Joining the Data Team - Revision history

LegacyKing: /* Data Team Q&A */

2014-09-17T07:47:23Z

‎Data Team Q&A

Barak at 12:31, 16 October 2010

2010-10-16T12:31:37Z

LegacyKing at 21:16, 5 June 2010

2010-06-05T21:16:45Z

LegacyKing at 21:12, 5 June 2010

2010-06-05T21:12:44Z

LegacyKing: Updates galore...

2010-06-05T21:11:48Z

Updates galore...

LegacyKing: /* Tools to make a Data Monkeys' Life Easier */

2010-06-05T19:51:31Z

‎Tools to make a Data Monkeys' Life Easier

LegacyKing: /* Data Team Q&A */

2010-06-05T18:02:59Z

‎Data Team Q&A

LegacyKing at 22:04, 26 September 2009

2009-09-26T22:04:35Z

LegacyKing: /New Data Monkeys/

2009-09-26T22:03:15Z

/New Data Monkeys/

New page

= Joining the Data Team Q&A =

Welcome, you've decided to Join the PCGen Project and would like to join the illustrious Data Monkeys (Also known as Lst Monkeys). That's something we like to hear. :)

QUESTION: I was wondering what would be required. How much time (per week) would be asked for example?

ANSWER: The amount of time you volunteer is strictly up to you. That's why it's called being a volunteer ;) Give 10 minutes, or 12 hours, nobody logs your time, and nobody will hound you. Though from time to time we do check up on each other to see how things are going. If you need a break, or real life comes at you, then don't code. Above all else, family comes first. We understand. Again, do what you can, when you can.

QUESTION: Would I be required to buy a copy of the books being coded?

ANSWER: Buying the books - Well, that is a personal choice. In some cases, the publisher will give us a book (normally in pdf format) to use for the use of coding up the book for pcgen (This is pretty frequent, especially when the publisher wants a data set ready to go at release time, or wants to promote their book at an upcoming event). In other cases another user will buy a book for the data monkey to use to make the set (I've had this happen twice that I can recall for myself). If it's something you really want included, then naturally I'd expect you would already own the book. Again, it all boils down to what you want.

QUESTION: I can dedicate some time to coding. What would I be required to do?

ANSWER: Excellent. The other great thing about being a volunteer, you get to choose what you want to do.

For data monkeys the following are good choices to look for things to do or work on:
* [https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=25576&atid=750091 Data Bug Fixing]
* [https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=25576&atid=750092 Data Feature Requests]
* [[Data_Wishlist|Data Wish list]] (User submitted requests for book inclusion in PCGen)
* Coding up a book you want to see included in PCGen.
** (My personal favorite, you really get to be creative and make an entire book come together, though this is one of the more challenging tasks a data monkey takes on, both in time spent and figuring out how to make things work as the publisher intended)

If you need help, direction, guidance, or anything else, your best resources are Data Chimps, the really experienced monkeys. Additionally anyone on the data team can give tips, advice and get you started. Your current best resources are Eddy Anthony, Andrew Maitland, Tir Gwaith and Eric Smith (And numerous other monkeys that tend to remain hidden). Eric is an excellent resource since he's the Publisher Liaison, he's spot on when it comes to what books have been approved for inclusion, which ones we can't include and which publishers we need to contact. I suggest asking him first if you don't see a publisher listed before coding up a book for PCGen. For the list, you'll want to check out [http://pcgen.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/pcgen/Trunk/pcgen/docs/acknowledgments/publishersandsources.html#publishers HERE]

QUESTION: I have some coding/scripting experience with other things. Can I contribute to other teams?

ANSWER: Yes, as a volunteer project, you can choose which teams to be on and where to focus your efforts. Be mindful that different teams have different requirements to join, and rules... Check with the Silverback (The Team Leader) of the other team for more information.

Another Great Resource is our PCGenListFileHelp Yahoo Group. We have several helpful monkeys that hang around that list to give out advice and tips.

QUESTION: What should I begin working on?

ANSWER: Well, let me ask you this, is there anything you want to do? Cause if you stand around and say, 'hey, what can I do for you?' you'll get a full plate really fast. Beyond that, we can always scrounge up a few easier tasks to get your feet wet, if that is what you want to do.

