.git
Go in the created directory (note: one can use TAB for autocompletion)
$ cd fonsim
Create a local install
A local install allows to try out the library locally. This can be useful during development. First, rename the project root directory to fonsim (default name after Git clone: fons). Second, run in the project root directory:
$ python -m pip install -e .
This installs the FONS package such that it is accessible like all other Python packages, e.g. using import fonsim. The -e option denotes that it uses a symbolic link: code changes in the project directory (including branch switching) take effect at the first following import. No re-installation is required.
Note: python should refer to Python 3. You may have to write python3 to avoid using Python 2.
Note: there appear to be problems with this method on some Windows machines.
Note: if you want to install several versions of the same package on your system, for example a stable version from PyPi and a development version from a local install, you may want to use a [Python virtual environment](https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/venv.html).
Development tools
A git repository history visualizer tool like [gitg](https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Gitg/) can be helpful in developing this software. It shows the relations between version branches visually, lists all commits and allows to see the exact changes were made in a particular commit. In addition, it can show uncommitted changes.
Gitlab provides similar tools as a web version like the [GitLab graph](https://gitlab.com/abaeyens/fonsim/-/network/master).