I’m totally new to anything like debugging a runtime vs a SDK or even contributing more than an answer to a community project. So, I have an idea to help others based on my current situation. Can I add a section to the manual, “Getting Started with Contributions,” once I get this runtime up and test my small code base? I think it could look something like so:
Getting Started with Contributions
Contributing to the Manual
Contributing Code
Debugging the SDK Debugging the Runtime
(I bolded the ones I think I’d cover while testing this. The others I think would be handy in the future.)
Maybe “Debugging the SDK” assumes some aggressive test/debugging phase prior to a new major release with a call to action such as this thread. I’m sure it unfolds differently than the runtime anyways, since many bugs are hammered out before anything like this thread occurs (this thread being a call to test the runtime after a major release).
For testing this currently I have:
download packp3d<version#>.p3d’ from runtime.panda3d.org/ where <version#> is the version of the Panda runtime you are testing
run ‘panda3d packp3d<version#>.p3d’ on the command line
Is there anything before step 1? I already have the SDK installed, in case that matters.
Yeah, I’d love for there to be a section in the manual on contributing to Panda3D. I’ve been meaning to start it, but have not had the time.
These sound like good topics to cover. “Contributing Code” could contain some basic instructions on how to check out the source from git, finding ones way around the source code, using git to generate patches, point to coding style recommendations, and so on. “Debugging the SDK” could contain instructions on how to run the SDK inside a debugger like gdb or Microsoft Visual C++.
If you know how to edit the manual, you can feel free to make draft pages under your own User: namespace. (You can edit your own user page, but due to anti-spam considerations won’t be allowed to create new pages until you reach a certain number of edits.)
As for testing the runtime, I think that “install the Panda3D runtime” would be a good first step.
For what it’s worth, we sometimes make builds at runtime-dev.panda3d.org that are more bleeding-edge and could be used for pre-release testing, but it’s not currently up-to-date.
Ha! I got confused over what wezu was saying. I thought packp3d was the runtime just without going through the installer. Duh! He referred to the runtime separately implying packp3d != runtime. I’m obviously a newb to much (not all) of the library and development cycle, and I need to switch from Subversion to GIt also, but I think this will be a good thing when I write the instructions. I’ll use this thread for my questions that pertain only to making contributions. I just graduated and am job hunting, so this’ll take me some time to complete. I’ll probably do it piecemeal.
First question(s), how were we supposed to use runtime.panda3d.org to debug the runtime, if the first step is to install the runtime? As I understand, we would compile runtime-dev.panda3d.org and use that as our code library the same as the stable release of the SDK, and thereby we would test it pre-release. Is the former link where we are to commit bug fixes? And, if you think it useful for this subject in a general sense, how could wezu use that p3d for testing the runtime? It seemed out of all the stuff there he pulled only that one file. Maybe I should ask him.
As this thread gets older, should I make new threads or keep this as the single “making contributions thread”? It should compliment the manual sections better that way, but I’m afraid it’ll become necro-bumping eventually.
packp3d is just a program to pack a game into a p3d file. It is itself a .p3d file (packp3d.p3d but I think there also is a exe version in the windows sdk).
The ‘runtime’ is just a luncher type program that knows how to run .p3d files. It’s not connected to any sdk version, but it downloads the needed files (packages) from runtime.panda3d.org, so the needed files need to be there.
Not sure if that made anything more clear.
As to what I did - installed the runtime (same old 1.0.4 we have for years), downloaded packp3d1.9.p3d and run it via the consolle with some options. That’s all.
I’m obviously a newb to much (not all) of the library and development cycle, and I need to switch from Subversion to GIt also, but I think this will be a good thing when I write the instructions. I’ll use this thread for my questions that pertain only to making contributions. I just graduated and am job hunting, so this’ll take me some time to complete. I’ll probably do it piecemeal.