Install Git and an AsciiDoc Editor

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      To get started with authoring Couchbase documentation, you need to:

      Create a GitHub Account

      The Couchbase documentation is stored on GitHub, so if you do not have a GitHub account, you need to create one.

      If you’re an official member of the Documentation team, other team members should help add your GitHub to the correct organizations, groups, and repositories on GitHub. Couchbase does not provide you with a GitHub account.

      Download and Install Git

      To clone and work with Git repositories on your device, or what’s known as local repositories, install Git using your operating system’s package manager. Alternatively, you can download it from the Git project.

      Install GitHub Desktop

      If you’re more comfortable working with a visual interface for interacting with Git, instead of using the command line and a terminal, consider installing GitHub Desktop.

      GitHub Desktop makes it easier to interact with Git and provides a fast way to clone new repositories onto your computer.

      You can also just use VS Code and its integrated interface for Git.

      Install an AsciiDoc Editor

      The current recommendation is to install VS Code.

      AsciiDoc is the markup language Couchbase uses for writing documentation. You can write an AsciiDoc document using a plain text editor or integrated development environment (IDE). If you do not have a preferred text editor or IDE, install VS Code and the listed AsciiDoc packages for an enhanced experience.

      Download and Install VS Code

      Visual Studio Code is a free, open-source code editor that runs on all platforms.

      1. Go to the VS Code home page. The VS Code home page should detect your operating system automatically and provide the correct download options.

      2. Download and install VS Code. Use the links below for additional installation instructions.

      Install the AsciiDoc Packages

      After you have installed VS Code:

      1. Start VS Code and go click Extensions beside the file explorer panel, or press Ctrl+Shift+X.

      2. In the Search extensions in Marketplace field, search for and install the following packages:

        AsciiDoc

        The AsciiDoc package by asciidoctor provides some nice-to-have features for editing AsciiDoc files in VS Code.

        Vale VSCode

        The Vale VSCode package by Chris Chinchilla powers in-editor text linting, including a spellchecker, that the Documentation team uses on all documentation files.

        You could also consider installing:

        GitHub Pull Requests

        This official GitHub extension lets you create GitHub pull requests directly inside VS Code. You will need to create pull requests for any changes you want to add to the documentation.

      Next Step