Beyond that, never be afraid to ask questions. Others lurk and wait for someone else to ask questions so they can learn a thing or two.

== Tools to make a Data Monkeys' Life Easier ==

Experienced Chimps are just like professional workers. They use tools to simplify their work and make things go along smoother. You should make your life easier, after all, we only have so much free time, might as well spend it wisely. :)

The first tool is a good text editor w/ syntax highlighting.

Some good choices out there:
* EditPlus (Shareware for 30 days I believe)
* Crimson Editor/Emerald Editor (Freeware)
* Kate
* CONText
* BBEdit
* jEDit
* PSPad
* Textpad
* UltraEdit
* vim

All of these have PCGen specific syntax highlighters. There are other good text editors, but you would need to create your own syntax highlighter.

Another handy tool is called PrettyLst. It cleans up the file, and is the first line debugger for catching mistakes and organizes your files into those clean columns.

Our greatest resource by far is the Lst Tag Index which is the repository for ALL the tokens we use in the lst files.

The Documents are your best friend. They also hold the basic standard settings you should use for any text editor

SVN client. Our code and data is stored in an excellent SVN repository. This allows mulitple people to edit the same files, and get all the correct changes, or see what was changed to any given file. It allows us to roll-back any changes that are detrimental.

There are good svn clients out there... The most popular are:

* TortoiseSVN
* SmartSVN
* SmartClipse (Part of the Eclipse Package) - This is an advanced tool, I recommend sticking with one of the others above, unless you are already familiar and competent with it.
* There are others, but ultimately your choice is based on system and preference.

== Rules for new Lst Monkeys ==

It's best not to mess with any core set (SRD, RSRD, MSRD) unless you have prior approval from the Content Silverback. If you break a core set, that will affect all the supplement sets that rely on it.

Good Practices - You should test your changes. Run PrettyLst, then load it up in PCGen. PCGen itself is a great debugger tool, highlighting any potential problems you need to look at.

Ask if you have a question regarding code interactions. A simple change might have unintended consequences.

Don't fret if you accidentally break something. It happens to all of us. If you don't know how to fix it, let one of the other data monkeys know and they can either help you through it, or fix it.

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 ** (My personal favorite, you really get to be creative and make an entire book come together, though this is one of the more challenging tasks a data monkey takes on, both in time spent and figuring out how to make things work as the publisher intended)
-If you need help, direction, guidance, or anything else, your best resources are Data Chimps, the really experienced monkeys. Additionally anyone on the data team can give tips, advice and get you started. Your current best resources are Eddy Anthony, Andrew Maitland, Tir Gwaith and Eric Smith (And numerous other monkeys that tend to remain hidden). Eric is an excellent resource since he's the Publisher Liaison, he's spot on when it comes to what books have been approved for inclusion, which ones we can't include and which publishers we need to contact. I suggest asking him first if you don't see a publisher listed before coding up a book for PCGen. For the list, you'll want to check out [http://pcgen.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/pcgen/Trunk/pcgen/docs/acknowledgments/publishersandsources.html#publishers HERE]
+If you need help, direction, guidance, or anything else, your best resources are Data Chimps, the really experienced monkeys. Additionally anyone on the data team can give tips, advice and get you started. For the list of approved publishers, you'll want to check out [http://pcgen.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/pcgen/Trunk/pcgen/docs/acknowledgments/publishersandsources.html#publishers HERE]
@@ Line 42: / Line 42: @@
 ANSWER: Well, let me ask you this, is there anything you want to do? Cause if you stand around and say, 'hey, what can I do for you?' you'll get a full plate really fast. Beyond that, we can always scrounge up a few easier tasks to get your feet wet, if that is what you want to do.
-Beyond that, never be afraid to ask questions. Others lurk and wait for someone else to ask questions so they can learn a thing or two.
+Never be afraid to ask questions. Others lurk and wait for someone else to ask questions so they can learn a thing or two.
 == Rules for new LST Monkeys ==
-It's best not to mess with any core set (SRD, RSRD, MSRD, Pathfinder) unless you have prior approval from the Content Silverback. If you break a core set, that will affect all the supplement sets that rely on it.
+DO NOT mess with any core set (SRD, RSRD, MSRD, Pathfinder) unless you have prior approval from the Content Silverback, or have attained the rank of DATA CHIMP. If you break a core set, that will affect all the supplement sets that rely on it.
 Good Practices - You should test your changes. Run PrettyLST, then load it up in PCGen. PCGen itself is a great debugger tool, highlighting any potential problems you need to look at. Every new release gets better at detecting errors at load up.

