Newbie Guide for Windows Users

= What do you need and why? =

Because you're on Windows, you have to use quite a number of tools to access and manage things so this part might seem a little daunting. The good news is that 1) you're used to being flexible and resourceful, right? 2) once you've got everything set up things will be much simpler and intuitive.

So what do you need?


 * 1) You need a Github account to be able to fetch the Dreamwith code, create your own copies of it, and upload your own changes. This is both where all the Dreamwidth code comes from and where your own code will end on but it's only a gateway: you can't do much on github.com itself.
 * 2) You need a Dreamhack to see what your changes will do on the site for real. Think of a Dreamhack as an online mirror of the Dreamwidth site which you get to play with and modify.
 * 3) You need PuTTY to connect GitHub to your Dreamhack, to connect your Dreamhack to GitHub, and access and manage everything. In short, PuTTY is your true command center.
 * 4) You need WinSCP to visualize your Dreamhack files and be able to open them in a text editor. It's pretty much like Explorer for your Dreamhack.
 * 5) You need a text editor to edit your files.
 * 6) You need a Bugzilla account to find and files bugs.

Each section title mentions where you need to do things so you don't get lost.

Create an account on GitHub
Go to GitHub, click on 'sign up and pricing' and create a free account. I suggest you pick a username people are familiar with and the same username you'll have on your Bugzilla account.

Get a Dreamhack
Apply for a Dreamhack by filling this form. The two important fields are 'your desired username' and 'your email address'. Your username is used to manage your Dreamhack and to create the URL where your Dreamhack will be located at so you can pick anything. Your email address is used to send you a welcome e-mail which contains important information as well as various alerts. You can pick any of your existing email addresses or choose to create an email account entirely devoted to your development work.

Once you're done, you should get an e-mail with your login username and a password. Don't lose it.

Install PuTTY

 * Download 'Windows installer for everything except PuTTYtel' .exe file at PuTTY and install it.


 * Run PuTTY. In the configuration window, enter "hack.dreamwidth.net" for the host name. Go to Connection/Data and enter the username/login given to you in the welcome e-mail. It should be something like dh-username.


 * Click on Open. If you get a pop-up message about a key, click Yes.


 * Enter the password given to you in the welcome e-mail when asked. Note that no characters are displayed and the cursor won't move. It's normal.


 * Change your password by typing:


 * Your default Dreamhack account is called 'system'. Set its password wit this command:

Install WinSCP

 * Install WinSCP. During the installation, you may be asked about the mode you prefer: Commander and Explorer. Commander works like an FTP client: a partitioned window with your computer files on one side and the Dreamhack files on the other. Explorer will only display your Dreamhack files and works like Windows's Explorer. The Explorer mode is perfectly fitted for working on things but if you're used to commander-like windows you might prefer it.


 * Use "hack.dreamwidth.net" for the host name. Enter your username and the password you typed when you did  on PuTTY. Click on Save then on Login.

Get a good text editor
While you can use Notepad, I recommend Notepad++ instead. It's free, simple and will make editing much easier.

Create a Bugzilla account
Simply click here.


 * N.B. As mark explained here, go to Name and Password and enter your name following this format: . 'Name' can be your real name, a nickname, your username again, etc. Pick what you're comfortable with.

= Set things up =

On your GitHub account
You need to fork the Dreamwidth code onto your own account. Forking is like cloning and branching. It will copy the code and also label your copy as being a branch (a fork) of the original Dreamwidth code so that everybody knows the two are connected.

Dreamwidth is divided into two parts: a open-source part called 'dw-free', and a private part called 'dw-nonfree'. The private part is composed of elements which are specific to dreamwidth.org and can't be used on other sites (e.g. the logo) and external elements Dreamwidth is allowed to use on its own site but not redistribute to other sites.


 * To fork the free part go to https://github.com/dreamwidth/dw-free and click on Fork on the upper right corner.


 * To fork the nonfree part go to to https://github.com/dreamwidth/dw-nonfree and do the same.

On your Dreamhack
Now you need to 'import' both of these onto your Dreamhack and link them to the original Dreamwidth repositories on GitHub so you can easily fetch updates.

To do so, follow all the steps from this point on until you start your server again (but skip the 'non-dreamhack users' section).

Further configuration steps
These are not mandatory but will certainly make your life easier.

Change some git settings
In PuTTY, I suggest going through all the steps mentioned in this section.

Give special abilities to your system account

 * Log in to your Dreamhack (http://www.USERNAME.hack.dreamwidth.net/) using system and your password for this account.


