E.1 Collaboration#

[1t] Overview#

There are several ways to collaborate on rivt files by using tools available in the Python, GitHub and VSCode ecosystem.

Public rivt files may be shared by uploading them to repositories e.g. GitHub. Public rivt files can be found and downloaded using the search interface. Public rivt files are identified with the naming convention
```
rv-DocNumber-filename.py
```
where the doc name and number are the doc number of the corresponding doc e.g. with an added hypen prefix. The file is writtnen to the _shared folder. This is in contrast with the form:
```
rvDocNumber-filename.py
```
for active, private files stored in the report root directory. After downloading shared rivt files, use a batch rename extension or utility to delete the hyphen and convert it to an active rivt file form. Public rivt files may be collaboratively improved by:
- forking to create different versions.
- providing pull requests.
- submitting issues and bugs.
Contributions to rivtlib at rivtlib-dev and documentation at rivt-info in the from of;
- report issues and bugs
- issue pull requests to propose changes
- improved documentation
Contributioons to extensions and scripts that improve the interaction of rivt with other components in the rivt framework.
Collaborative editing in VSCode using Visual Studio Live Share.

[2t] Open Models#

The web site OpenModels.info is a Google Drive repository of open source engineernig model files, including rivt files and reports.

[3t] Git and GitHub#

Git and GitHub are part of the rivt framework. Git 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 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.

[4t] 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