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:31, 16 October 2010
Line 43:		Line 43:

	Beyond that, never be afraid to ask questions. Others lurk and wait for someone else to ask questions so they can learn a thing or two.		Beyond that, never be afraid to ask questions. Others lurk and wait for someone else to ask questions so they can learn a thing or two.
−
−	~~== Tools to make a Data Monkeys' Life Easier ==~~
−
−	Experienced Chimps are just like professional workers. They use tools to simplify their work and make things go along smoother. You should make your life easier, after all, we only have so much free time, might as well spend it wisely. :)
−
−	~~The first tool is a good text editor w/ syntax highlighting.~~
−
−	~~Some good choices out there:~~
−	* '''WINDOWS SYSTEM'''
−	** [[Crimson Editor/Emerald Editor]] (Freeware)
−	** [http://www.contexteditor.org/ CONText] (Freeware)
−	** [http://www.pspad.com/ PSPad] (Freeware)
−	** [[EditPlus]] (Shareware for 30 days I believe)
−	** [http://textpad.com/ Textpad] (Shareware)
−	** [http://www.ultraedit.com/ UltraEdit] (Shareware)
−	** [http://sourceforge.net/projects/notepad-plus/ Notepad++] (no Syntax Highlighter available, but free)
−
−	* '''MAC SYSTEMS'''
−	** [http://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/ BBEdit] (Shareware)
−
−	* '''JAVA Supported Systems'''
−	** [http://www.jedit.org/ jEDit]
−
−	* '''OTHER SYSTEMS'''
−	** [http://www.vim.org/ vim] This is a VIM Clone Site; vim is distributed with Linux-based systems
−	** [http://kate-editor.org/ Kate] Linux KDE distributions
−
−	Most of these have PCGen specific syntax highlighters. There are other good text editors, but you would need to create your own syntax highlighter. [http://pcgen.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/pcgen/Trunk/utilities/editor%20syntax/ See the List here]
−
−	Another handy tool is called PrettyLST. It cleans up the file, and is the first line debugger for catching mistakes and organizes your files into those clean columns. [http://pcgen.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/pcgen/Trunk/utilities/prettylst/ You can grab the latest version of PrettyLST here]
−
−	~~'''Documentation'''~~
−
−	~~[http://pcgen.sourceforge.net/autobuilds/pcgen-docs/index.html You can find our online documentation here]~~
−
−	~~Our greatest resource by far is the Lst Tag Index which is the repository for ALL the tokens we use in the lst files.~~
−
−	~~The Documents are your best friend. They also hold the basic standard settings you should use for any text editor.~~
−
−	~~'''SVN clients'''~~
−
−	Our code and data is stored in an excellent SVN repository. This allows multiple people to edit the same files, and get all the correct changes, or see what was changed to any given file. It allows us to roll-back any changes that are detrimental.
−
−	~~There are good svn clients out there... The most popular are:~~
−
−	* [http://tortoisesvn.tigris.org/ TortoiseSVN Windows System]
−	* [http://www.syntevo.com/smartsvn/index.html SmartSVN] (Crossplatform / free and paid versions)
−	* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Subversion_clients OUTSIDE LINK to SVN Clients.] (These are a list other clients, but ultimately your choice is based on system and preference.)
−	* Eclipse Plugin - SmartClipse (Part of the Eclipse Package) - This is an advanced tool, I recommend sticking with one of the others above, unless you are already familiar and competent with it.
−

