# Contribute

Anyone is welcome to contribute content to this website.

To do this, you'll need a [github](https://github.com) account. If you're a git pro, you can do all the usual stuff.

If you're new to git, this guide will take you through a very simple process to edit a page on the website. This is not a standard github workflow, and only works because of the simplicity of the site. In a normal github-hosted project, you'll need some more advanced tools.

## How to edit a file

First, go to the github repository that the website source code is kept on. This is [https://github.com/chrishalcrow/NumericsForSolitons](https://github.com/chrishalcrow/NumericsForSolitons). The files you see should mirror the structured of this website. The `index` file is used to produce the homepage of the website. The `best_practices` file generates the Best Practices page. The `getting_started` folder contains the pages with make up the Getting Started section. And so on.

On github, go and find the webpage you'd like to edit. This should be a `.md` file. Click on it. `md` stands for Markdown, a mark-up language. It looks a lot like a basic text file but with some bonus stuff, which is used to add things like __bold__ text, _italics_, links, `code`, headings and so on. A good cheat sheet can be found [here](https://www.markdownguide.org/basic-syntax/).

Once you click on the `.md` file, a previewer/editor should appear. Find the pencil symbol at the top right of the editor. Click this to start editing the file.

Edit the file.

Once you're done, click "Commit". This is you committing your new changes. A pop-up box will appear asking you to add some comments about what you have edited. Please do this.

Your changes do not automatically become part of the website. First, a moderator must review them. The moderator might suggest some changes. As we move forward, we'll come up with some community guidelines.

And that's it! You've contributed to an open-source educational resource. Congrats!!

Note: because the project is open-source, all your changes and discussions will be public. So don't write anything you don't want your grandmother to read!