Appendix C — Contributing

Contributions are very welcome; please contact us by email or by filing an issue in our repository. All contributors must abide by our Code of Conduct.

C.1 Contributors

Greg Wilson is a programmer, author, and educator based in Toronto. He was the co-founder and first Executive Director of Software Carpentry and received ACM SIGSOFT’s Influential Educator Award in 2020.

Thanks to:

C.2 Setup and Operation

  • Install Quarto to build the site.
  • Run make on its own to see a list of common commands
make task effect
site render HTML pages
serve preview the site locally
check check structure, spelling, and links
bib validate the bibliography
clean remove generated and cache files

C.3 Structure

  • Lessons are in slug directories (e.g., intro/, health/)
    • Each lesson has an index.qmd file containing its content
  • Diagrams should be SVG files created with draw.io
  • bibliography/references.bib holds the bibliography in BibTeX format
    • Cite entries with [@Key] (e.g., [@Aurora2019])
  • glossary/index.qmd holds the glossary as a definition list
    • Reference terms with "display text"
  • _quarto.yml configures the book and chapter order

C.4 FAQ

Do you need any help?
Yes—please see the issues in our repository.
What sort of feedback would be useful?
Everything is welcome, from pointing out mistakes in the code to suggestions for better explanations.
Can I add a new section?
Absolutely, but please reach out before doing so.
Why is this material free to read?
Because if we all give a little, we all get a lot.