 * Go to http://www.USERNAME.hack.dreamwidth.net/admin/priv/. Click on 'payments' type 'system' in the User field then click on 'Make Changes'. The system account now has the ability (called 'privilege' or 'priv') to give paid time to any account.


 * Go to http://www.USERNAME.hack.dreamwidth.net/admin/pay. Type 'system' in the Edit user field and click on Go. Make your account a seed one.

Get rid of invite codes

 * In WinSCP, go to, and double-click on  . Find   and change 1 to  . Save your file.


 * In PuTTY, type this to make the changes go live on your Dreamhack:

Customize PuTTY and Notepad++
See these articles for details: PuTTY, Notepad++.

= Make sure things are up-to-date =

Important: in PuTTY, you can get explanations about bash commands using  (e.g.  ) and any git commands using   (e.g  ).

Update your code
--> in PuTTY

Code is committed by developers all the time. You must always update your repositories before you do anything else.


 * Use the  command to fetch updates to each of the base branch:


 * Then use the  command to forward the changes on your GitHub fork:


 * N.B. When you do this you be will asked for your password on GitHub. Again, the cursor won't move as you type it.


 * For the nonfree part of the code, the commands are exactly the same except the first one, as nonfree is in a different folder:


 * You can also create a script to make this process simpler: see this article.


 * N.B. To create a new file open WinSCP, right click into the correct folder ( here) then click on New/File.

Update your database
--> in PuTTY


 * We're already seen this once but here it is again:


 * You can also create a script to make this process simpler: see this article.

= Make changes to your local code =

Find or file a bug
--> in Bugzilla


 * To find: you can use predefined searches such as unassigned effort-minor.


 * Some of these bugs won't appear to require 'minor' effort to you. It's normal. Try to find small bugs among them: minor modifications to be done on one of the site pages (text to be modified; elements to be added, removed or moved; elements to be hidden from some categories of users, etc.).


 * To file: make sure it's not already been filed using simple search or advanced search then use this form to file a new bug. Fill and edit the fields as needed.


 * To assign a bug to yourself, enter your Bugzilla e-mail address in Assign To and set the status to IN_PROGRESS.


 * To make this easier, you can also use one of fu 's Greasemonkey scripts: Dreamwidth Bug Grabber. Click on (grab!) next to Assign To and this will edit it and Status for you. Click on Save Changes of course.

Create a local branch stemming from develop
--> in PuTTY


 * Pick the correct repository:
 * if you want to work in dw-free you need to be in . If you're not type.
 * if you want to work in dw-nonfree you need to be in . If you're not type


 * Then make sure you're in the develop branch using the  command:


 * Now you can create a new branch specifically dedicated to the bug you want to work on using the  command.


 * N.B. It is best if you use the bug number and a short description as your branch name:


 * To switch to this branch, use the  command again:


 * You can also create and switch to a branch at the same time using:


 * Finally you can also create and switch to a branch and make sure it stems from develop using:


 * And that's it. Now you can start coding!

Work, work, work
--> in WinSCP and your editor


 * In WinSCP right click to edit the file you want to work on.


 * Remember that the free part of the code is in  while the non-free part is in.


 * If you're working on site pages, you're working on .bml files. These are in  or one of the subsequent folders. You'll see that their names correspond to the URLs of site pages. These files may use .pm modules/widgets which are in   or.


 * For text strings which are not in  files, see.


 * For more specific searches, you can use the grep command in PuTTY:

Interesting options:

-E: match using extended regular expressions

-F: match using fixed strings

-r: recursive

-i: case insensitive

-l: filename only

-n: add relative line number

Examples:


 * This will search for "find this text" in all files and display it page by page.


 * This will search for "find this text" in all files but only display the relevant filenames and not any excerpts.


 * This will search for files containing "print_entry" in the /s2layers folder, and only display the filenames as results.

Test your changes
--> in PuTTY


 * Stop your Dreamhack:


 * Update your database by typing this or  if you've created a script for it:


 * Start your Dreamhack again:

--> on your Dreamhack


 * Go to your Dreamhack and test. Edit the files again in WinSCP if more changes are needed. Go through these steps again to test your new changes.

Mark your local changes as ready to be committed
--> in PuTTY

Before being committed, work is moved to a staging area. Think of it as the "Ready? Steady?" before the "Go!". At this point nothing is definite and you can easily change things.


 * You can add your changes to the staging ('pre-commit') area using the  command:


 * To add all files which have been updated at once you can use:


 * To add all files which have been added or updated at once use this instead:


 * If you realize you need to do some more work, edit files again and use  again when you're done. It's that simple.

