Skip to content

index.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
96 lines (60 loc) · 3.76 KB

index.md

File metadata and controls

96 lines (60 loc) · 3.76 KB
title Learn
layout learn
id learn

Learn how to contribute to Push

Push is based on a whole stack of technologies that, while powerful, are not all that common on most digital writers’ computers. Push is meant to be a learning experience for all who work on it, and the learning starts here.

Each step (minus Step 0) will eventually include a captioned screencast as well as step-by-step instructions; Step 1 is the only step that currently has a screencast.1

The Basics

Contribute to Push in nine steps (not including computer prep):

  • Step 0: Computer Preparation

    You’ll probably need to set up some technologies on the Web and on your computer. Don’t worry; they’re all free and open-source.

  • Step 1: Get a Copy of Push

    In order to work on Push, you need to get yourself a copy. It’s easier than you’d think.

  • Step 2: Set Up Your Workspace

    Where you do your work to contribute to Push matters. Just a few steps, and you’ll be ready to get writing.

  • Step 4: Write in YAML and Markdown

    To contribute articles and blog posts to Push, you’ll write in two different formats that will probably seem instantly familiar, YAML and Markdown.

  • Step 5: Preview Changes as You Work

    Your copy of Push comes ready-made to work on a tiny Web server that runs on your computer. See changes instantly as you make them, exactly as they’d appear on the actual Push site. Now that’s some WYSIWYG.

  • Step 6: Mark Major Milestones

    Git’s not just a technology for around passing files & changes. It’s a revision-oriented writer’s dream.

  • Step 7: Backup and Share

    Don’t just keep your work on a single computer. Pushing work back to GitHub gives you a backup, and enables you to work across different computers.

  • Step 8: Submit

    Ready to submit your contribution to Push? It takes only seconds.

  • Step 9: Revise

    Submit, get feedback. Then start revising.

Some Advanced Topics

The basics above are all you need to successfully contribute to Push. But if you want to dig deeper and impress your friends, dive into some of these advanced topics.

  • Change File Names in Git

    Did you change your article or blog post title after you started writing? Do you want to update the date on your blog post files? There’s a special way to do that in Git.

  • Keep Your Copy of Push Updated

    Once you make a copy of Push, you have to keep it up to date. And you’ll want to start new submissions based on the most up-to-date version of Push.

  • Pretend You Kept Your Copy of Push Updated

    Work on Push is distributed and ongoing. Make your contribution appear to be based on the very latest version of Push.

  • Fix Common Git Goofs

    Added a file that’s not ready to be committed? Committed a file that you shouldn’t have? Want to just start over from an earlier point in your work’s history? No problem.

  • Submit as One Commit

    Keep reviewers’ lives easier. Let Git help you submit a single, seamless commit containing your changes.

Footnotes

  1. If anyone would like to make screencasts of the computer setup instructions, please open an issue on GitHub to coordinate uploading the file to the Push YouTube account. ↩