Get Involved

Overview

Thank you for giving time for the project. We wish to create a welcoming environment for everyone who is interested in contributing. Going through these guidelines ensures that both of us are on the same page and that everyone’s time and efforts are saved.

No matter how you want to contribute, we welcome new drive, ideas and any contributions to improve Softorage.

To help us, you can:

0. Be part of community
   Like us on Facebook , and follow on Twitter and Instagram for awesome facts! It inspires us! Looking forward to see you there!

1. Spread the word
   This is one of the most appreciated way in which you can help us. Tell your relatives, family, friends and enemies about Softorage. Blog about Softorage and ask your blogger friends to blog about Softorage. Also, every softpage has share buttons which allow to share that page’s URL in various ways.

2. Add software to Softorage
   There is a GUI available for adding software (called SAW) and requires next to no technical skills. All documentation is provided as i-buttons in SAW. Check it out!

3. Help us maintain documentaion
   SAW’s documentation is primarily maintained at the SAW’s repo, and at reasonable intervals it is consolidated and used to update the documentation on Softorage(that relates to SAW). So, in case you want to help with SAW’s documentation, please see SAW’s docs and send pull requests there. Docs at Softorage relating to SAW will be updated based on SAW’s docs only.

4. Help with development & feedback
   Help with development need not always relate to a high level template code. Fixing typos is also a type of help we really appreciate ( file an issue if you found one). To help with deeper development, you need to have some knowledge about Hugo, Hugo’s Go Templating Language, YAML and HTML, CSS and JavaScript+jQuery. In case you want to give feedback, submit bug reports or feature requests, please feel free to file an issue on GitLab . Helping us with development might mean that you would need to spend slightly more amount of time with us than other methods above, but your help means a lot to us. If you are ready to dive into development, read below :)

Terminologies

When a word is presented like this it means the word is in context of following terminologies. In case a word is presented normally like ’this’, that means the meaning of the word in common parlance is expected to be conveyed.

Let’s take a look at some terminologies.

Softpage

Each software’s markdown file is rendered as a separate page. Such a page forms a dedicated page for that software where software’s information is presented. Such a page is called Softpage.

Characteristics

A software’s markdown file stores information about the software in the form of front-matter variables. In a software’s markdown file, these variables have been arranged in a systematic way forming levels of hierarchy, so that expected output is rendered on the softpage. The primary level of variables constitutes charachteristics of that software. From secondary level onward, the pattern of arrangement for variables and their values may differ from characteristics to characteristics.
Following are primary characteristics, along with brief intro:

1. title: Title of the software
2. info: Information about software, in short. It is shown on softpage just below title and forms part of the table on Search page
3. image: Logo image of software
4. status: Whether the software or its development is active, discontinued or unknown
5. website: Website URL of software
6. get_it: Link to official Download page, or page from where software can be obtained
7. description: Description of software, in brief but not in short
8. sysreq: System requirements
9. developer: Developer(s) of software
10. initial_release: When was the software initially released
11. repository: Where code is hosted, applies only for open-source software
12. written_in: Computer languages the software is written in
13. platform: Platform on which the software runs, usually Operating System for application software or computer language environment for software framework/library
14. categories: What type of software it is. Helps with classification
15. license: License under which the software’s code is released
16. social: Social presence of software, its developers or community behind it
17. source: The source from where the information in an infocard or a characteristic is obtained. Discussed below
18. rating: Ratings and Reviews

Currently, new entries for characteristics are not on the table, but if you have a related idea, feel free to open an issue .

Infocard

On a softpage, some of software’s characteristics are presented as cards. Each such card is called an infocard.

i-button, i-pop & i-content

There is an i button on almost every infocard, called as i-button. Clicking i-button of an infocard presents information as modal or popover or such. Such element which appears on clicking i-button is called i-pop, that is modal or popover is i-pop. And, content in i-pop is i-content.

SAW specific

By SAW specific, it is intended to mean that such terminologies primarily relate to SAW. In any case, they convey same meaning even when used in context other then SAW.

input-field, input-type, input-value & input-option

input-field is the form field given, for any characteristic in SAW to input value. The value to be filled in input-field is the input-value. An input-field takes input of a certain type, which is that input-field's input-type. To avoid distorted output, input-value must in all cases correspond to input-type specified. In SAW, options to choose input-value from, are usually provided in input-field with the help of <datalist> tag. Such options are termed input-options. For example, see license characteristic in SAW.

input-name-*

* in input-name-* is either one of field, type, value & option. Let’s take input-name-option as an example, which makes value of * equals option in our example.
Now, in many cases, there are more than one input-fields, usually arranged in columns-rows or such systematic form. In such cases, it becomes essential to also identify which input-field's options are we referring to. name in input-name-option is that word which identifies the specific input-field(s) we are referring to. For example, see get_it characteristic in SAW. There are 2 input-fields per record, viz. Name & URL. And, input-field in Name column also have input-options. So, when there is a need to mention input-option for input-fields in Name column, they are mentioned as input-Name-option to avoid unnecessary confusion.

Source

source is the source from where the information in an infocard or a characteristic is obtained. An accepted source is a source which is as specific as possible and which is likely to be available or retrievable in future, and possibility of which to be unreachable in future is neglible at present. It may be a page of a website, or a page number of a book, or any globally traceable piece of information which can be retrieved later. In case source is a website page, just its URL can form part of source (see example 1).

However, in case a source is in a book, the format changes (see example 2).

For example,

1. URL1, URL2
2. URL1, [“URL-B”, Specifications of source], URL2

2nd case is when a source is not a website. Say the information we are referring to can be found at line no. 12, page no.34, of The Example Book edition 5 by Author Example. Then ‘Specification of source’ is: “line no. 12, page no.34, of The Example Book edition 5 by Author Example”. It should be noted that ‘Specification of source’ shall be as detailed as possible and needed. This includes specifying line number, page number, book name along with its edition details, author name, ISBN of the book, etc. URL-B is the URL on the web from where that book can be bought or downloaded or acquired for possession whether in electronic, physical or any such form. This include link to Amazon page of the book or official website for the book or else. In case there is no URL to be specified as URL-B, # shall be the URL-B.

Dive in

Thanks for going through above info. You are all set to help us in development. Take a look at the following:

1. Layout file of <code>softpage</code>
2. Format of markdown file for software (coming soon)
3. SAW&rsquo;s code

First two of these relate to Softorage and third one to SAW, of course.

Feel free to ( click here and) open new issue or work on exisitng one!