	== Rules for new LST Monkeys ==		== Rules for new LST Monkeys ==

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 = Data Team Q&A =
-Welcome, you've decided to Join the PCGen Project and would like to join the illustrious Data Monkeys (Also known as Lst Monkeys). That's something we like to hear.  :)
+Welcome, we are glad that you have decided to Join the PCGen Project and would like to join the illustrious Data Monkeys (Also known as LST Monkeys). That's something we like to hear.  :)
@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 QUESTION:  Would I be required to buy a copy of the books being coded?
-ANSWER: Buying the books - Well, that is a personal choice. In some cases, the publisher will give us a book (normally in pdf format) to use for the use of coding up the book for pcgen (This is pretty frequent, especially when the publisher wants a data set ready to go at release time, or wants to promote their book at an upcoming event). In other cases another user will buy a book for the data monkey to use to make the set (I've had this happen twice that I can recall for myself). If it's something you really want included, then naturally I'd expect you would already own the book. Again, it all boils down to what you want.
+ANSWER: Buying the books - Well, that is a personal choice. In some cases, the publisher will give us a book (normally in PDF format) to use for the use of coding up the book for PCGen (This is pretty frequent, especially when the publisher wants a data set ready to go at release time, or wants to promote their book at an upcoming event). In other cases another user will buy a book for the data monkey to use to make the set (I've had this happen twice that I can recall for myself). If it's something you really want included, then naturally I'd expect you would already own the book. Again, it all boils down to what you want.
@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 ANSWER: Yes, as a volunteer project, you can choose which teams to be on and where to focus your efforts. Be mindful that different teams have different requirements to join, and rules... Check with the Silverback (The Team Leader) of the other team for more information.
-Another Great Resource is our PCGenListFileHelp Yahoo Group. We have several helpful monkeys that hang around that list to give out advice and tips.
+Another Great Resource is our [http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/PCGenListFileHelp/ PCGenListFileHelp Yahoo Group]. We have several helpful monkeys that hang around that list to give out advice and tips.
@@ Line 84: / Line 84: @@
 '''SVN clients'''
-Our code and data is stored in an excellent SVN repository. This allows mulitple people to edit the same files, and get all the correct changes, or see what was changed to any given file. It allows us to roll-back any changes that are detrimental.
+Our code and data is stored in an excellent SVN repository. This allows multiple people to edit the same files, and get all the correct changes, or see what was changed to any given file. It allows us to roll-back any changes that are detrimental.
 There are good svn clients out there... The most popular are:
 * [http://tortoisesvn.tigris.org/ TortoiseSVN Windows System]
-* [http://www.syntevo.com/smartsvn/index.html SmartSVN Crossplatform / free and paid versions]
+* [http://www.syntevo.com/smartsvn/index.html SmartSVN] (Crossplatform / free and paid versions)
-* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Subversion_clients OUTSIDE LINK to SVN Clients. These are a list other clients, but ultimately your choice is based on system and preference.]
+* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Subversion_clients OUTSIDE LINK to SVN Clients.] (These are a list other clients, but ultimately your choice is based on system and preference.)
 * Eclipse Plugin - SmartClipse (Part of the Eclipse Package) - This is an advanced tool, I recommend sticking with one of the others above, unless you are already familiar and competent with it.
-== Rules for new Lst Monkeys ==
+== Rules for new LST Monkeys ==
-It's best not to mess with any core set (SRD, RSRD, MSRD) unless you have prior approval from the Content Silverback. If you break a core set, that will affect all the supplement sets that rely on it.
+It's best not to mess with any core set (SRD, RSRD, MSRD, Pathfinder) unless you have prior approval from the Content Silverback. If you break a core set, that will affect all the supplement sets that rely on it.
-Good Practices - You should test your changes. Run PrettyLst, then load it up in PCGen. PCGen itself is a great debugger tool, highlighting any potential problems you need to look at.
+Good Practices - You should test your changes. Run PrettyLST, then load it up in PCGen. PCGen itself is a great debugger tool, highlighting any potential problems you need to look at. Every new release gets better at detecting errors at load up.
 Ask if you have a question regarding code interactions. A simple change might have unintended consequences.

