Virtual RNoAF Project Guide

If you have never used GitHub before, don't worry. While it is built for software developers, we are simply using it as a highly organized text editor and discussion board. You do not need to download any coding software or learn any terminal commands. You can do 100% of the work right here in your web browser.

Here is your step-by-step guide to getting started.

🛠️ Step 1: Get on Board (Creating your Account)

Before you can help us write manuals or discuss plans, you need a free account.

1. Go to GitHub.com and click Sign up in the top right corner.
2. Follow the prompts to create your account.
3. Once logged in, send a Discord message to the project manager with your new GitHub username.
4. You will get an email invite to the vRNoAF Organization. Accept it, and you are in!

💬 Step 2: Join a task (Issue)

In GitHub, we use Issues to plan our work. Think of an Issue as a "Task Card" or a "Discussion Topic."

How to view and comment on an Issue:

1. At the top of this page, click the Issues tab (it has a little circle icon next to it).
2. You will see a list of tasks divided into topics (e.g., "[DOCUMENT] F-35 Training Manual").
3. Click on the title of any Issue that interests you.
4. Read the description and what the team has discussed so far.
5. To add your own comments, scroll to the very bottom, type your thoughts into the text box, and click the green Comment button.

🌿 Step 3: Make your edits (Branching & Editing)

When it is time to actually write a document, we don't create the files directly in the main project. Instead, we create a Branch.

💡 Think of a branch like making a photocopy of the current binder. You can scribble all over your photocopy safely, without ruining the original.

How to create your Branch directly from an Issue:

1. Open the Issue you want to work on.
2. Look at the menu on the right side of the screen and find the Development section.
3. Click Create a branch.
4. A small pop-up will appear. It will automatically suggest a name based on the Issue title. Keep the name or change it to something suitable, then click the green Create branch button.
5. Ignore the code window that pops up next! Just click the link to your new branch, or go back to the <> Code tab and select your new branch from the dropdown menu that usually says main.
6. To edit an existing file: Find the file you want to change, click it, then click the Pencil icon (✏️) in the top right corner to start typing.
7. To create a new file: Navigate to the suitable folder in the structure, click the Add file button near the top right, then select Create new file.
8. To create a new folder for your file, just type the folder name followed by a forward slash / in the file name box.
9. When you are done typing, click the green Commit changes... button at the top right. Write a clear and descriptive note about what you did, and hit save!

🤝 Step 4: Propose your changes (Pull Requests)

You’ve made your edits on your branch. Now, you need to ask the team, "Hey, I finished my draft. Does this look good to add to the official binder?" In GitHub, this is called a Pull Request (PR).

How to ask the team to review your work:

1. Click the Pull requests tab at the top of the page.
2. Click the green New pull request button. (Note: GitHub often shows a big green "Compare & pull request" button automatically if you just made changes. You can click that too!)
3. You will see two dropdown menus. Leave the left one as main. Change the right one (which says compare) to the branch name you created in Step 3.
4. Click the green Create pull request button.
5. Give it a title (e.g., "Finished drafting the Radio Comms manual") and leave a comment explaining what you wrote.
6. Click Create pull request one last time.

What happens next? The rest of the team will get a notification. We will read through your Pull Request, leave comments, say "Great job!", and the project manager will click the final button to officially merge your work into the main project. Because you created the branch from the Issue, merging this Pull Request will automatically close the Issue for you!