Commit your changes locally
--> in PuTTY


 * If you think you're done with your work at this point you can commit your changes locally using the  command:


 * This will open the nano editor so you can type a commit message. Unfortunately, nano isn't very easy to type into (you can't use the number pad for instance) so I advise you to type your commit message in your text editor then paste it in nano (right click in PuTTY to paste).


 * Here's an example of commit message (no blanks between lines, though):

Bug #123 - Subject

Bugzilla URL

Patch description

Description can go on several short lines.


 * Hit Ctrl+X, 'y' then enter to save your message.


 * If you you need to do some more work later you can update your commit using :


 * N.B. You can also do this if you need to edit your commit message.


 * If you want to pace yourself or be easily able to go back to a certain point in your work you can do successive commits instead of one big final one.

= Go from local to global =

Push the changes to your github.com repository
--> in PuTTY

You should only push your local changes to your develop branch on github.com once you're happy with your patch and won't go back to it again as it's harder to change things from this point on.

If you're sure use the  command and the branch name:

Request your changes to be pulled into the main code
--> on github.com

On your GitHub page, click on the correct repository (dw-free or dw-nonfree), select the correct branch in the branch drop-down menu (below 'Clone in Windows') then click on Pull Request below.


 * N.B. If there's a delay between the moment you pushed your branch and the moment it appears on GitHub, check its status page, wait and refresh. (^_^)

Mention the pull request
--> in Bugzilla


 * Comment on the bug with a link to your pull request.


 * Wait for someone to review and commit your patch. You're done! \o/

= More: deeper understanding of the workflow =

If you want to understand the workflow better I suggest reading the 'workflow', 'add & commit" and 'pushing changes' sections of Git - The Simple Guide. It has very simple, clear explanations and a drawing, which helps.

= More: checking things =

--> in PuTTY


 * To check which local branch you're on (noted with an asterisk):


 * To see local and remote branches:


 * To have a detailed view of local and remote branches:


 * To see the changes you've made on the branch before you move them to the staging area:


 * To see the changes you've made on the branch before a commit:


 * To see the list of files you've added, removed, modified on the branch before a commit:


 * To see a tree-like view of commits in develop:


 * To exit this view, hit the 'q' key.

= More: stashing your changes =

--> in PuTTY

If you have work you haven't committed yet and you want to work on another bug or update your 'master' and 'develop' branches you need to stash your work first. It's generally good practice to do this every time you have work you haven't committed.


 * Make sure you're on the right branch using the  command.


 * Put away your work using the  command:


 * And bring it back with:


 * To see the work you've stashed, you can use:

= More: undoing changes =

--> in PuTTY


 * If you added a file using  but finally want to unstage it (i.e. remove it from the staging area before you do  ), you can use the   command:


 * Note that the file is still modified; it's just no longer part of your staging area and won't be part of your commit.


 * If you want to undo the changes you've made to a file before you commit it, you need to use :


 * You can also reset everything to the last commit using :

= More: moving files =

--> in PuTTY

Use the  command:

= More: deleting files =

--> in PuTTY

Use the  command:

= More: deleting branches =

--> in PuTTY


 * Once your work on a bug is done and your branch has been merged into develop you can delete your local branch:


 * You can also use this to delete a local branch you've created by mistake.


 * If your whole branch hasn't been merged, you must use this instead:


 * You can then delete your remote branch as well:

= More: renaming branches =

--> in PuTTY

If you've made a mistake and want to rename a local branch, you can use:


 * N.B. This will work even if you've committed and pushed some changes already. However, if you have, it will not rename the branch on your GitHub fork but create a new identical one. You will need to delete the old branch on GitHub.

= More: troubleshooting tips =

Issues with text strings

 * As denise explained here, you need to delete old text strings and create new ones when you edit .text files or en.dat instead of simply editing the text. If the change isn't critical - the string doesn't need to be renamed or the text change is minor - it's better to notify the site copy team so that text can be changed locally and the original file left alone.


 * If text you've modified doesn't appear on the site after a code push, append  to the page URL to make sure it's using the right string. If it is and it still doesn't display after a while, comment on dw_maintenance.

Starting over
If something's really wrong you can:
 * rebuild you Dreamhack and start over.
 * delete your GitHub repositories on github.com: go to your repository, click on Admin then scroll down to 'Delete this repository'.

= References =


 * Moving to GitHub
 * Development Maintenance
 * Github Development Process
 * Bash commands
 * Git: Getting Started
 * Git - The Simple Guide
 * Pro Git
 * Pro Git - Index of Commands
 * Pro Git - Reference