@@ Line 93: / Line 93: @@
 * Eclipse Plugin - SmartClipse (Part of the Eclipse Package) - This is an advanced tool, I recommend sticking with one of the others above, unless you are already familiar and competent with it.
 == Rules for new Lst Monkeys ==
@@ Line 106: / Line 103: @@
 Don't fret if you accidentally break something. It happens to all of us. If you don't know how to fix it, let one of the other data monkeys know and they can either help you through it, or fix it.

@@ Line 51: / Line 51: @@
 Some good choices out there:
-* [[EditPlus]] (Shareware for 30 days I believe)
+* '''WINDOWS SYSTEM'''
-* [[Crimson Editor/Emerald Editor]] (Freeware)
+** [[Crimson Editor/Emerald Editor]] (Freeware)
-* Kate
+** [http://www.contexteditor.org/ CONText] (Freeware)
-* CONText
+** [http://www.pspad.com/ PSPad] (Freeware)
-* BBEdit
+** [[EditPlus]] (Shareware for 30 days I believe)
-* jEDit
+** [http://textpad.com/ Textpad] (Shareware)
-* PSPad
+** [http://www.ultraedit.com/ UltraEdit] (Shareware)
-* Textpad
+** [http://sourceforge.net/projects/notepad-plus/ Notepad++] (no Syntax Highlighter available, but free)
-All of these have PCGen specific syntax highlighters. There are other good text editors, but you would need to create your own syntax highlighter.
+* '''MAC SYSTEMS'''
-Another handy tool is called PrettyLst. It cleans up the file, and is the first line debugger for catching mistakes and organizes your files into those clean columns.
+* '''JAVA Supported Systems'''
 Our greatest resource by far is the Lst Tag Index which is the repository for ALL the tokens we use in the lst files.
-The Documents are your best friend. They also hold the basic standard settings you should use for any text editor
+The Documents are your best friend. They also hold the basic standard settings you should use for any text editor.
-SVN client. Our code and data is stored in an excellent SVN repository. This allows mulitple people to edit the same files, and get all the correct changes, or see what was changed to any given file. It allows us to roll-back any changes that are detrimental.
+Our code and data is stored in an excellent SVN repository. This allows mulitple people to edit the same files, and get all the correct changes, or see what was changed to any given file. It allows us to roll-back any changes that are detrimental.
 There are good svn clients out there... The most popular are:
-* TortoiseSVN
+* [http://tortoisesvn.tigris.org/ TortoiseSVN Windows System]
-* SmartSVN
+* [http://www.syntevo.com/smartsvn/index.html SmartSVN Crossplatform / free and paid versions]
-* SmartClipse (Part of the Eclipse Package) - This is an advanced tool, I recommend sticking with one of the others above, unless you are already familiar and competent with it.
+* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Subversion_clients OUTSIDE LINK to SVN Clients. These are a list other clients, but ultimately your choice is based on system and preference.]
-* There are others, but ultimately your choice is based on system and preference.
+* Eclipse Plugin - SmartClipse (Part of the Eclipse Package) - This is an advanced tool, I recommend sticking with one of the others above, unless you are already familiar and competent with it.
 == Rules for new Lst Monkeys ==

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 For data monkeys the following are good choices to look for things to do or work on:
-* [https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=25576&atid=750091 Data Bug Fixing]
+* [http://jira.pcgen.org/browse/DATA Data Bug Fixing & Data Feature Requests]
 * [[Data_Wishlist|Data Wish list]] (User submitted requests for book inclusion in PCGen)
 * Coding up a book you want to see included in PCGen.
@@ Line 52: / Line 51: @@
 Some good choices out there:
-* EditPlus (Shareware for 30 days I believe)
+* [[EditPlus]] (Shareware for 30 days I believe)
 * Crimson Editor/Emerald Editor (Freeware)
 * Kate

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:04, 26 September 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	= ~~Joining the~~ Data Team Q&A =	+	{\| align="right"
		+	\| __TOC__
		+	\|}
		+
		+	= Data Team Q&A =

	Welcome, you've decided to Join the PCGen Project and would like to join the illustrious Data Monkeys (Also known as Lst Monkeys). That's something we like to hear. :)		Welcome, you've decided to Join the PCGen Project and would like to join the illustrious Data Monkeys (Also known as Lst Monkeys). That's something we like to hear. :)