User:Callahanp: Difference between revisions

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===== Part 1B - Create Sourceforge Forks for each Flightgear git repository you need to work in =====
===== Part 1B - Create Sourceforge Forks for each Flightgear git repository you need to work in =====


If you are not going to make changes to a particular repository, but only wish to build, or just use it, you only need a clone of the official Flightgear on your local machine.  You don't need to bother with creating a SourceForge Fork.
If you are not going to make changes to a particular repository, but only wish to do builds tracking next, you only need a clone of the official Flightgear on your local machine.  You don't need to bother with creating a SourceForge Fork.  You can have a mixture of local gits, some with multiple remote connections origin, upstream and possibly others, others only connected once to flightgear as origin.


Note that if you later decide to contribute to a new area, you will be able to create a fork and attach it to the local clone you previously created using the steps below.
In order not to strain SourceForge resources, it's a good Idea to get rid of any forks that are not used for a while, certainly any that are not used at all for changes and experimental branches.  This is especially true of resources that are large. 
 
Note that if you later decide to contribute to a new area, or to resume contributing, you will be able to create a fork and attach it to the local clone you previously created using the steps below.


* Open https://sourceforge.net/projects/flightgear/
* Open https://sourceforge.net/projects/flightgear/
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If you don't see Git under personal tools in your profile page, it's because you've not set up any SourceForge Forks yet.
If you don't see Git under personal tools in your profile page, it's because you've not set up any SourceForge Forks yet.


* Create a local clone for each Sourceforge Fork
Creating a Sourceforge fork is easy, Just go to the FlightGear Repo you wish to fork and click the fork button on the Left.  It takes a few minutes and is pretty easy to figure out.  You'll get to see the clone statement for the repo after refreshing the page after the fork is created.
 
 
===== Part 2 -  Create a local clone for each Sourceforge Fork =====
 
If you already have clones of Flightgear git repos from Sourceforge, there's no need to re-do them as clones of your SourceForge Forks, they can easily be converted using the same steps you would use on a fresh clone of a personal fork.
 
** create origin remote
** create origin remote
** create upstream remote
** create upstream remote

Revision as of 20:45, 26 April 2020

I am a flight simulation hobbyist currently working on developing skills needed for building instruments, gauges, radios and controls for a C172 and for contributing to flightgear's development.

What I'm doing:

While I participate very marginally in flightgear-devel, I'm ramping up my C++11 skills, learning more about git, getting to know a few editors, IDEs, Build and Debugging tools.  I hope to eventually be able 24-7 to build and effectively debug flightgear on any operating system, and to be able to support anyone else wishing to do so.

Callahanp - Flightgear From Scratch

At the same time, I'm trying to form a coherent view of Flightgear's structure as an application.  Not as a user, but as a developer.  This involves gaining knowledge of the various subsystems that make up flightgear, the underlying technologies each subsystem uses and the flow of control and data  between these subsystems.

Callahanp - Flightgear Technical Manual

Flightgear and Simgear Code

I personally believe that the FlightGear's core developers need to take a close look at how the project is organized and led and make some serious efforts to recruit, train and retain new project participants.

Callahanp - Flightgear Working Groups

[C172P Team on Github ]

Development Operations

I am making an effort to define and show examples of development operations for various parts of Flightgear Code and Data including all SourceForge Git repositories, Scenery, Aircraft, Aircraft Hangars, Airport Data. Add-Ons and anything else that can be used with Flightgear.

  • FGData
  • SimGear
  • FlightGear
  • FGMeta
  • GetStart
  • MacLauncher
  • OpenRadar
  • SceneryWeb
  • TerraGear
  • Windows 3rdParty Deps
  • terrafs
  • navdata
  • Pipline
  • mpmap.js
  1. I will be starting with the steps needed to create and maintain a personal Sourceforge Fork of the main repositories
  2. a local clone will be used to work with the next branch or with feature branches on either one of the personal forks or on the personal fork of another contributor, or git bisect operations.
  3. Then I'll be looking at the steps needed to do a build in Release, ReleaseWithDebInfo or Debug variants using the currently checked out branches or commits. We'll also examine git stash operations to preserve work on a feature branch, while bringing next up to date.
  4. Next I'll take a look at debug sessions including gdb at the command line, gdb in gdbgui, and possibly alternative editors like atom and visual studio code.

Part 1 - Creating a Sourceforge Fork

Part 1A - Create a Sourceforge Account, SSH Key and Verify that it works
    • Requires one personal sourceforge account
    • Requires an ssh login be setup
      • Create an SSH Key for use with Sourceforge
      • Update Sourceforge SSH Keys
      • Login to the shell with your key to make sure things are working right.
      • Logout from the shell - You won't be working there.
      • Login to Sourceforge on the web. You will be working with the web interface to sourceforge to create Forks.
Part 1B - Create Sourceforge Forks for each Flightgear git repository you need to work in

If you are not going to make changes to a particular repository, but only wish to do builds tracking next, you only need a clone of the official Flightgear on your local machine. You don't need to bother with creating a SourceForge Fork. You can have a mixture of local gits, some with multiple remote connections origin, upstream and possibly others, others only connected once to flightgear as origin.

