E.1 Collaboration#

[1t] Overview#

As a Python open source project, there are several ways to collaborate and share rivt file improvements.
  1. Public rivt files may be shared by uploading

    to repositories such as GitHub.

  2. Public rivt files can be found and downloaded using the

    search interface. For public files,

    • cloned versions may be forked to create different versions.

    • pull requests may provide improvements.

    • issues and bugs may be reported.

    Public rivt files are identified with the naming convention rv-A01-filename.py, in contrast with rvA01-filename for private files. After downloading a public rivt file, use the Batch Rename extension to delete the hyphen after rv and convert it to a private rivt file.

  3. Files may be collaboratively edited in real time using VSCode with the extension Visual Studio Live Share. extension.

  4. Contribute to rivtlib at rivtlib-dev and documentation at rivt-info.

    • report issues and bugs

    • issue pull requests to propose changes

    • contribute to documentation

  5. Contribute extensions and scripts that improve interaction rivt with other

    components of the rivt framework.

[2t] Git and GitHub#

Git is part of the rivt framework. It is a free, open-source, distributed version control system designed to manage and track changes in files. It allows multiple people to work on the same project simultaneously without overwriting each other’s work.

GitHub is also part of the rivt framework. It is a web-based platform for hosting, managing, and collaborating on code built around Git. It allows teams to work together efficiently on software projects and provides features like pull requests, issue tracking, and project management.

Each rivt project is typically stored in its own repository. Every user of GitHub has a personal account with essentially unlimited repositories.Free accounts provide for:

  • Unlimited Repositories: You can create as many public and private repositories as you need.

  • Unlimited Collaborators: There is no limit to the number of people you can work with on your repositories.

  • Community Support: You have access to the GitHub Community Discussions for help.

  • Core Services with Usage Limits: The free plan includes a certain amount of monthly usage for services:

    • GitHub Actions: 2,000 minutes per month for private repositories

      (unlimited for public repositories).

    • GitHub Codespaces: 120 core hours and 15 GB of storage per month.

GitHub Codespaces is a VSCode cloud-based development environment connected to GitHub files. It can be set up with rivt extensions that provide a complete rivt editing and collaboration environment in the cloud.

[3t] VSCode#

VSCode is an open source IDE with a large set of extensions, including collaboration support. Collaboration is facilitated by the Visual Studio Live Share. You can start a Live Share session either within CodeSpaces in your browser, or within the VS Code desktop application. CodeSpaces is a cloud based GitHub implementation of VSCode that shares many of the same features.

The Live Share extension enables:

  • Real-time Co-editing: Multiple participants can work on the same file simultaneously, seeing each other’s cursors, selections, and edits instantly, much like in Google Docs..

  • Shared Terminals and Servers: The host can share their terminal and localhost servers with guests, eliminating the need for guests to set up their own environments or dependencies.

  • Navigation and Following: Participants can independently navigate the project or choose to “follow” another collaborator, keeping their editor synchronized with the leader’s actions.

  • File Access Control: Hosts can use a .vsls.json file to control which files and folders are visible or editable by guests, ensuring security and focus