xAPI-Spec

Workflow for Editing the Experience API Specification

Set up

If you are not currently working with GitHub and git, follow these set up steps first. GitHub provides excellent help at https://help.github.com/articles/set-up-git

Sign up for a GitHub account

If you do not already have a GitHub account, sign up.

Fork the ADL repository

Go to the Experience API repository. Fork the repository to your own account using the "Fork" button on the top right of Experience API repository page. This makes a copy of the Experience API repository. This fork gives you the ability to edit your version of the document without impacting the master copy.

Install Git (use cmd line) or Install Windows/Mac GitHub client

You need to install Git to work with a GitHub repository. If you are on a Windows machine, you can download the GitHub client app. If you use a Mac you can download the GitHub client app but will also have to download git to add a remote to the master repository. Otherwise install git from the git site.

Git
This provides a command line client app for working with a git repository (like GitHub)
Download and run git install

GitHub Client
GitHub Client provides a GUI interface to simplify working with a repository on GitHub. This does not currently support synchronizing with a master repository so some commands will still need to be completed using the command line.

Mac: http://mac.github.com/
Windows: http://windows.github.com/

Clone your GitHub fork to your machine

To make edits and work on the files in the repository, clone your repository to your local machine using Git. The url is provided on the home page of your repository (ex. https://github.com/<your username>/xAPI-Spec/)

Git
git clone https://github.com/<your username>/xAPI-Spec/>

GitHub Client
On the home screen of the client app, select your account under 'github' and choose the repository you want to clone. Selecting the repository from the list gives you an option to clone it.

Add ADL repository as upstream remote

Add a remote repository to git to reference the master repository. This will make synchronizing with the master respository a bit easier.

Git
git remote add upstream https://github.com/adlnet/xAPI-Spec

GitHub Client
Currently the GitHub clients don't have a way to synchronize with the master repository. In order to do this, open your repository on the GitHub client app home screen. On the repository screen select 'tools' and 'open a shell here'. Alternatively use the 'Git Shell' shortcut if it was created during installation. NOTE: If you're using a Mac there is no shell shortcut so navigate to /your/repo/path/xAPI-Spec then follow the shell instructions.

In the shell, enter..
git remote add upstream https://github.com/adlnet/xAPI-Spec

Workflow

Sync up with Master ADL Repository

Pull down changes from the master repository. This automatically does a fetch of the master repository and a merge into your local repository.

Git and GitHub Client
git pull upstream master

Make Changes Locally

Edit the local copy of the file, save and commit. Rule of thumb: Use commits like save points. Commit to indicate logical groups of edits, and places where the edits could be safely rolled back.

Git
git commit -a -m "<commit message>"

GitHub Client
The GitHub client will detect saved changes to the documents in your local repository and present a button to commit your edits at the top right of the repository screen.

Push Changes to Your Repository (Origin)

Pushing your changes to your remote GitHub repository stages the files so that you can then make requests to the master repository to merge in your changes.

Git
git push origin

GitHub Client
The GitHub client has a 'sync' button at the top of the repository screen. This will synchronize your local and remote (origin) repository.

Submit a Pull Request to Master ADL Repository (Upstream)

When you forked from the Experience API repository, a link back to the master repository is remembered. To send your changes back the the master repository, click the "Pull Request" button at the top of your repository page. This will direct you to a page that gives you the ability to submit a request to the master repository to merge in the changes you committed.