In order not to strain SourceForge resources, it's a good Idea to get rid of any forks that are not used for a while, certainly any that are not used at all for changes and experimental branches. This is especially true of resources that are large.

Note that if you later decide to contribute to a new area, or to resume contributing, you will be able to create a fork and attach it to the local clone you previously created using the steps below.

  • Open https://sourceforge.net/projects/flightgear/
  • Log in to your sourceforge account by clicking the login button if you're logged out.
  • Hover over Me and select Profile with a right click and select open link in new window.

If you don't see Git under personal tools in your profile page, it's because you've not set up any SourceForge Forks yet.

Creating a Sourceforge fork is easy, Just go to the FlightGear Repo you wish to fork and click the fork button on the Left. It takes a few minutes and is pretty easy to figure out. You'll get to see the clone statement for the repo after refreshing the page after the fork is created.


Part 2 - Create a local clone for each Sourceforge Fork

If you already have clones of Flightgear git repos from Sourceforge, there's no need to re-do them as clones of your SourceForge Forks, they can easily be converted using the same steps you would use on a fresh clone of a personal fork.

    • create origin remote
    • create upstream remote
    • set upstream fetch to main flightgear repositories
    • create a branch for working on changes
    • checkout next
    • checkout a change branch
    • stash changes on a branch
    • push a change branch to your SourceForge fork
    • pull changes from next
    • got fetch

Tools

Tools for a Flightgear Developer (see also Tools of the Trade)

From Command Line to Holding Short

From Command Line to Holding Short. A look at what gets called when you start Flightgear from the command line until you are on the runway. This is a work in progress, somewhat stalled after Eduard Auvergne's initial work on subsystems. It needs a re-vamp to make it current and publishable.

RTFM
  • http://wiki.flightgear.org/FlightGear_Manual
  • fgdata/doc/img Look at each image in, noting the name of the image and what the image is trying to say
  • fgdata/doc/keyboard/map.pdf Note that key bindings can be specific to an aircraft. Note that the pdf was produced from a .tex file.
  • fgdata/Docs/model-combined.eff/README.model-combined.eff Read and not What's "rembrandt" - Key terms can be pulled from this document
  • fgdata/Serial/nmeafaq.txt Garmin - Key terms can be pulled from this document. This document describes a data protocol
  • AI_doc.html
  • FGShortRef.html
  • http://flightgear.org/Docs/FlightGear-FAQ.html
  • fgdata/Docs/fschool_0.0.3.pdf
  • fgdata/Docs/index.html
  • fgdata/Docs/model-howto.html
  • and lots of others - point is you have to read them all

Once they're read, is there a way to organize them so the result is an overview?

Sure there is. Just write a book:

IDEs

Working on Configurations for Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, Atom, Eclipse and QTCreator IDEs and other tools for working with FlightGear Data.

The day to day work of a FlightGear Developer will include the use of a variety of software to work on various kinds of FlightGear material. The material includes Source Code written in C and C++, Scripts written in Nasal, Build procedures using CMake and in scripting languages of 3 operating Systems, Data Files representing Airports, Runways, Taxiways, Airport Markings, Navigation Beacons, Instrument Landing System Transmitters, Taxiway and Runway Lighting, Buildings, Roadways,

The workflow for all of these has a few basic steps.

  • Get copies of the original source material
  • Establish a fork repository for your changes to the materials
  • Make a local copy of the materials
  • Change the materials
  • Check the Validity of Changes
  • Deliver changed materials to your fork
  • Request that the changes be accepted and merged with the original source materials.

The workflows differ based on the true owners of the originating material and the materials format.

These are the basic tasks that a developer will need to complete

  • Setting up forks of FlightGear Git Archives
  • Identifying non-git Open Source Resources for use with Flightgear and establishing forks for them
  • Downloading appropriate tools for working on the kind of files that make up the FlightGear application and it's data
  • Configuring these tools and FlightGear itself to operate in one or more modes
  • Learning the steps to use inside and outside the tools


Figuring out how to contribute to FlightGear

Getting things done in Flightgear


As part of my Cockpit Building efforts, I'm also working on

Contact

 Email Callahanp through the wiki

I show up occasionally on discord, #flightgear on irc.flightgear.org and am a member of several public forums related to cockpit building.

Callahanp (talk) 09:45, 11 November 2017 (EST)

The Howtos

-- Oh yeah... those...

I'm working on these along side building my cockpit. Some of the early attempts were not that useful. My current approach is to build and document actual hardware. I hope this will be more helpful.

Current Projects: